ESL Teacher Blog: Olympic Fever

The Olympics are scheduled to begin this month.  Most students, even those who usually don’t follow sports, will cheer on their home countries.  There’s a feeling of friendly competition in language classes that have students from several different countries.  Why not take a few minutes at the beginning of the class to discuss the Olympics? 

 

General discussions can be held about the previous day’s events, the overall standings, the chances for different teams and/or competitors, the present day’s schedule, or previous Olympic standings/records.  All students will be able to contribute something to these discussions.

 

There is an extensive amount of vocabulary that can be learned.  The following list is just some of the words and expressions that might be used in the classroom.

 

Olympic Vocabulary

 

broadcast
opponent
spectators
coach
IOC
gymnastics
equestrian
referee
Olympic village
torch relay
venue
controversy
medal ceremony

 

Depending on the level of your class and the interest and enthusiasm the students have for the Olympics some, all or more of the above vocabulary can be taught.