Teacher's Guide for ODYSSEY^TM At the Edge: Science of Extreme Sports

May 2006

Format:

Article, Page
Summary

Skills

"1 Cyclist + 1 Bicycle = 1 Extreme Sport," pg. 6

A strong genetic makeup and hard work have earned Lance Armstrong seven wins in the Tour de France. A companion piece is an interview with a scientist who invents mathematical models of athletic performances (pg. 8). A sidebar (pg. 10) lists 10 mind-body skills important to all athletes.

Interpretation of Data, Mathematical Modeling

"Ouch! When Extreme Sports Hurt," pg. 12
Extreme sports put competitors at risk for serious injuries. They can diminish risks by wearing protective gear, staying in good physical shape, practicing with a friend, and attending to injuries promptly. A sidebar (pg. 13) tells how to handle head injuries.

Cause and Effect, Making Decisions

"Get Geared Up!," pg. 14
Safety gear for the modern ice hockey player provides protection and flexibility.

Applications, Cause and Effect

"Chemical Edge: The Risks of Performance-Enhancing Drugs," pg. 16
Performance-enhancing drugs include legal prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as illegal drugs. They help athletes relax, work through pain, build muscle mass, and increase oxygen supply to body tissues. Some athletes turn to illegal anabolic steroids to get an "edge," but such drugs destroy bodies, minds, and careers. A sidebar (pg. 19) describes how psychoactive drugs work.

Critical Thinking, Making Decisions

"Rip-Roarin' and Ready to Fly!," pg. 20

Kiteboarding is becoming the hottest extreme water sport in the world. The first step toward a championship performance is learning to control lift and drag as air moves over the kite's surface. A sidebar (pg. 24) lists Web sites for more information.

Cause and Effect, Vocabulary

"Try to Fly" (Activity to Discover), pg. 22
Make a model of a kiteboard wing and use a hair dryer to investigate lift and drag.

Following Directions, Inductive Reasoning

"Doing the Einstein Flip" (Activity to Discover), pg. 25
A physicist and a BMX champion created a 360-degree tabletop back-flip bicycle stunt. Simulate the jump following the directions in this activity.

Following Directions, Cause and Effect

"Extreme Napping," pg. 29
Power napping lets solo long-distance sailors stay alert for weeks. The mechanics of sleep and circadian rhythms are explained. A sidebar (pg. 32) profiles Ellen MacArthur, the youngest person and fastest woman to complete the Vendee Globe around-the-world sailboat race.

Inductive Reasoning, Evaluation

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Science," pg. 33
A physics student and a martial arts expert use scientific principles to explain a kung fu chop. Sidebars explore other aspects of this extreme sport.

Vocabulary, Cause and Effect

"A Unicorn Listened," pg. 36
On another planet far in the future, a young girl engages in a unique extreme sport that elevates her spirit and gives her the strength to push back the boundaries of her world.

Theme, Characterization

"Earthshine" (What's Up and Zoom Into Astronomy), pg. 40

The unofficial start of summer brings new opportunities for stargazing and planet watching. Look for the glowing band of the Milky Way and learn how light reflected from Earth illuminates the Moon. Find Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars in the evening, while Mercury and Venus appear in the morning skies.

Observation, Following Directions

"Airplane Antics" (Brain Strain), pg. 45
On a moving airplane, Barbara proposes a strange feat. Ben doubts that she can pull it off. Can she? Do you know why or why not?

Inductive Reasoning, Critical Thinking

Think Tank: (Discussion Starters to Use Before Reading the Magazine):

1. Rank the danger level of specific sports on a scale from 0 (no danger) to 10 (extreme danger). Rank as many sports as you can. Organize your results on a wall chart and add to it as you read this issue.
2. Why do people take risks in sports? Is risk enjoyable? Can risk be avoided in sport? Should it be?

Classroom "Syzygy": Talk, Connect, Assess

Pg. 16 -- "Chemical Edge: The Risks of Performance-Enhancing Drugs"

Talk It Over:

1. Why do athletes take illegal drugs? Why do they ignore the risks to their health and to their careers? What's wrong with their decision-making processes? What would you say to an athlete about making wise choices?
2. Should professional sports organizations make their drug policies tighter and their enforcement stricter, or should they end all efforts to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs? What would be the advantages of allowing athletes to use any drug they wished? What would be the disadvantages?

Connections:

1. Psychology: After reading the article, consider why an athlete might use an illegal performance-enhancing drug. What are the pressures and where do they come from? Make a poster that lists the sources of psychological pressures. Match each with a positive countermeasure to avert damaged health and ruined careers.
2. Science: Create a poster that shows how steroids work at the cellular level. Make sure your poster is clearly labeled, showing cell receptors and mechanisms of action.
3. Research and Visual Presentation: Some famous athletes have had their careers destroyed when their use of performance-enhancing drugs has been suspected or proved. Make a series of mini-posters of these athletes, showing a face-shot, name, sport, implicated drug, and something about the athlete's personal story.

Student Assessment:

1. How do anabolic steroids work? In an informational essay, explain the process. List steps clearly and explain the cause-and-effect relationships that change the way the human body acts when under the chemical influence of steroids.
2. You are a professional athlete who has attained success without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The press wants your story. Write what you would say in a press conference about your decision to avoid drugs. Explain why you would encourage other athletes to make the same decision you did.

Pg. 33 -- "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Science"

Talk It Over:

1. Does knowing that basic physical principles underlie the martial arts rob them of their "magic"? Why or why not?
2. What are some applications of the martial arts beyond self-defense? What benefits besides physical fitness derive from studying the martial arts?

Connections:

1. Geography: Reread the sidebar "Everyday Kung Fu" (pg. 35). Then use the Web or your library to research how the design of these Malaysian towers applies kung fu principles. What safety features are part of the architects' plan, and how to they relate to kung fu?
2. Graphic Design: Create a poster based on Newton's formula. Show how each term in the formula relates to a kung fu chop. Label factors clearly in your poster.
3. Creative Writing: Pretend you are Michelle Cain. Write a page in your journal that reveals first your doubts that you can break a concrete slab and then your happiness at having done so. Include specific events and directions from your instructor, Chris Crudelli.

Student Assessment:

1. Using a visual device such as a poster or PowerPoint presentation, show how Newton's formula applies to breaking a concrete slab with a blow from a hand. Make sure you explain each term in the formula and tell how it relates to the trick's outcome.
2. This article is not just about science; it's also about confidence. In a brief essay to persuade, explain why self-confidence is important to any extreme athlete. Support your argument with examples from ODYSSEY articles or from you own experiences.

Far Out!: Moving Beyond the Magazine (History of Extreme Sports Edition)

Extreme sport 1760 -- Roller-skating (first patented by Joseph Martin)

Small-Group Project: Write and publish a class newspaper titled The Extreme Sports Journal. Include articles about extreme competitions, history, particular athletes, specific extreme sports, and health and safety issues. Don't forget puzzles and cartoons.

Extreme sport 1880 -- Unicycling (unicycle invented in the 1870s)

Community Connection: Invite a local doctor or physical therapist from a sports medicine clinic to talk about sports injuries, safety, first aid, risky behavior, and drug use.

Extreme sport 1920 -- Pogo-stick Hopping (patented in 1919)

Large-Group Collaborative Activity: With summer vacation only a few weeks away, break the class into four teams. Assign each team responsibility for planet watching and star gazing over a specific two-week period. Draw straws to see who gets to monitor the meteor shower coming in August! Print assignments and record-keeping logs for the class as a summer activity.

Extreme sport 1960s -- Evel Knievel's Motorcycle Jumping

Whole-Class Project: Design a questionnaire and conduct a schoolwide survey on extreme sports. Include questions to assess respondents' knowledge of kiteboarding, snowboarding, BMX racing, and other extreme sports. How many students and teachers have tried an extreme sport? How many watch competitions? Compile your survey results, make graphs, draw conclusions, and display your findings on a bulletin board everyone can see.

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Updated: 11/21/09 05:41 am
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