MarcoGram April 2004 -- Let's Get Moving!

Let's Get Moving!
Tackle the topic of physical activity right in your own classroom! It has been 50 years since the color television was developed, and the term "couch potato" was quick to follow. This month, the MarcoGram features lessons about athletes, sports and other forms of movement. Use the warm-up activities below to remind students about the benefits of regular physical activity, then scroll down for links to more lessons and resources.

1. Action verbs are words that describe movement or activity. (Examples are skip, run, jump, shop, read, laugh.) Action verbs also can describe when the action takes place. (For example, she walks to school or she walked to school.)

Name some action verbs. Now, complete this sentence: John ____ to school. How many different ways can John get to school? (For example, he can run, walk, ride, skate, fly, dance, etc.) How did you get to school today? How will you get to school tomorrow? How do you think a ballerina would get to school? A racecar driver? How about a person with really long legs?

It's easy to incorporate physical activity in the language arts classroom! Have students use charades or cheerleading moves when learning action verbs or spelling techniques. Get kids out from behind their desks and have them act out a sentence or use their arms to spell out a word.

Combine physical activity with language arts in:

"She Did What? Revising for Connotation" (6-8) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English

"Spelling Cheerleading: Integrating Movement and Spelling Generalizations" (3-5) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English

Photograph of Ty Cobb and Joe Jackson courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [Digital ID: cph 3b43970].

2. Baseball is often referred to as a "numbers game," mostly because the sport generates a lot of statistics, some of which are used to predict the probable outcome of a future game. Other sports, such as football, hockey and basketball, also produce a lot of averages and statistics that can be used when teaching economics and mathematics lessons.

Younger students who haven't learned about statistics can still use sports to refine their number sense. Show students pictures of sporting events and ask them which have numbers on or near the playing surface. (For example, football and track use numbers to indicate distance and a golf course has a number at each hole.) Where else can you see numbers at a sporting event? (Numbers also appear on tickets, a basketball shot clock, uniforms and the scoreboard.)

Older students can have fun with number crunching. Suggest several sports and ask what kinds of statistics they produce. (For example, hockey has shots on goal, basketball has free-throw percentage and football has yards per carry.) How might those statistics be used to indicate the future performance of a player or team? Students can pick a favorite athlete or team and track performance over a season, comparing the statistics with a rival athlete or team.

Use math and economics skills when reviewing sports statistics in:

"Baseball Economics 101" (6-12) from EconEdLink, National Council on Economic Education

"Bouncing Tennis Balls" (6-8) from Illuminations, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

"Mathematics and Football" (K-2) from Illuminations, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

3. It may be baseball season in America, but halfway around the continent, mountaineers are preparing to climb Mt. Everest. At about 8,850 meters (just over 29,000 feet), Everest is the tallest mountain in the world and was first summited in May 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Some mountaineers push themselves to climb high altitudes without using supplemental oxygen. This practice can be harmful to inexperienced climbers, putting an entire expedition in danger. Why is supplemental oxygen needed when climbing tall mountains? What other kinds of equipment and gear do mountaineers use when climbing? What skills and strengths does this sport require?

Safety is important when participating in any sport. Separate the class into groups and assign each group a sport, such as hockey, skateboarding, cycling or skydiving. Have students look through sports magazines and cut out photographs of athletes wearing appropriate equipment. Using a graphic organizer, students should list each piece of equipment and how it protects the body. Then, ask students to create interesting graphic designs for helmets or other pieces of equipment to make them more attractive to wear.

Find out where safety and sports intersect in:

"Extending Human Ability Through Technology" (6-8) from Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science

"Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse: Safe Bike Behavior" (K-4) from ARTSEDGE, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

"The Physical and Mental Effects of Climbing" (9-12) from Xpeditions, National Geographic Society

4. Children often name Olympic athletes and professional sports figures as their role models. Although athletes generally are well-known for their actions on the playing field, many have achieved celebrity status through their activities off the field, including volunteer work, acting, broadcasting and politics.

Who is your favorite athlete? What sport does he or she play? What do you like most about that person? How does he or she inspire you?

Include a segment on sports and athletes in your lessons this month. For example, the 2004 Olympic Games are in Athens, Greece, so teachers of any subject can include a lesson on Greek sports or culture in their lessons. Have students use Internet or library resources to research the life of a historical sports figure. Then hold a parade of champions, where each student assumes the persona of his or her assigned athlete. Play 20 questions to allow students to guess each others' identity.

Follow the path of favorite, popular or historical athletes in:

"Live from Ancient Olympia!" (6-8) from EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities

"Shaquille O'Neal: Using a Basketball Star to Motivate Readers" (3-5) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English

"What Makes a Hero?" (3-5) from EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities



© MCI Foundation		1. Action verbs are words that describe movement or activity. (Examples are skip, run, jump, shop, read, laugh.) Action verbs also can describe when the action takes place. (For example, she walks to school or she walked to school.) Name some action verbs. Now, complete this sentence: John ____ to school. How many different ways can John get to school? (For example, he can run, walk, ride, skate, fly, dance, etc.) How did you get to school today? How will you get to school tomorrow? How do you think a ballerina would get to school? A racecar driver? How about a person with really long legs? It's easy to incorporate physical activity in the language arts classroom! Have students use charades or cheerleading moves when learning action verbs or spelling techniques. Get kids out from behind their desks and have them act out a sentence or use their arms to spell out a word. Combine physical activity with language arts in: "She Did What? Revising for Connotation" (6-8) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English


		"Spelling Cheerleading: Integrating Movement and Spelling Generalizations" (3-5) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English


Photograph of Ty Cobb and Joe Jackson courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [Digital ID: cph 3b43970].		2. Baseball is often referred to as a "numbers game," mostly because the sport generates a lot of statistics, some of which are used to predict the probable outcome of a future game. Other sports, such as football, hockey and basketball, also produce a lot of averages and statistics that can be used when teaching economics and mathematics lessons. Younger students who haven't learned about statistics can still use sports to refine their number sense. Show students pictures of sporting events and ask them which have numbers on or near the playing surface. (For example, football and track use numbers to indicate distance and a golf course has a number at each hole.) Where else can you see numbers at a sporting event? (Numbers also appear on tickets, a basketball shot clock, uniforms and the scoreboard.) Older students can have fun with number crunching. Suggest several sports and ask what kinds of statistics they produce. (For example, hockey has shots on goal, basketball has free-throw percentage and football has yards per carry.) How might those statistics be used to indicate the future performance of a player or team? Students can pick a favorite athlete or team and track performance over a season, comparing the statistics with a rival athlete or team. Use math and economics skills when reviewing sports statistics in: "Baseball Economics 101" (6-12) from EconEdLink, National Council on Economic Education


		"Bouncing Tennis Balls" (6-8) from Illuminations, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics


		"Mathematics and Football" (K-2) from Illuminations, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics


		3. It may be baseball season in America, but halfway around the continent, mountaineers are preparing to climb Mt. Everest. At about 8,850 meters (just over 29,000 feet), Everest is the tallest mountain in the world and was first summited in May 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Some mountaineers push themselves to climb high altitudes without using supplemental oxygen. This practice can be harmful to inexperienced climbers, putting an entire expedition in danger. Why is supplemental oxygen needed when climbing tall mountains? What other kinds of equipment and gear do mountaineers use when climbing? What skills and strengths does this sport require? Safety is important when participating in any sport. Separate the class into groups and assign each group a sport, such as hockey, skateboarding, cycling or skydiving. Have students look through sports magazines and cut out photographs of athletes wearing appropriate equipment. Using a graphic organizer, students should list each piece of equipment and how it protects the body. Then, ask students to create interesting graphic designs for helmets or other pieces of equipment to make them more attractive to wear. Find out where safety and sports intersect in: "Extending Human Ability Through Technology" (6-8) from Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science


		"Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse: Safe Bike Behavior" (K-4) from ARTSEDGE, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


		"The Physical and Mental Effects of Climbing" (9-12) from Xpeditions, National Geographic Society


		4. Children often name Olympic athletes and professional sports figures as their role models. Although athletes generally are well-known for their actions on the playing field, many have achieved celebrity status through their activities off the field, including volunteer work, acting, broadcasting and politics. Who is your favorite athlete? What sport does he or she play? What do you like most about that person? How does he or she inspire you? Include a segment on sports and athletes in your lessons this month. For example, the 2004 Olympic Games are in Athens, Greece, so teachers of any subject can include a lesson on Greek sports or culture in their lessons. Have students use Internet or library resources to research the life of a historical sports figure. Then hold a parade of champions, where each student assumes the persona of his or her assigned athlete. Play 20 questions to allow students to guess each others' identity. Follow the path of favorite, popular or historical athletes in: "Live from Ancient Olympia!" (6-8) from EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities


		"Shaquille O'Neal: Using a Basketball Star to Motivate Readers" (3-5) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English


		"What Makes a Hero?" (3-5) from EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities