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    EXPLORE / TŪHURA

    EXPLORE / TŪHURA learning intentions:

    • We are EXPLORING to analyse the connections between the Olympic Games and the concept of a united world.


    New animation shows spectacular Paris ...

    The Opening Ceremony

    The opening ceremony is normally one that is unique and original. Host nations try to ensure that the ceremony represents their country, as well as making it really unique.


    Watch the short clips below of opening ceremonies.

    One of the highlights of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the moment when 2,008 drummers played the bronze Fou drums and sang the quote from The Analects of Confucius, written 2000 years ago.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA0ZVxHRxCM

    At the 2012 London Olympics, the late Queen Elizabeth II, appeared with James Bond as 007. She helicoptered into the stadium, flying past lots of London’s famous landmarks such as The London Eye, the Tower of London and the London Gherkin.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AS-dCdYZbo

    At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, hundreds of light

    • equipped drones flying around the sky in formation
    • creating shapes, objects and words – created a spectacle at the opening ceremony as artists sang John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJyReGFKQU8


    ACTIVITY

    Using this link and Google Maps, students are to explore the route of the opening ceremony.

    https://www.paris2024.org/en/ceremony/

    Visit some of the special places that athletes will see as they sail along the River Seine.

    Ask students to calculate the distance the route will cover using the measuring tool on Google Maps.


    Drago releases Olympic Mascot pins - AICO


    The importance of a mascot

    Discuss as a class what a mascot is and what purposes a mascot might have.

    Follow-up by watching this video on the background and history of Olympic mascots (this covers up to the Rio games).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJCrUSg-B_Y


    ACTIVITY

    Students can explore the official Paris Olympic Games mascot website, watching the mascot clips individually or as a class.

    https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-2024/mascot


    Students can then create their own mascot for the Aotearoa New Zealand athletes.

    The mascot they create should be focused on representing the past and the future of Aotearoa New Zealand culture. Students need to annotate their mascot design to explain how it represents the past/history while also looking towards the future.