KEY INFORMATION

Recommended age group: 5–11
Time required: one 45–60 minute session
Equipment: Games Across the Globe activity sheet, Celebrating Rio presentation, globe or map, internet/ library access for research.


ACTIVITY IDEA

Show the Celebrating Rio assembly (PowerPoint presentation) and focus on slides 5–9 showing the location of Rio de Janeiro in terms of continent, country and position of the city.

Explain that the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games are held every four years in a different country. Ask if anyone knows when the last Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games took place and where. Do the same for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Using a projector and a large world map, or an online map, ask children to come out and pinpoint the positions of the next and previous four Olympic and Paralympic Summer and Winter Games. See how many previous locations they can pinpoint on the map. 

Upcoming and previous Games

  • Summer 2020 Tokyo
  • Summer 2016 Rio de Janeiro
  • Summer 2012 London
  • Summer 2008 Beijing
  • Summer 2004 Athens
  • Winter 2022 Beijing
  • Winter 2018 PyeongChang
  • Winter 2014 Sochi
  • Winter 2010 Vancouver
  • Winter 2006 Turin

Explain that the children are going to work in teams to find out facts about each of these cities and write them on an activity sheet. The facts can be found using globes, atlases, reference books and the internet. Emphasise that every fact must be checked by using at least two different sources.

Divide the children into small groups to work together on the research. Use the Games across the globe activity sheet. This includes a world map to mark the cities on.

When the first group has finished, stop everyone and explain the second part of the task: the quiz. Explain that some of the class will carry out a geography quiz for the rest of the school to do based on the information they have found out. To do this the teams must create a multiple choice question for each fact. Give an example, e.g. which language is spoken in Athens: a) English, b) Greek or c) Spanish?

Choose different teams to ask one question each so that a 10-question quiz is created. This can be carried out in a special assembly with the whole school (or just KS2) answering by a show of hands. Children can ask the questions, give the answers and create a PowerPoint to show both questions, answers and the locations.

DIFFERENTIATION

  • Younger and less able children can be given the simpler tasks on the sheet, i.e. those which can be answered with maps and globes, rather than web searches and use of reference books.
  • Older and more able children can check the facts by using multiple sources and create the multiple choice questions for the quiz.

EXTENSION

  • Let the most able children create the quiz PowerPoint.
  • The quiz can be extended for the class to ask them about earlier games. Alternatively, a display can be created to show pictures of the ten cities along with facts.
  • Children can also investigate the following information for each of the Games:
    • How many medals were won in total
    • If the city has held an Olympic or Paralympic games more than once
    • What Medals Team GB and PararlympicsGB gained at the event.