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LESSON PLAN:
TURIN, GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE AND SPORTS
Geography,
Activities and Critical Analysis
By Lisa Prososki
Subject(s):
Secondary Geography, Social Studies, Current Events, and History
classes
Time: Two 90-minute or three to four 50-minute class periods plus
additional time for extension activities.
Objectives
- Students
will:
- Participate
in a brainstorming session and class discussion about the qualities
and characteristics that make a specific region or city suitable for
hosting the Winter Olympics.
- Utilize
basic map skills to determine the latitude and physical features of
northern Italy, primarily the Turin/Torino area.
- Make predictions
about topics such as weather, climate, and physical features of Turin/Torino
by comparing the data from the maps of Italy with similar areas in the
U.S.
- Learn
about the history, architecture, industry, food, and culture of the
Turin/Torino area using various online content and related class discussion.
- Use primary
resources to help them plan a trip to Turin/Torino.
- Create
a scrapbook of their trip to Turin/Torino using various multimedia or
desktop publishing software.
- Share
their projects with classmates in small discussion groups.
- Write
a short opinion essay about whether or not they would have chosen Turin/Torino
as the site of the 2006 Olympic Games.
Overview:
For two weeks in February 2006, the world will focus some of its attention
of the stories on the athletes competing in the Winter Olympics taking
place in Turin, Italy. As the fourth largest city in Italy, Turin is an
industrial and cultural center, and now the world will learn much more
about the culture, geography, history, and broad appeal of this northern
Italian city.
To make these lesson plans better 
Correlation to National Standards
Materials
Handouts
(provided in printer-friendly PDF format)
Procedure
Part 1:
Introduction/Background
1. To create interest, have students write a short answer to the following
question:
" If I were choosing the perfect location for the winter Olympic
Games, the three things that would be most important to me when choosing
the site would be…?
2. Allow
students 1-2 minutes to record their answers. On the overhead or board,
create a "Top Ten" list of qualities and characteristics students
think would be most critical to consider
when selecting the site. Students should include ideas such as:
weather and climate, terrain (mountains/ski areas), size of city (large
enough to handle an Olympic crowd), easy accessibility, cultural attractions
(what do you do when you're not at the games?), etc.
3. Once you've
worked as a class to create the list of desirable qualities and characteristics
necessary for a city to host the Olympics, tell students that they will
be learning more about
Turin, Italy (Torino in Italian), the site of this year's winter Olympic
Games.
Part 2:
Geography
4. Begin
by using a world map to locate Italy. Use a map of Italy to locate Turin/Torino.
Both
of these maps can be found at http://www.graphicmaps.com/aatlas/world.htm.
As you are
studying the maps, point out to students information such as:
" approximate latitude of Turin/Torino
" countries that border the northern portion of Italy where the Olympics
are being held
" physical features of the land, particularly mountains and bodies
of water
5. After
studying the map of Italy briefly, have students compare the latitude
of Turin/Torino with the latitude of the city/state where they live. Based
on this comparison, have students make predictions about the type of weather
and climate they think Turin/Torino has and why they have made these predictions.
6. Discuss
how the physical features of the land will be important to the events
scheduled in Turin/Torino. Have students compare the elevation of Turin
and the surrounding areas with the elevation of popular U.S. ski areas.
What ski areas of the U.S. might Turin/Torino most closely resemble?
7. Students
should now have a basic understanding on the physical location and features
of Turin/Torino. Another important aspect for students to understand is
the customs, culture, traditions, and history of the people of Turin/Torino.
To get a better understanding of this, direct students to Torino 2006:
Passion Lives Here available at http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/vieni_a_torino2006/turismo.html
or to the NBC Olympics 2006 site at http://www.nbcolympics.com/cityoftorino/5085247/detail.html.
These offer information about the Turin/Torino area in terms of history,
cultural activities, food, and photos. Take time to explore and discuss
topics such as:
" the importance of art, cinema, museums, and culture in this region
" the role this area has played in the development of everyone's
favorite treat: chocolate
" the industrial significance of this region on Italy
" the blend of history and architecture that makes this region unique
" the importance of mountains, hills, and water in Turin and how
these have shaped the city into what it is today
8. Students
should now have a basic understanding of the geography of Italy's Piemonte
region, particularly the area surrounding Turin/Torino. Distribute
the Trip Planning Guide and carefully review the guidelines as a group.
Part 3:
Analysis, Synthesis
9. Using
the related resources listed below along with other primary sources, have
students plan their trip to Turin/Torino. Provide at least one class period
for students to conduct research and begin creating their projects.
10. When
all students have completed their projects, place students into small
groups of 4 to 6 students. Provide 5-10 minutes for each student to share
his/her work with classmates in these small groups.
11. When
all projects have been shared, have students refer back to the "Top
Ten" list generated at the beginning of the lesson. They should use
the information on the list to write a 2-3 paragraph answer to the following
question:
" After completing your project about the Turin/Torino area, do you
think you would have chosen this city to host the 2006 Winter Olympics?
Why or why not?
4. Homework/Extension
Activity-- MATH
1. Using the "Top Ten" list generated in step 2 of the procedures,
choose a U.S. city that has never hosted the Winter Olympics and create
an advertising campaign that could be used to convince the International
Olympic Committee that your city would be the perfect site for the 2010
Winter Olympics. Be sure to include detailed information about the city's
location, physical features, weather and climate, culture, people, etc.
when creating your advertising campaign to lure the Olympic Games to your
city.
2. Using
the trip planned by each student, have them use their math and research
skills to calculate the total cost of the trip and the total number of
miles traveled from beginning to end. Students should be sure to include
the cost of airfare, lodging, meals, souvenirs, admission to events, etc.
Calculate the cost in U.S. dollars as well as Euros. Mileage should be
calculated in miles and kilometers.
Correlation
to National Standards
McRel
Compendium of K-12 Standards Addressed:
Geography
Standard 1: Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes,
and other geographic tools
and technologies
Standard 3: Understands the characteristics and uses of spatial organization
of the Earth's
surface
Standard 4: Understands the physical and human characteristics of place
Standard 5: Understands the concept of regions
Standard 6: Understands that culture and experience influence people's
perceptions of places and
regions
Language
Arts
Writing
Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Reading
Standard 5: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret
a variety of
informational texts
Listening
and Speaking
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
Thinking
and Reasoning
Standard 1: Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting
an argument
Standard 3: Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying
similarities and
differences
Working
with Others
Standard 4: Displays effective interpersonal communication skills
National
Council for the Social Studies Thematic Strands (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/):
Time, Continuity,
and Change
People, Places, and Environment
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Global Connections
About the Author: Lisa Prososki is an independent educational consultant
who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading,
and technology courses for twelve years. In addition to conducting workshops
for teachers at various state and national meetings, Prososki works as
an editor, creates a wide range of educational and training materials
for corporate clients, and has authored one book.
To find
out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah
Clapman at extra@newshour.org.
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