Teaser Question: Were you ever afraid to try something because you didn't want to fail?
Going Deeper: Is playing a sport always about winning? How do you feel when you try your best and lose?
Making Choices: You have worked very to prepare for the most important game of your life... and you lose. What have you learned? Do you still want to play the game? How do you feel towards those who won?
Movie: The Legend of Bagger Vance
Theme: Honesty
Teaser Question: What would you do if you were in this situation?
Going Deeper: Is it more important to win or to play by the
rules? Is it okay to break the rules if you are not caught? What about
"bending" the rules? What if you think a particular rule is foolish?
What if everyone else bends the rules?
Making Choices: You studied hard for a big test and made a
sheet of notes to help you remember. You bring the sheet with you to the
test, not knowing it is against the rules. After the test you find out
what you did was wrong. The penalty for breaking the test rules is an
automatic "F." You only referred to your notes once. What do you do now?
Tell the teacher? Leave things as they are? How will you feel if you
don't tell the teacher? Who could you talk to about this?
Movie: The Mighty Ducks
Theme: Playing Fair
Teaser Question: Have you ever stood up to someone who wanted you to do something that was wrong?
Going Deeper: What is more important: winning the game or following the rules?
Making Choices: Even though your team follows the rules,
your opponents don't. You have a chance to win the game if you cheat.
What do you do?
Movie: Parenthood
Theme: Having Fun
Teaser Question: Have you ever not had fun because you were so focused on winning?
Going Deeper: Can you lose and still have fun?
What are some good ways to handle the pressure? What is the point of
playing games? Is it to improve yourself, to win, to participate, to
have fun, to include others or a combination of these things?
Making Choices: You are about to pick sides for a
game. A friend of yours who is not very good and never gets picked is in
the group from which you are choosing. Do you pick your friend, even if
it means your side will probably have less chance of winning?
Activities
. Keeping a Journal
As a homework assignment or in a class
activity, the students will write two entries into their journal under
the heading of Good Sportsmanship answering the following questions:
Of all the examples of good sportsmanship demonstrated in the clips, which was your favorite? Why?
Write about a time in your life when you demonstrated good sportsmanship.
Tell of a time when you did not demonstrate good sportsmanship.
Define "Good sportsmanship."
Activity 1: Creating a Class Coat of Arms
Performance Objective: To build a healthy sense of teamwork by creating a personalized coat of arms.
Before the session, the teacher will draw a coat of arms on a
large sheet of chart paper, dividing it into six roughly equal parts.
Cut the coat of arms into six sections, marking the top of each section
on the back of the paper.
Divide the class into six groups and ask each group to
complete a task which will contribute to an overall group project when
put together.
GROUP ONE'S TASK: Decide on class colors and create a design
using those colors on your piece of coat of arms. Be prepared to tell
the class why you chose those particular colors (for example, blue for
loyalty and red for boldness).
GROUP TWO'S TASK: Decide on a class mascot and draw that
mascot on your section of the coat of arms. Be prepared to tell why you
chose that mascot (for example, a lion for confidence and strength.)
GROUP THREE'S TASK: Design a symbol that represents your
class on your piece of the coat of arms. Be prepared to tell why you
chose that symbol (for example, a star because this is a bright and
impressive class).
GROUP FOUR'S TASK: Decide on a class motto and write this on
your section of the coat of arms (for example, "Moving Forward
Together").
GROUP FIVE'S TASK: Decide on your class's contribution to
the rest of the school and draw a symbol of that contribution (for
example, a smiling face to show how your class always brings joy and
laughter to the rest of the school).
GROUP SIX'S TASK: Choose three words that you hope people
will remember when they think of your class and write them on your piece
of coat of arms (for example, "Bright, Cheerful, and United").
Offer assistance and encouragement to the groups throughout the exercise.
At the end of their work, each group will select a
representative to read the group's task to the class and show the
results. The different drawings are then placed carefully on another
large piece of paper to show the final resulting coat of arms. The
groups can then discuss the ways in which teamwork was happening in this
exercise, both within each group and between the task groups. Were there times when bad sportsmanship occurred? Why?
Activity 2: Character Traits
Performance Objective: To identify goals for ourselves by seeing what we admire in others.
Materials Needed: Papers with numbers 1-5 at the top, followed by numbers 1-10 below, and another set of numbers 1-10 on the other side of the paper
Instructions:
Ask the students to consider five people, real or fictional, they truly admire. They should then write the names of these people on the top part of their paper.
Using the bottom of the paper, the students should list ten qualities or character traits that they associate with their five role models (for example, loyalty, strength, friendliness, etc).
Break up the class into group of four or five students each. Ask each student to name some people they admire and share their character traits with the others in their group.
Ask group members to review their separate lists of traits and come up with a single shared list of important traits that they can all agree on.
Ask one person from each group to report to the rest of the class on what they came up with and why those traits were important to the group members.
How many of the traits are part of good sportsmanship?
Activity 3: Tic-Tac-Toe
Performance Objective: To understand the importance and difficulties of leadership and communication.
Materials Needed: Large sheets of paper with Tic-Tac-Toe grids drawn on each sheet, pencils, and blindfolds
Instructions:
Divide the class into groups of four students each. The Tic-Tac-Toe
grid is placed between two members. Each of the other two students in
the group sits next to one of the respective blindfolded players and
acts as a leader in the Tic-Tac-Toe game.
Using verbal instructions only, the leaders guide their
respective blindfolded partners in a game, telling them what to draw and
where to draw on the grid. No physical help may be given, only verbal
directions.
At the end of the round, the pairs reverse their roles with the
former leaders now being the blindfolded players. On the next round,
partners can be swapped, then again without blindfolds on anyone, but
still with one partner in each acting as a leader and guiding the
partner (who can see) in the game.
At the end of the entire exercise, ask the students to talk about
the different kinds of teamwork and leadership that they experienced.
What was it like being blindfolded and relying totally on the leadership
of another? What was it like when you could see but still had to take
another person's instructions? What was it like to be the leader and
what difficulties or frustrations did you face?
What role did good sportsmanship play in the exercise?
Activity 4: Role Play
Performance Objective: To express opinions on a topic through written, oral, or dramatic expression.
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, props for skits
Instructions:
The teacher divides the class into groups of five students.
Groups are instructed to come up with a situation contrasting
good sportsmanship and poor sportsmanship, and to develop a short role
play or "skit" presenting this situation.
Each group presents their skit to the whole class.
After all the role plays have been performed, the teacher leads
the whole class in a discussion on the ideas contained in the skits
regarding good sportsmanship.
Optional Teaching Strategies
Students write a short reflection paper examining the rewards and difficulties involved in being a good sport.
Students make posters about good sportsmanship and then post them in the classroom or in the school hallways.
Students create puppets and put on a puppet show of a sports scene where on character is a good sport and another is a poor sport.