Bring the sportsmanship and celebration of the Olympic games to your classroom. As athletes gather to compete in Rio de Janeiro, Discovery Education shares resources about the global sporting event, from its ancient history to the modern challenges of hosting the games, and how elite athletes prepare for competition at the highest levels.

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Olympic Day Content Collection

Content Collection, Grades K-12

Celebrated on June 23, Olympic Day commemorates the birth of the modern Olympic Games and promotes fitness, well-being, and Olympic values. This Content Collection showcases resources about the Olympics, athlete stories, and what everyone can do to lead a more active lifestyle.

 

Global Stories: Refugee Olympic Team

Video, Grades K-5

Ten athletes from Syria, South Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo were chosen to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The team was designed to allow refugee athletes to compete on equal footing with other Olympic athletes and raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world.

 

Build It Bigger: Rio de Janeiro Power Grid

Video, Grades 6-12

Brazil conducted one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world by rapidly building five massive canals and tunneling through seven mountains to move a powerful river through two dams — all to make sure that while the whole world is watching Rio, the lights stay on.

 

Gymnast: Olympic Hopeful

Video Segment, Grades 6-12

Reveals the intense exercise regimen of a young gymnast hopeful. The segment also investigates the emotional and physical hardships that gymnasts encounter on a daily basis in pursuit of Olympic gold.

 

Stuff You Missed in History Class Podcast: How the First Olympics Worked

Podcast, Grades 6-12

The first Olympics took place in the sixth century in order to build diplomacy across the Greek world. Learn more about the history of the first Olympics in this podcast.

 

Teacher and the Rockbots: Sports Bring the World Together

Song, Grades K-5

Rock out to a song about the history of the games and how the Olympics bring people from around the world together.

 

Wilma Rudolph

Image, Grades K-12

Although crippled at the age of four and unable to walk until she was eight years old, Wilma Rudolph competed as a runner in the 1960 Olympic Games at Rome. Rudolph was the first American woman to win three Olympic gold medals in running events.

 

Spotlight on Strategies Instructional Idea

Grades K-12

One of the most popular motifs in ancient Greek pottery was the depiction of athletes and sportsmen in competition or on the hunt, honoring mythological figures and real heroes. What would this pottery look like today, celebrating the celebrity athlete culture? With SOS: Journals, students create a drawing in a traditional Greek style but with imagery and labeled phrases that represent the modern athlete.

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