“The first recorded Olympic contest took place in 776 B.C. at Olympia in western Greece. The first winner was Koroibos (Also spelled Coroebus), a cook from Elis.”5 People have been enthralled with sporting events for some time, and since the first Olympic games there have been people at the events to record what happened. “The first modern Olympic games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece.”6 Even at the first modern games there was a Secretary named Timoleon J. Phileman to record all of the action at the games. The media is a powerful force that can make a hero out of someone or make a person never want to show his face again. Humans have this urge to know what other people think and feel in very stressful situations. We’ve all seen the coverage of the Superbowl; there is a reporter at every possible location, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were live updates from the mile long lines outside of the restrooms. The point is the media can greatly influence our views on people, especially athletes. That is why students need to understand that this lesson should be done in a professional way.
Title of activity:
Sportscenter Interviews
Content: Language arts/Interviewing skills
Purpose of the Activity: The purpose of this activity is to get the students to work together in teams of two or three and interview each other. Students will practice the interviewing process by asking each other questions and writing down the responses. The interviewing process enables students to practice their listening, writing, data processing skills. Videotape of Sportscenter interviews will be shown to the students to give them an idea of how an interview is given. Also students get to know their classmates better; they can find out what they like, what sports they play, and who their favorite team is.
Materials Needed: 1 Pencil and writing tablet for each student.
Description of Activity: This activity could be done at the end of every class. However, it may work better when it is done during a school tournament. Students who have been practicing the interviewing process will choose 2-3 students to interview who are participating in the tournament. After the tournament the students can interview their classmates to get their feelings and thoughts on the tournament. As a culminating activity the students may present their interviews on the morning announcements, like a Sportscenter broadcast. Students must come up with three to five questions that can be answered easily. The teacher should review all questions before the activity can be done.
Variations:
The teacher may want to conduct the interview first, to get the students accustomed to the process. The students should interview someone as well as getting interviewed by someone else. Students should also try to interview different people, in order to get more experience at the process.
