-NiE ,
16 AUGUST 2017
Character above all
ADVANCED
Good sportsmanship
THERE are many great lessons that sports can teach us. For instance, we learn to hold our heads high after a loss, and try again the next time. Sports have an astounding ability to shape our character. When exemplary character is displayed at the arena, we call it good sportsmanship. Singaporean marathoner Ashley Liew showed exemplary character at the 28th SEA Games in 2015. In a turn of events, the lead marathoners were diverted to a wrong path and soon, Liew found himself in the lead. Instead of taking advantage of their error and dashing to the finish line, he chose to slow down and waited for them to catch up. He didn’t win the marathon as he took the eighth place. This didn’t bother him because to him, “achievements are secondary to character”. It was a small gesture but the inspirational story of sportsmanship has earned him a special recognition at the Singapore Sports Awards.
11
Good sportsmanship is when teammates and opponents treat each other with respect.
NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking ● Identify ● Reason
● Organise
Article
Creative thinking ● Imagine
● Connect
Headline
Communicating ● Oral ● Written
● Aural
Collaborating ● Listen
● Attain goal
● Contribute respectfully
Gist
Using your copy of The Star, select three articles from the Sport section. With a partner, summarise each report in not more than three sentences. Write them down in the “Gist” column. Then, discuss the commendable values demonstrated by the athletes. If the report is about something that is less than exemplary, write down the values that should have been demonstrated instead.
Good values that were demonstrated
Good values that should have been demonstrated
1 2 3
NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking ● Identify ● Reason
● Organise
Creative thinking ● Imagine
● Connect
Communicating ● Oral ● Written
● Aural
Collaborating ● Listen
● Attain goal
● Contribute respectfully
Read the passage below.
Hockey girls finish last KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia have ended up as wooden spoonists in the Women’s World Hockey League Semi-Finals after losing 1-0 to Scotland in the ninth-placing playoff at the Fullon Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. The national team were hoping to claim at least one win in the tournament but a seventhminute penalty corner goal by Sarah Robertson put paid to their hopes. This is world No. 22 Malaysia’s first appearance in the World Hockey League Semi-Finals. Coach K. Dharmaraj had set them a target of winning at least one group match, but they lost to Australia, Spain, Belgium and New Zealand. – The Star, June 30, 2017
write: u plan before you yo lp he to s tip e m Here are so for m you are writing ho w r be em m Re : Audience … of your article is to Purpose: The goal t to convey is… n message you wan ai m e Th : ge sa es M you questions to guide ge; and the Facts: Use the Whl and concise langua ua ct fa d, ar rw fo ht ig Language: Use stra ts scribing past even de past tense when
In groups of four, expand on this article by inserting additional information to demonstrate good sportsmanship among the women’s hockey team despite losing the match. Be sure to keep the facts in the article but get creative on how you would shed positive light on the team. You may also change the headline to suit your rewritten article. Your article should not be less than 350 words.
When you are done, discuss among yourselves how you want to deliver the news item in class. Pick a team member to be the newsreader and have a few others read out the parts of the characters quoted in the article. Finally, as a class, vote for the team that delivers the most inspiring sportsmanship story.