-NiE ,
16 AUGUST 2017
9
More precious than gold
INTERMEDIATE Friendship through sports
AT every sporting event, the gold medal or trophy is the most coveted prize. Although gold is an incredibly precious metal and a symbol of success and victory, there are other things in life that are of more value than gold.
NiE Activity 1 Creative thinking
Critical thinking ● Identify ● Measure
● Organise
Track and field sprinter Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa posing with his medal at the Rio Olympics. – Reuters
Communicating
● Imagine ● Connect ● Brainstorm
● Oral ● Written
● Aural
Collaborating ● Listen ● Attain goal ● Contribute respectfully
With a partner, think of 10 things (tangible or intangible) that may be more precious than a gold medal. Write them down in the table below. At least four of them (in the form of pictures or words) must be taken from The Star. After that, go through the list and number the items in order of importance (from the most important to the least important).
What is more precious than gold?
Rank
NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking ● Identify ● Reason
● Organise
Problem solving ● Question ● Research
● Recreate ● Present
Creative thinking ● Imagine ● Connect ● Brainstorm ● Invent
Communicating ● Oral ● Written ● Non-verbal ● Aural
Collaborating ● Listen ● Attain goal ● Contribute respectfully
Part A
Before Usain Bolt became a household name, Carl Lewis dominated the track and field events. Way before either of them came to fame, there was African American athlete Jesse Owens. Owens was a superior athlete but his name almost didn’t make history. During the qualifying rounds at the long jump event in the 1936 Olympics, he failed on his first two attempts. If he were to fail the next one, he would be disqualified. A competitor and German athlete Luz Long observed him at the event and gave him a tip. He suggested to Owens that if he were to take off well short of the board, he might not commit a foul again. Owens took his advice and went on to win gold and set the world record for long jump. Long came in second but was the first person to run up to congratulate Owens upon his victory. Everyone at the sporting event represented their own country and had their eyes set on gold. Why would a competitor from another nation help his rival win? “You can melt down all the medals and cups I have,” Owens said. “And they wouldn’t be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment.” To Owens, Long became more than just a good friend. He was an incredible friend. Jesse Owens powering his way at the193 – File photo 6 Berlin Olym pics.
In groups of four, think of how you would transform the passage into a skit. Decide the following among yourselves: The actors who will play the roles of Owens and Long; ● The scenes to be included and their sequence; ● The lines to be uttered by the actors; Practise acting out the skit in your group before delivering your performance in class. Finally, as a class, vote for the most engaging performance. ●
Part B With a partner, look in The Star for two sports competitors who have struck up a friendship with each other. Cut out their pictures and paste them on a sheet of A4 paper. Then, in not more than 300 words, write out their friendship story and read it out in class. You may use the passage in Part A as an example.