Verb Relay Race
Olympis Games Activities
Verb Relay Race
Students make teams of four members and they take turns running and filling in a text with Past Simple Tense of irregular verbs.The baton of the Verb Relay Race is a text on Ancient Olympic Games. Each runner stops at a certain zone, fills in the the correct form of the verb and hands it over to the next runner who waits in a marked place that is further from the writing zone. One runner completes only one verb. The verbs are not in the baton that is in the text. They are post it notes in the writing zones. The teams get 4 points for four correct verb forms and one point if they finish first.
Ancient Olympic Games
- The Olympic Games 1.__________ over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in southwest Greece. The Games were held in honour of Zeus, king of the gods, and were staged every four years at Olympia a valley near a city called Elis.
- The city-states of Greece were often at war. This 2.____________ travel between them dangerous. So messengers sent out from Elis announced a 'sacred truce' (peace) lasting one month before the Games began. This meant people could travel to Olympia in safety. The Olympic Games were more important than wars because they were a religious festival. The messengers went all over the Greek world, as the map shows.
- About 50,000 people 3.________ sit in the stadium. Away from the arena, most spectators had to find somewhere to pitch their tents or sleep rough, but important visitors and athletes had hotel rooms. It was hot and overcrowded, and the water supply was poor, at first not even a proper drinking fountain. This didn't stop people coming though!The Games ended with a feast. Lots of oxen were roasted in a giant barbecue. Traders came to do business, entertainers such as jugglers and acrobats performed, and politicians made speeches to the crowds.
- Only men, boys and unmarried girls were allowed to attend the Olympic Games. Married women were not allowed into the Olympic Games. Any women 4.____________ sneaking in were punished! Women could own horses in the chariot race though.Unmarried women had their own festival at Olympia every four years. This was the Heraia, held in honour of Hera, wife of Zeus. Women could compete in running races, though only unmarried girls took part. Winners were awarded crowns of sacred olive branches, the same as men.
- begin
- make
- can
- catch