Conflict Resolution and the 1968 Olympics
Once again the lessons attributed to sports overshadows whether one wins or loses. The most important lesson is that there is honor in participation. The Ancient Mesoamericans, Greeks and Baron de Coubertin all believed in the duality of sports. That sport participation taught participants how to win and lose gracefully and to work hard for that which you want. They all believed that by participating in sports competition one learns what is needed to live a good life as a productive citizen.
The silent protest of John Carlos and Tommie Smith speaks to this loudly. In school we teach children the values of our society and the importance of teamwork. Both Carlos and Smith made conscious decisions that they were not going to abandon their team in a boycott. At the same time imbued with the values of American culture and political thought "that all men are created equal "and having won their respective positions at the games based on merit they quietly let one and all know that not everyone was equal in America.
Objectives
This curriculum will be used to introduce students to the contributions of Mesoamericans to creation of sport teams and to explain the purpose of physical education in the school curriculum and how it helps to develop citizenship skills.
The Pittsburgh Public Schools is a Standards-based curriculum that includes but is not limited to the Pennsylvania State Content Standards. The Standards of the Pittsburgh Public schools used in this curriculum unit are Citizenship and Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. Those Standards will be found in Appendix 3.
Strategies
The teacher should provide students with background information from the curriculum unit above to introduce students to the topics discussed in this unit. The length of time needed for the background information can be determined by the teacher based upon the demands of his or her curriculum.
The teacher should also provide students with additional background information on the world events of 1968. A partial list of those events will be included in Appendix # 4.
All of the activities selected for this unit are games; however, each game provides its own unique insight into the culture and history of Mesoamerican people.
Classroom Activities
Activity # 1: Appendix # 1
Bul: A Game of Chance:
http://www.halfmoon.org/bul.html
The first game BUL is defined as a simple game of chance; it has also been defined as a war game. The game appears like many games played today, although these games are usually not defined as war games, with a winner take all philosophy. The winner in these games is the one with the highest score. In BUL the objective is the same winner take all philosophy as in contemporary games. The player with the most captives at the end of the game is declared the winner. The game and instructions for BUL appear in Appendix # 1. The instructions for BUL in Appendix # 1 are the same as those found on webpage for the game. The instructions have been included in Appendix # 1 as an additional resource for the teacher.
Activity # 2: Appendix # 2
The Crystal Skull Game
http://www.mesoweb.com/crystal/index.html
Classroom activity # 2 is an interactive website for the Crystal Skull Game. This game is a first person role-playing game that also teaches the history and cultures of Mesoamericans. The teacher should introduce students to the game by presenting them with some of the myths and legends of the Aztecs. That information is found on the website under the section of the game called information. Also a list of Myths and Legends is included in Appendix # 2. The instructions for the Crystal Skull Game in Appendix # 2 are the same as those found on the webpage for the game. The instructions have been included in Appendix # 2 as an additional resource for the teacher.
The additional activities created for students have been adapted from this website. Students should also be encouraged to do additional research on the list in Appendix # 2 as well as the remaining list on the information site.
Activity # 3: Appendix # 3
The Mayan Ballgame
www.ballgame.org
Classroom activity # 3 is an interactive website for the Mayan Ball Game. This game with instructions will be located in Appendix # 3. This website is divided into four sections (1) Explore the Mesoamerican World; (2) Explore the Ballgame; (3) Experience the Ballgame; (4) Experience the Exhibit.
The additional activities created for students have been adapted from this website. In section # 1: Explore the Mesoamerican World, students are to identify each of the cultural groups. A list of questions has been provided. Students may work in groups and bring information back to their groups for a whole group presentation. Group presentations should be written and may be form of power point presentations or any other audio visual medium students and teachers are comfortable with, depending on the availability of resources.
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