Social StudiesSeventh & Eighth Grades

Dreams to Reality

Description
"To dream is to live; to achieve a dream is to succeed." The Olympics focus the world on dreamers who have worked hard to achieve a goal. Many Olympians and historical and modern figures dared to dream and followed through on that dream. They reached for a goal and gave us models to follow as we strive for the fulfillment of our dreams. Students will compare Olympians and historic and modern models to recognize what qualities successful dreamers possess.

Themes
Striving for Personal Best, Work, Goals, Citizenship, Integrity, Civic Responsibility, Determination, Commitment, Heroism

Core Curriculum
6120-03 Students will demonstrate who and how ideas, attitudes, events, person, movements, and documents have influenced humanity.
6120-07 Students will demonstrate why and how lifelong learning, collaboration, and responsible citizenship are necessary to promote the personal and public good.
Learning Outcomes
Students will recognize that it is the action on a dream, idea, or goal that allows a person to become the best that he/she can be.

Activity 1: Qualities of American Heroes

Preparation
10 minutes
Class time one class period

Tools and Resources
Technology/Internet capability
Internet resources may include:
Encyclopedia Britannica
Venn Diagrams
NBCOLYMPICS.com
Olympic Museum Gallery
Pierre de Coubertin
Rulon Garder
Jim Thorpe
Philo T. Farnsworth

Instruction
Relate a short story of an Olympian who followed a dream through hard work and achieved that dream, and discuss the qualities that he/she possesses.

Access the students' background knowledge and discuss the qualities of historical and modern Americans who have followed their dreams.

Compare the qualities of the Olympians and Americans, historical and modern, who have followed and met their dreams and list them on the board.

Select and read two short biographies about Olympic dreamers (i.e. Pier de Coubertin, Rulon Gardner, Jim Thorpe), Americans Historical and Modern (Philo T. Farnsworth, Jane Addams, Jackie Robinson, Samuel Adams, Stephen Hawkins) found in the library or on line at www.britannica.com. Choose one biography from the 19th century and one from the 20th century.

Compare the characters from these biographies (i.e., character qualities, accomplishments, dreams and actions) using a Venn diagram and write a quality comparative essay.

Activity 2: Ideas + Actions = Success

Preparation
Gather resources
Class time is 40 minutes

Tools and Resources
Handout - Literature Questions

Instruction
Instruct students to select one of the American heroes that they researched and recreate that character's ideas and thoughts in a literature circle (5 students per circle).

Discuss as a whole class how the different American heroes turned their dreams into reality by the actions that they took. Analyze the equation "Ideas + Action = Hero" in an individual student journal entry.

Assessment
Students will write a comparative essay, participate in a literature circle, and write a journal entry about what they learned.
Light the Fire Within TM © 2000 SLOC
© 2001 GIFT Foundation

- Counter -