Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour
1. Relevant Courses
This lesson stresses the value of sportsmanship, honesty, and honour and so would be appropriate for any course that examines competition and individual behaviour. These could include
- Health and Physical Education
- Some Business Courses
- Some Social Science Courses
2.Specific Learning Objectives
- participate in discussions concerning sportsmanship and its value
- design a slogan and poster
- apply their understanding of sportsmanship
- value the importance of sportsmanship, honesty, and honour
3.Skills Targeted for Development
- group and interpersonal skills
- analytical skills
- creative thinking skills
- problem-solving skills
4.Estimated Time for Implementation
Two class periods
5.General Overview of the Lesson
There has been considerable discussion concerning the impact that organized sport is having on the youth of the country. Although no one debates the positive impact of the physical activity involved, there is a debate over whether or not there is too much emphasis on winning as opposed to participating. There are some who also claim that the over-emphasis on winning is adversely affecting a sense of sportsmanship, honesty, and honour.
This lesson reinforces the need for sportsmanship and integrity and is designed to have the students come to value these qualities as much as they do participation. As Kurt Browning, in his video clip on the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame website, states, “You can perform badly but you cannot act badly – and they are two different things.”
In exploring a topic such as this, students can access a wealth of resources on the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame web site through the videotaped comments of some of its honoured members. Through various activities, the students will develop an awareness of the components of sportsmanship and appreciate its importance. They will complete the lesson by developing an advertising campaign, including a slogan and an accompanying poster, promoting good sportsmanship.
6.Resources Required
Classroom Internet access to the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame website to view the following video clips that will be found by clicking on "Students" in the
Lessons and Learning section of the website:
Silken Laumann (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour)
Paul Beeston (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour)
Roger Jackson (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour)
Norman Kwong (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour)
7.Suggested Implementation Strategy
The lesson will begin with asking the class: “Does organized sport breed competition and, therefore, hard feelings and division, or does it bring people together?” The teacher will then conduct a brief, general class discussion to obtain comments supporting both sides of the question.
This will be followed by asking why competition creates division and hard feelings. Having briefly discussed the responses to this second question, the teacher will introduce the video clips of Silken Laumann, Paul Beeston, Roger Jackson, and Norman Kwong as highly successful athletes who have significant insights into the need for and value of sportsmanship, honesty, and honour. [Note that the clips relevant to this lesson will be labeled Silken Laumann (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour), Paul Beeston (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour), Roger Jackson (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour), and Norman Kwong (Sportsmanship, Honesty, and Honour)].
At this point, the teacher will break the class into groups and ask the groups to define sportsmanship and explain why it is important and how it is displayed in competition. The teacher will lead a class discussion during which each group will present its findings. The result of this discussion will be a general understanding of sportsmanship and its importance.
The groups will then be given their major task: to develop a campaign promoting sportsmanship, honesty, and honour by producing a slogan and a poster that will be used to promote the ideas around the school.
They will be given the rest of the class time to develop their slogan and design their poster. The following class would be devoted to group work, during which time the groups would complete their poster and slogan.
8.Suggested Follow-up Activities
The posters could be used as a positive campaign around the school.
The class could contact the local sports organizations to determine if this issue presented a problem for them and, if so, what actions they were taking.
9. Suggested Evaluation Activities
- The posters and slogans could be graded.
10.Links to other Relevant Resources
Appendix:
Links to Relevant Video Clips
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame – www.cshof.ca
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