Go For the Gold! Books and Resources

• PRINT
• EMAIL

From Unit Plan: Go for the Gold! 

Magic Tree House #16 Hour of the Olympics by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator) ( Grades 1-4)
This early chapter book series features a magical, book-filled tree house that transports two children back in time.

It's All Greek to Me by Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith (Illustrator) ( Grades 4-6)
In a perfect collaboration, Scieszka and Smith have created three friends who find new ways to challenge each other, in the present and the past! The adventures they share will appeal to readers who like the unusual and the unusually funny. In this adventure, the Time Warp Trio is trying NOT to get their togas in a knot in an escapade to ancient Greece.

Ancient Greeks by Daisy Kerr ( Grades K-3)
Broaden the young reader's understanding and appreciation of the world of ancient Greece. From David Salariya, the creator of the Timelines and X-Ray Picture Books, comes the Worldwise series.

How Would You Survive as an Ancient Greek? by Fiona MacDonald ( Grades 4-6)
This title in the How Would You Survive? Series transports its reader back in time, and with a new identity, by giving detailed information in the aspects of life during the historical period of ancient Greece.

Ancient Greece: A Complete Resource Filled With Background Information, Cross-Curricluar Activities and Games, Library and Internet Links, Art Projects, & a Play by Sean Stewart Price ( Grades 4-8)
Take students on an odyssey of learning and fun back to ancient Greece. Students become experts on ancient Greece as they play a polis strategy game, argue a case in an Athenian trial, map out historic sites along the Aegean coast, enact a scene from Antigone, try on Golden Age fashions, and much more. Includes a full-color map.

The Spelling List and Word Study Resource Book: Organized Spelling Lists, Greek and Latin Roots, Word Histories and Other Resources for Dynamic Spelling and Vocabulary Instruction by Aileen Wheaton, Mary Jo Fresch ( Grades 1-6)
This book provides the word study lists teachers need. Not sure what spelling words to use? Look it up! Ready to teach Greek and Latin roots? You'll find handy lists and tips for teaching students how these roots influenced the English language.

Oral Presentations Made Easy!: Super Strategies and Warm-Ups That Help Kids Write and Give Effective Speeches and Presentations and Communicate With Confidence by Paul B. Janeczko ( Grades 5 & Up)
Help your students look forward to public speaking. With fun and playful warm-ups, strategies that guide kids through the process of creating a super speech, an anti-stage fright checklist, and more, this book has all the tools you need.

Getting the Most Out of Teaching with Newspapers by Rebecca Olien ( Grades 3 - 5)
A must-have resource to get kids reading - and learning from - the newspaper! Lessons and activities help you introduce the parts of the paper, create a class newspaper, and use the paper to teach reading, writing, math, and more.

Stimulate Background Knowledge with these related links:

The Olympic Games
The official site of the Olympic Games  

The Olympic Museum
Read summaries of each Olympic Game, learn some lesser-known facts, and see photo archives.

Biomechanics of Skating
This site uses figure skating to teach the basic mechanical concepts of projectile motion and conservation of angular momentum. This site uses animations and videos to explain the concepts.

Ancient Greece
This guide to ancient Greece covers its history, mythology, art and architecture, Olympics, wars, people, and geography.

BBC Schools: Ancient Greece
Explore ancient Greek culture and beliefs and find out what the first Olympic Games were all about with several interactive features.

Word Hub: Greek Roots
Test your knowledge of Greek root words with matching games and fill-in-the blanks.

Kodak - Olympic History
A photo timeline of the Olympics through history from 1896 to 1996.

The Innovative Teaching Newsletter: Summer Olympics 2004
Ideas and resources for teaching the Olympics this summer.

Kids Domain: Gold Medal Crafts

Olympic Values in Gym Class
Steve Sloan is the physical education teacher at Public School 102 in East Harlem, New York. He has been blind since birth. But the fact he can't see has never stopped Sloan, who works out seven days a week.

About Luge
In the luge, athletes ride on a small sled on their backs with their feet pointing down a twisting, icy run.

Olympic Insights!
This week, Scholastic News Kid Reporters are interviewing more than 130 athletes who have gathered in Chicago for a media summit four months before the 2008 Olympic Games begin. Many of these athletes are already on the U.S. team for the Games, but some are still vying for a chance to compete in Beijing.

LESSON PLAN	Go For the Gold! For Grades 9-10 Students research the impact of history, nationalism, and politics on the Olympic games and write a current events story on Olympics 2004.
UNIT PLAN	Go For the Gold! Covers the Olympic Games from its past in ancient Greece to the present-day international event.
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Blogging the Olympics The city of Chicago is hosting the Olympic Media Summit April 13-16, and Scholastic News is covering the athletic extravaganza.