Olympic Turns

Why do this problem?

Different sports involve angles in different ways. Gymnastics involves making the body twist, turn and spin to accomplish different feats. Hockey involves choosing the angle at which to pass the ball to another player or to aim for the goal. The Olympic Games can offer children a motivating context in which to explore angles and turns and gain a deeper understanding of the concepts involved in a real world setting. Large versions of these pictures can be found here. The pictures can be printed off and laminated if you like or shown on an IWB.

Possible approach

Ask the children to examine the photos in the collection and see what angles they can see. They could begin by choosing their favourite event and exploring the angles and turns involved in that. Some sports will be easier to explore than others.

Key questions

Look at a photo of an athlete in action. Which angles are important? Can you estimate them? Can you measure them?
Ask the children to explore the Olympic website. If they click on the icon for a sport then they will find videos and photos that show angles and turns in that context.
Look at a photo of an athlete in action. Which angles are important? Can you estimate them? Can you measure them?
Look at an icon. Are there are any important angles in the picture? Can you estimate them? Can you measure them?
Look at a video clip. Are there any angles involved in the sport that are important? Are there turns involved? How much does the athlete turn? How do the angles at which they hold their arms, their legs or pieces equipment affect their success?

Possible extension

Ask the children to explore the Olympic website. If they click on the icon for a sport then they will find videos and photos that show angles and turns in that context. The dynamic situations in the video clips will be harder to explore than the static images and should provide challenge for the most enthusiastic learners with the best grasp of angles and turns.

Possible support

The icons on the Olympic website provide static images which will be easier to explore using screen captures and protractors to measure them. If you print out the images then it will be possible to draw lines on them to make the angles easier to see and to measure.

Look at the icon. Are there are any important angles in the picture? Can you estimate them? Can you measure them?