6.7 Lesson Six – Rules in sports
Time required: 50 minutes
Materials required: none
Teacher instructions:
In this lesson, the teacher invites the students to reflect on the purpose of rules in sports. Sports activities are vital in the lives of many young people. Most sports have numerous rules.
In terms of the field of sports, there are numerous resources available. There are, for example, newspaper and Internet articles on sports figures who have been suspended for breaking the “rules.” There are also biographies of great sports figures who have excelled in their sport without breaking the “rules,” for example, former Canadian hockey star, Wayne Gretzky.
Below are some trigger questions to promote reflection and discussion on this subject. Prior to the class, the teacher may want to expose the students to one or more of these questions or to questions composed by the teacher. This could be a journaling exercise or a homework assignment.
- Why do you think there are so many rules in sports? Explain.
- What sport do you participate in and what rule within that sport do you find to be very important? What would happen in that sport if it did not have that rule and other rules? Explain.
- Do you see a connection between rules in sports and rules in society? Explain.
- In sports, there are consequences for breaking the rules. Do you see a connection between penalties in sports and consequences for breaking rules in society? Explain.
- What would happen if sports had no rules? Explain.
- Would sports still be fun for you if they had no rules? Explain.
- How do you feel when you are playing a sport, and other students break rules in that sport and get away with it? Give examples from your experience.
- What would happen if society had no rules? Explain.
- What is a rule?
The teacher encourages discussion.
Journal activity: Let’s write about it!
For journal questions to stimulate the students’ written reflections after or during class, see Appendix 2.