Primary

Classroom Activities

Events

What Are Your Values?

Learning Intentions

The children will:

explore the Olympic and Paralympic values;
reflect on their own values;
identify personal targets in relation to the Olympic and Paralympic values; and
use ICT to explain the Olympic and Paralympic values to other children.

Curriculum Links

Statutory Requirements:

Personal Development and Mutual Understanding
Teachers should enable pupils to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in:

their self-esteem, self-confidence and how they develop as individuals;
their management of a range of feelings and emotions and the feelings and emotions of others;
human rights and social responsibility;
causes of conflict and appropriate responses; and
valuing and celebrating cultural difference and diversity.

The World Around Us
Teachers should enable pupils to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in:

how they and others interact in the world; and
how place influences the nature of life.

Cross-Curricular Skills:

Using Communication
Pupils should be enabled to:

contribute comments, ask questions and respond to others' points of view; and
find, select and use information from a range of sources.

Using ICT
Pupils should be enabled to create, develop, present and publish ideas and information using a range of digital media.

Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities:

Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
Pupils will:

make links between cause and effect; and
examine options and weigh up pros and cons.

Self Management
Pupils will:

be aware of their personal strengths, limitations and interests; and
set personal targets and review them.

Connected Learning Opportunities:

PE
Pupils make links with the practical aspects of their athletics, games, gymnastics and swimming programmes.

Activity

Exploring the Olympic and Paralympic values provides an excellent opportunity to examine our own values. In this activity, the children will think about their values and compare them with:

the Olympic values of friendship, respect and excellence; and
the Paralympic values of determination, courage, equality and inspiration.

After completing this activity, the children could nominate classmates who have demonstrated one of the values particularly well.

Olympic and Paralympic Values

Use the Carousel activity to examine each of the Olympic and Paralympic values in turn.

Arrange the class into seven groups. Give each group a large page with one of the Olympic or Paralympic values written at the centre.

Ask each group to add words, images, phrases and actions that they associate with the value to the page. Take five minutes for each value.

Hold a debriefing session to go through the additions to each page and clarify any ambiguous responses. Show pupils the ‘How to embrace the Olympic values’ video from www.olympic.org. Ask the children if they have learned anything new. In what ways could they try to be different? What could they do better in school?

Jemma’s Story

Play the 8 minute video on the British Council Schools Online website telling the story of 13 year old Jemma from Wales who was the youngest ever member of Team GB at the Olympics in Greece in 2011.

Discuss with the class the values Jemma demonstrated in her Olympic journey.

Be a Champion

Play the 1 minute clip ‘Be a Champion’ video narrated by Liam Neeson from the Special Olympics Ireland website.

Local Heroes

Ask the children if they are aware of any Olympic or Paralympic athletes from Northern Ireland.

With the class working again in 7 groups, give each group the name of a Northern Ireland Olympic or Paralympic champion or competitor and ask them to find out as much as possible about the sports person in preparation for presenting their local hero to the rest of the class. Here are some suggestions to get started.

Athlete	Sport	Home
Ken McArthur	Track & Field	Ballymoney
Mary Peters	Pentathlon & Shot put	Belfast
Sean McCartan	Gymnastics & Skiing	Belfast
Richard Chambers	Rower	Coleraine
Paddy Barnes	Boxer	Belfast
Laura Keenan	25 metres & Soft-ball throw	Co. Fermanagh
Wendy Houvenaghd	Cyclist	Upperlands
Rory McIlroy	Golfer	Holywood
Aileen Morrison	Triathlete	Derry
Lisa Kearney	Judoka	Belfast

After the presentations, ask the class to think again about the Olympic and Paralympic values and vote for their outstanding local hero. Information on this sporting hero or several of the local heroes could be included in the presentation on Sports Day.