olympian 4

8/11/2019 Olympian 4

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Alexandre Despatie : Personal Growth

Canadian Olympic School Program

TransformingProcessingConnecting


TM 2005, VANOC. Used under li


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Teaching Values Through Olympian StoriesCanadian Olympic School Program


The Olympic philosophy of education is about a balance of intellectual instruction,cultural development and physical education. It is about participation, effort, andknowing you have given your all in the pursuit of excellence.

Olympism is a philosophy of life; exalting and combining in balanced whole qualities

of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeksto create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value ofgood example, and respect for universal, fundamental ethical principles. - OlympicCharter, Fundamental Principles.

Olympian stories of triumph and disappointment can engage learners indiscussions about important value issues. Through the stories and challenges ofOlympic athletes, children and youth can explore and connect values to their lives,and perhaps begin to see their world in new and different ways.

Teaching Guide for Educators

Current curriculum theory emphasizes the importance of reinforcing valuemessages through narratives, storytelling, art, posters, drama, and physicalmovement. Activities based on the stories, events, ceremonies and symbols of the

Olympic Games stories have school-wide relevance.The Olympic Values

The Canadian Olympic Committee identifies seven Olympic values: excellence,fun, fairness, respect, human development, leadership and peace. The narrativethat follows highlights one of these values. When you engage your learners withthis narrative, you will have the opportunity to expand their understanding of thisvalue and to expand their moral capabilities.

Principles of Learning

The following principles of learning are highlighted in order to actively engagestudents in the values education process:

Learning is an active and not a passive activity. Students need to be actively

engaged in discussion, sharing their ideas in small groups and exploring differingpoints of view.

People learn in different ways. Some people learn best by reading; some peoplelearn best by listening; some people learn best by moving around. The activitiesassociated with these narratives present different ways of learning.

Learning is both an individual and a cooperative activity. Young people needopportunities to work together as well as independently. They also need to practicecooperative behaviours in order to learn competitive behaviours.

Stages of the Learning Sequence

Successful learning is built upon a carefully scaffolded series of steps that connectto students prior understanding, actively process or practice new information, andfinally transform their understandings into powerful demonstrations of learning.

Each Olympic athlete story is presented at three reading levels: bronze (grades 2/3),silver (grades 4/5), and gold (grades 6/7). The accompanying activities are sufficientlyopen-ended to address a diverse range of learning styles and proficiencies. Theyfocus on six main facets of understanding: explaining, interpreting, applying, takingperspective, empowering, and developing self-knowledge are critical thinking skillsthat are woven into all three stages of the learning sequence in order to promotedeep understanding of the values and concepts.


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Alexandre DespatiePersonal GrowthSuggested Learning Sequence for


TransformingShowing understanding in a new way

ProcessingUsing strategies to acquire and useknowledge

ConnectingBuilding a foundation for new learnin

Gold grades 6-7

Silver grades 4-5

Bronze grades 2-3

BRONZECanadian Olympic School Program


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Alexandre Despatie

Kids need to find some sport or

some activity that they like. If

you like the sport it wont matter

how good you are.

Alexandre Despatie steps onto the diving board at the

Olympic National Aquatics Centre in Beijing.

His feet tingle. He takes a deep breath.

Alexandre is one of the best divers in the world. He

wants to win another medal at the Olympic Games but

he knows that will be hard.

The Chinese divers are the best in the world. Beijing is their

home.

Personal Growth



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His next dive needs to be his very best.To be his best, he has to use every partof his body, will and mind. He needsbalance in his body to stand up straight.

To help his body learn, he has studiedballet for the last few years.

Ballet helps you keep your body straightand strong.

Alexandre feels his muscles prepare forthe dive. He thinks of all the exercise hehas done to keep his body strong. Healso knows that hes prepared his mind.He has balance in his life.

If diving was the only thing I did, thenI would be tired all the time. I have lots ofother interests too.

That attitude helps Alexandre stay calm.Thousands of fans hold their breathwaiting for his final dive.

Alexandre is used to the pressure. Hehas been diving since he was just alittle boy. A smile crosses his face as heremembers how he fell in love with hissport.

I started in my backyard pool. I jumped offa little board and asked my grandmother togive me scores. She always gave me perfectscores.

His grandmother doesnt give himscores any more, diving judges do. Theylike his dives too.

The judges are watching him now,ready to score his dive.

Alexandre calms himself. Hes been inthis position before.

Alexandre grew up as a star athlete. Hewon his first big event when he was just13.

Hes always had eyes focused onhim. He is not just as a diver, but also apublic personality.

I was in a movie last year. People really likedthe movie. That was great. I love acting. Ialso make sure I spend lots of time with myfamily and friends.

Acting helps Alexandre be a better diver.It helps him present his artistic dives tothe judges and fans. Acting also helpshim focus on other things in his life.

Now he needs to focus on this dive.

It will all be over in less than a few

seconds.

Win or lose, he will feel good abouthimself.

Alexandre says diving is a part of his life.Its not his whole life.

I do have to watch what I eat and howmuch rest I get. What makes me a betterdiver is the way I deal with all these thingstogether.

It was not always easy growing up as apublic personality. Alexandre says he

needed to have fun.Kids need to find some sport or someactivity that they like. If you like the sport, itwont matter how good you are..

Alexandre steps to the end of the divingboard and then jumps into the air.

He twists and turns as he falls towardthe water.

Alexandre has had many twists andturns in his life as well.

Im not saying that it was always good.

I was hurt sometimes and that was notfun. Its not always about competing andresults. Its about fun, and if you enjoy it,then maybe you will succeed.

Alexandre tucks his arms and legsagainst his body.

He enters the water with barely a splash.The crowds cheer loudly.

Will the dive win Alexandre gold?

Maybe. He knows he will enjoy life nomatter what the judges say.

Alexandre DespatiePersonal Growth



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Suggested Learning Sequence for Alexandre DespatieBronze LevelKey Concept: Personal Growth

ConnectingBuilding a foundation for new learning

Kinesthetic Balancing Activity

Teacher instructs students to close their eyes and balance on one foot.

Class discusses challenges of this activity.

Teacher instructs students to now balance on one foot, with their eyes open,looking at a focal point.

Class discusses how the focal point helps their balance.

Teacher expands the discussion to other examples of balance:

E.g. Balanced diet and physical activity, balanced work and play, balancedsleep and awake time.

ProcessingUsing strategies to acquire and use knowledge

Working with Quotes

While reading the story, teacher introduces the three categories of PersonalGrowth: body, mind, and will.

While reading the story teacher draws attention to quotes by Alexandre,and asks students to categorize the example as body, mind, or will.

Teacher records student responses on chart paper.


Personal Shield

Graphic Organizer: Body, Mind, and Will

Students complete their own Coat of Arms using pictures and words toshow how they take care of themselves.

Use Graphic Organizer

Canadian Olympic School Program BRONZE


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Personal Sheild

Canadian Olympic School Program BRONZE

Olympism is a philosophy oflife, exalting and combining inbalanced whole the qualities obody, will and mind.

Olympic Charter


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Gold grades 6-7

Silver grades 4-5

Bronze grades 2-3

SILVERCanadian Olympic School Program


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Alexandre Despatie




how good you are.

Alexandre Despatie steps onto the diving board at the

brand new National Aquatics Centre in Beijing. His feet

tingle. He takes a deep breath.

Alexandre is one of the best divers in the world and he

wants to win another medal at the Olympic Games, but

he knows that will be hard.

The Chinese divers are the best in the world. Beijing is their

home.

Personal Growth



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As Alexandre prepares for his final divehe knows he will have to be at his verybest to beat them. To be his best, hehas to use every part of his body, willand mind.

Alexandre is only 23, but he is used to

the pressure. Beijing is his third OlympicGames.

To me, its never been about the age. I gotto the elite level when I was 11 so from thatpoint on, I realized its how well you can divethat matters.

Alexandre calms himself byremembering that he has grown upwith this pressure. He has been doingthis since he was just a little boy.

It all started in my backyard pool. Iwould jump off a little board and ask mygrandmother to give me scores. She alwaysgave me perfect TENS. Then I hit the realworld.

The judges watch Alexandre, gettingready to rate his latest dive. Theyveliked him in the past and he has wonmultiple World Championships andOlympic medals.

Alexandre breathes deeply.

Hes been in this position before.Alexandre grew up excelling at diving,winning his first big event when he was

just 13. It seems hes always had theeyes of the world focused on him.

However, growing up as a star can betough. Alexandre says he always neededto have fun while he worked hard.

As long as you find some sport or someactivity that you like, it doesnt matter whatlevel youre at. Theres no danger of thepitfalls of success if you love what you aredoing.

Alexandre relaxes his muscles andbegins to step toward the end of theplatform. Diving at this level takes

tremendous balance: physical balance,and balance in his life.

He needs balance in his body to standup straight, so he has studied ballet forthe last few years.

Ballet helps you keep your body straightand balanced on the diving platform.

It will all be over in less than a fewseconds. Win or lose, he will feel goodabout himself.

Being a whole person is the most importantthing in my life. If I only practice diving allthe time I would be burnt out. Its important

to have other interests in your life just tokeep your mind away from all the travel, thetraining and the competing. It keeps yousane.

Alexandre excels at diving because heknows its a part of his life, not his wholelife.

I have to have discipline outside of thepool. I have to watch what I eat and howmuch rest I get. What makes me a betterdiver is the way I deal with all these thingstogether.

In a flash Alexandre leaps off the divingboard and into the air. He twists andturns gracefully as he falls toward thewater. Hes had numerous twists andturns in his life as well.

Im not saying that it was pink and prettythe whole time. There were a couple ofyears with injuries and it wasnt as muchfun. But its not always about competingand results. Its about fun, and if you enjoyit, then maybe you will succeed. But thatsnot the important thing.

The twists and turns are also the part of

his routine that judges watch the mostclosely. Alexandre knows his artistic sideis as important as his physical ability.

I acted in my first movie last year in Quebecthat got really good reviews. It was fun anda great new experience. Interests like actingor ballet bring out my artistic side, and thisleads to a well rounded life and better divingperformances.

Alexandre tucks his arms and legsagainst his body as he enters the waterwith barely a splash.

The dive gets a huge roar from thecrowd.

As he resurfaces the cheers aredeafening. Will this dive win him gold?Alexandre hopes so but he knowshe will enjoy life no matter what the

judges say.




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Suggested Learning Sequence for Alexandre DespatieSilver LevelKey Concept: Personal Growth










Working with Quotes

Teacher introduces the three categories of Personal Growth: body, mind,and will.

Students work in pairs to choose quotes from text that represent the areasof development.

Students categorize the quotes into a three column organizer.


Personal Shield

Graphic Organizer: Body, Mind, and Will

Students complete their own Coat of Arms using pictures, words, andsymbols to show how they take care of themselves. Examples for symbols:Body: soccer ball, field hockey stick, ballet shoes Mind: books, pencil,computer screen, numbers Will: music symbol, two friends, religious

symbol

Use Graphic Organizer.

Canadian Olympic School Program SILVER


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Personal Sheild

Canadian Olympic School Program SILVER


Olympic Charter


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Gold grades 6-7

Silver grades 4-5

Bronze grades 2-3

GOLDCanadian Olympic School Program


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Alexandre Despatie




how good you are.

Alexandre Despatie makes his way gracefully to the end

of the diving board. He is standing high above the pool

in the neon blue Water Cube, the nickname for Beijings

brand new National Aquatics Centre.

Alexandre is one of the best divers in the world. He

desperately wants to win another medal at the Olympic

Games but he knows that will be tough.

The Chinese divers are the best performers in the world.

Beijing is their home turf.

As Alexandre prepares for his final dive he knows he will

have to be at his very best to beat them. To be his best,

he has to use every part of his body, will and mind.

Personal Growth



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Even at the relatively young age of 23,Alexandre is used to elite competition.Beijing is his third Olympic Games.

To me, its never been about the age. I gotto the elite level when I was 11, so from thatpoint on, I realized its how well you can dive

that matters.Standing on the board, Alexandrecalms himself by remembering that hehas grown up with this pressure. He hasbeen doing this since he was just a littleboy.

It all started in my backyard pool. I wouldjump off a little board and would ask mygrandmother to give me scores. That wasthe period of my life when I got the mostperfect TENS.

The judges watch Alexandre, gettingready to rate his latest dive. Theyveliked him in the past and he has wonmultiple World Championships andOlympic medals.

Alexandre breathes deeply as a hushdescends on the crowd.

Hes been in this position before.Alexandre grew up as a world classathlete, winning his first big eventwhen he was barely a teenager. It seemshes always had the eyes of the worldfocused on him.

Alexandre relaxes his muscles andbegins to step toward the end of theplatform. Diving at this level takestremendous balance: physical balance,and balance in his life.

He needs balance in his body to standup straight, so he has studied ballet forthe last few years.

Ballet helps you keep your body straightand balanced on the diving platform.

It will all be over in less than a fewseconds. Win or lose, he will feel goodabout himself. Alexandre excels at

diving, because he knows its a part ofhis life, not his whole life.

Being a whole person is the most importantthing in my life. If I only practice diving allthe time I would be burnt out. Its importantto have other interests in your life just tokeep your mind away from all the travel, thetraining and the competing. It keeps yousane.

Scoring a dive is complicated becausethere are both technical and artisticmarks to consider. His love for the artsmakes Alexandre a better diver becauseit helps him present his artistic dives tothe judges and fans. Alexandre knowshis artistic side can be as important as

his physical ability.

I acted in my first movie last year in Quebec.It got really good reviews, and it was agreat new experience. Interests like actingor ballet bring out my artistic side and thisleads to a well rounded life and better divingperformances.

Now, Alexandre is completely absorbedin the coming dive.

The hush at the Water Cube intensifiesuntil he can hear his own heart beating.Alexandre closes his eyes and visualizes

his next moves. He feels the dive in hisbody, mentally preparing for each twistand turn. He cant help but think of thenumerous twists and turns in his life aswell.

Im not saying that it was pink and prettythe whole time. There were a couple of yearswith injuries and it wasnt as much fun. Butits not always about competing and results.Its about fun and if you enjoy it maybe youwill succeed. But thats not the importantthing.

Growing up as an elite athlete can

be challenging. Alexandre says thatfocusing on the fun and not the resultshas been his salvation.

As long as you find some sport or someactivity that you like, it doesnt matter whatlevel youre at. Theres no danger of sufferingthe pitfalls of success if you love what youare doing.

Alexandre jumps forcefully off thediving board, tucking his arms andlegs against his body as he twists in theair. He enters the water with barely asplash. The dive gets a huge roar fromthe crowd. As he resurfaces, the cheersare deafening. The judges quickly enterhis marks into the computerized scoringsystem.

Will this dive win him gold? Alexandrehopes so but he knows he will enjoy lifeno matter what the judges say.




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Suggested Learning Sequence for Alexandre DespatieGold LevelKey Concept: Personal Growth










Working with Quotes

Teacher introduces the three categories of Personal Growth: body, mind,and will.

Students work in pairs to choose quotes from text that represent the areasof development.

Students categorize the quotes into a three column organizer.


Personal Shield

Students complete their own Coat of Arms using symbols to show howthey take care of themselves. Examples for symbols: Body: soccer ball,field hockey stick, ballet shoes Mind: books, pencil, computer screen,numbers Will: music symbol, two friends, religious symbol

Use Graphic Organizer

Students compose a personal motto that addresses the concept ofbalance in their life. (e.g. Higher, Faster, Stronger)

Canadian Olympic School Program GOLD


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Personal Sheild

Canadian Olympic School Program GOLD


Olympic Charter


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AcknowledgementsCanadian Olympic School Program

The Canadian Olympic School Program wishes to thank and acknowledge thecontributions of the following people. Without their efforts and creativity, thisproject would not have been possible.

Alexandre Despatie Featured Olympian

Kevin Sylvester Story WriterPeter Eller Graphic Artist

Andrea Hunter Writing Team MemberDenise Beck Writing Team MemberJuanita Hewitt Writing Team MemberShirley-Ann Rubis- Writing Team Member

The Olympian Stories were field tested in Canadian classrooms by the followingteachers and educators.

The Canadian Olympic School Program was developed by:

Bruce Deacon-Manager, Education and Community Relations, Canadian Olympic Committee

Lisa Wallace-Program Manager, Education and Community Relations, Canadian Olympic Committee

Ayisha KarimEducation Program Assistant, Canadian Olympic Committee

Adrienne Coletto-KeithAiisha KublinskasBeth Pye

Bill DayBill HarringtonBonnie LAbbeBruce McNicollCathy GriffinCheryl RabbittDave PickardDenise BeckErika Black

Gayle WannopHilary TomlinJan Smith

Janice PerryJennifer JohnsonJodee SayleJody WilsonJudith WrightKimberly EngelbrechtLisa FergusonMario IozzoMark Bomba

Mary WrightPat DennillPatrick Doyle

Rob GranthamRuss WintersShane WraySonja Hansen-ChunikSusan KellySusan Peeters

Tim Worthy

olympian 4

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