Teaching: The first Olympic Games
Read this together, 146 words
The Cook Who Ran
Long ago, in the year 776 BC, people gathered at a place in Greece called Olympia for a festival in honor of Zeus. The Greeks believed Zeus was the king of their gods.
There was one contest: a footrace. The runners lined up at one end of the track and ran to the other end, one length of the track, about as far as two football fields.
The winner was a man named Coroebus, from the nearby town of Elis. He was a cook.
His name went down in the records as the first Olympic champion. Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their prize was a wreath, a ring made of olive leaves, to wear on their heads.
Every four years after that, the Greeks came back to Olympia. Over time they added more contests, like wrestling, the long jump, and the discus.
Tell Sam, 1 of 5
In "The Cook Who Ran," we met the first Olympic champion we know by name.
Tell Sam, 2 of 5
The first Olympic Games on record were held in 776 BC at Olympia in Greece.
People came every four years. They held the Games in honor of Zeus, whom the Greeks believed was the king of their gods.
Tell Sam, 3 of 5
At first there was only one event: a footrace.
Runners ran one length of the track. That race was called the stade, and our word stadium comes from it. The track was about 192 meters long, roughly as far as two football fields.
Tell Sam, 4 of 5
The winner was Coroebus, a cook from the town of Elis.
Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their only prize was a wreath, a ring of olive leaves to wear on the head.
Tell Sam, 5 of 5
There were no women's events at the Olympic Games.
At Olympia, though, there was a separate festival for the goddess Hera. Young women ran a race there.
Do it together, 1 of 5
Invite Sam to retell "The Cook Who Ran" in his own words.
Listen first, then gently fill in a name or place only if he gets stuck.
The Cook Who Ran
Long ago, in the year 776 BC, people gathered at a place in Greece called Olympia for a festival in honor of Zeus. The Greeks believed Zeus was the king of their gods.
There was one contest: a footrace. The runners lined up at one end of the track and ran to the other end, one length of the track, about as far as two football fields.
The winner was a man named Coroebus, from the nearby town of Elis. He was a cook.
His name went down in the records as the first Olympic champion. Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their prize was a wreath, a ring made of olive leaves, to wear on their heads.
Every four years after that, the Greeks came back to Olympia. Over time they added more contests, like wrestling, the long jump, and the discus.
Do it together, 2 of 5
Go back to the part about the track being about as far as two football fields.
Have Sam stand and show with his arms or a few steps how long that feels to him, then talk about how hard that single race would be with a crowd watching.
The Cook Who Ran
Long ago, in the year 776 BC, people gathered at a place in Greece called Olympia for a festival in honor of Zeus. The Greeks believed Zeus was the king of their gods.
There was one contest: a footrace. The runners lined up at one end of the track and ran to the other end, one length of the track, about as far as two football fields.
The winner was a man named Coroebus, from the nearby town of Elis. He was a cook.
His name went down in the records as the first Olympic champion. Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their prize was a wreath, a ring made of olive leaves, to wear on their heads.
Every four years after that, the Greeks came back to Olympia. Over time they added more contests, like wrestling, the long jump, and the discus.
Do it together, 3 of 5
Remind him that Coroebus was a cook from Elis.
Ask whether it surprises him that a cook became the first Olympic champion, and let him share why or why not.
The Cook Who Ran
Long ago, in the year 776 BC, people gathered at a place in Greece called Olympia for a festival in honor of Zeus. The Greeks believed Zeus was the king of their gods.
There was one contest: a footrace. The runners lined up at one end of the track and ran to the other end, one length of the track, about as far as two football fields.
The winner was a man named Coroebus, from the nearby town of Elis. He was a cook.
His name went down in the records as the first Olympic champion. Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their prize was a wreath, a ring made of olive leaves, to wear on their heads.
Every four years after that, the Greeks came back to Olympia. Over time they added more contests, like wrestling, the long jump, and the discus.
Do it together, 4 of 5
The Games returned every four years.
Ask Sam to name something his family looks forward to again and again (a birthday, a holiday, a season), and talk about why people might love coming back to the same place for a big event.
The Cook Who Ran
Long ago, in the year 776 BC, people gathered at a place in Greece called Olympia for a festival in honor of Zeus. The Greeks believed Zeus was the king of their gods.
There was one contest: a footrace. The runners lined up at one end of the track and ran to the other end, one length of the track, about as far as two football fields.
The winner was a man named Coroebus, from the nearby town of Elis. He was a cook.
His name went down in the records as the first Olympic champion. Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their prize was a wreath, a ring made of olive leaves, to wear on their heads.
Every four years after that, the Greeks came back to Olympia. Over time they added more contests, like wrestling, the long jump, and the discus.
Do it together, 5 of 5
When you both feel ready, go on to the leaf wreath activity below.
The Cook Who Ran
Long ago, in the year 776 BC, people gathered at a place in Greece called Olympia for a festival in honor of Zeus. The Greeks believed Zeus was the king of their gods.
There was one contest: a footrace. The runners lined up at one end of the track and ran to the other end, one length of the track, about as far as two football fields.
The winner was a man named Coroebus, from the nearby town of Elis. He was a cook.
His name went down in the records as the first Olympic champion. Winners at Olympia did not get gold or money. Their prize was a wreath, a ring made of olive leaves, to wear on their heads.
Every four years after that, the Greeks came back to Olympia. Over time they added more contests, like wrestling, the long jump, and the discus.
Make something together
A wreath of leaves.
Cut a strip of paper long enough to go around Sam's head, and tape the ends into a band. Sam draws and cuts out ten to fifteen leaves from green paper, or gathers real leaves from outside. Sam glues or tapes the leaves around the band so they overlap. While Sam works, talk about the one prize at Olympia and why a simple wreath could mean so much to the people who earned one.
- paper
- green paper or real leaves
- scissors
- glue or tape
- crayons
Tip If Sam mixes up the place or the prize, open "The Cook Who Ran" and reread just one short paragraph together, then ask him the same question again. If he is bursting with energy, let him jog in place like Coroebus while he answers.
On paper
The Olympics
4 problems. In your own lessons you print it from here, with an answer key for you.
That’s the lesson
Then you mark it done
In your own lessons, it goes in your child’s record, and a note or a grade helps the next lessons fit. This one isn’t yours, so nothing is saved.
Sam isn’t real. Arbor writes lessons like this for your kid: their name, what they love, and where they actually are in each subject.