Sports
Students explore nations through hockey World Cup
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The upcoming CARHA Hockey World Cup will offer Richmond students a unique educational opportunity.
As part of the Adopt-A-Team Program, teachers are encouraged to lead classes in selecting a team (or teams) and then spend class time learning about its country and culture.
Teachers will have access to lesson guidelines, which provide them with fun, interactive activities that are linked to each grade’s curriculum. Activities will relate to social studies, literacy, arts, physical education and mathematics.
One idea for Grade 4 to 7 students is to create a travel pamphlet highlighting a country’s leaders, government styles, religions, geography, national and youth sports and history.
An overall history of hockey is also suggested, exploring a country’s professional leagues, where its first games were played, national team Olympic appearances, NHL/professional players, and its youth hockey program.
Additionally, researching and planning a dream trip to the country of their team is also proposed. Students may create a travel itinerary highlighting and explaining cities they would like to visit and attractions they would like to see—all while working with a budget.
Relating to physical health, students from grades 1 to 7 are also encouraged to research and participate in activities and sports originating from their team’s host country. For example, floorball and hockey from Sweden, rugby and soccer from England, kikpar and kumis alu from Kazakhstan. Students would write game rules and then oversee a gym class.
On the conclusion of the 2010 CARHA Hockey World Cup (March 29 to April 5 in Richmond), participating students will also write an essay reflecting on what they learned, their favourite part of the event, and how their team played.
Longtime Richmond teacher and administrator Don Taylor helped spearhead the local school outreach program, after the concept was shared with him by a team in Ontario.
“I gave lots of suggestions, so my role is best described as a consultant,” he says.
At the end of the day, the goal of the program is for students to have a strong understanding of language, customs and traditions of their select team’s home country.
The CARHA Hockey World Cup is the largest international recreational hockey tournament in the world. This tournament will bring together teams and spectators from all over the globe to share their love for hockey. Fifteen countries, 148 teams and more than 2,500 participants will be at the Richmond games.