KEY INFORMATION

Recommended age group: 5–11
Time required: one to two 45–60 minute sessions
Equipment: Chat show activity sheets.


ACTIVITY IDEA

Looking backwards

  • Ask the children what they know about the London 2012 Games and, in particular, the remarkable achievements of Team GB and ParalympicsGB. You can use Get Set's athlete profiles to look at a particular athlete in detail. 
  • Share some of the inspirational stories and achievements of young people in the Games. Widen your discussions to include the involvement of young people in other roles such as lighting the Cauldron, taking part in the Guard of Honour, being Torchbearers and Games Makers.

Looking forwards

  • Having reflected on the achievements of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, help the children to appreciate that although many of the athletes who competed so brilliantly in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games went on to compete at Rio 2016, others have announced their retirement.
  • Some of the sportsmen and women who have announced their retirement from elite sport after London 2012 are:
    • Rebecca Adlington, winner of two bronze medals in the woman's 400m and 800m freestyle events
    • Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history
    • Jon Pollock, a member of the ParalympicsGB wheelchair basketball team.
  • The next generation of sporting heroes is continually emerging. Explain that these rising stars can be found in local schools, clubs and communities. What new stars arose at Rio 2016, and do the children know any young local sports stars that are already doing well in their chosen sport?

Finding out about our chosen guests

  • Using newspaper articles, features on local TV or radio, web searches or blogs and their own local knowledge, encourage the children to research and discuss local young sports star(s), and discuss who they would most like to invite on to the chat show.
  • What can the children find out about the young person's sport, their achievements and aspirations for the future? What do the children think motivates their stars? How are they continuing to live the Olympic Value of excellence and Paralympic Value of Determination?
  • Are your local rising stars competing at county or national level? The young person might be a student at a local secondary school, a young member of staff, an older brother, sister, other relative or member of a local community club, for example. Ask the children to write a letter or send an email inviting the rising star to the chat show.

Getting ready to chat

Ask the children to come up with their own set of questions that will enable them to find out as much information as they can from the young guest(s) about:

  • their chosen sport
  • their training programme
  • what motivates them
  • their dreams, aspirations and hopes for the future.

The questions should be framed in such a way that they will draw out information about the guest's past, present and future. Use the first page of the activity sheet provided, to help the children record their ideas.

Discuss the job of the chat show host. Give everyone the opportunity of being a host by setting up mini chat shows. Emphasise the need for everyone to be involved, to speak clearly and listen to what is being said. At the end of this activity ask the children to nominate their chat show host(s). With younger classes this might be the teacher.

The second page of the activity sheet provided will help the children with ideas for running the chat show and electing the chat show host.

Going live!

Set out some 'rules of engagement' and remind your class of the need to show respect to their guest by listening and taking an active part in the chat show. Leading the session, the chat show host should ask children in turn to put their question(s) to the guest. During the show give time for children to think about, construct and ask follow-up questions based on what they are hearing and what else they might want to know.

MAKE IT ACTIVE

  • Reflecting on what children have heard, ask them to provide examples of ways in which the guest is continuing to demonstrate the Values from the Games. Focus particularly on the Values of determination and excellence.
  • Thinking about what the guest said about their targets and goals are, finish this project by asking each child to decide their own personal goals. What is it they would like to be doing (or to have achieved) to be the best, the fittest and the healthiest they can be? Record these targets on the activity sheet provided below, and challenge children throughout the term to have the motivation and determination to achieve them. Review children's progress towards meeting these goals at the end of the term.

EXTENSION

  • Who did you invite to your chat show and what questions did you ask? Upload your showcase and a selection of the questions you asked.
  • Ask some of your questions to Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes via Twitter:
    Team GB Twitter account
    ParalympicsGB Twitter account
  • Arrange a visit to watch your guest competing at a local event, or provide details of the event so children are able to watch with their parents/carers. 
  • Post updates and reports about your guest on your school website.