Sports and Games

David P. O’Donnell

Sports & Games

Course Type - Presentation Present individually, in pairs, and groups Self and Peer evaluation View and review sports films Contribute to class forum / blog

Biographic information (Just the Highlights)

From Western Massachusetts Age 10 Attempted to learn to play the guitar Graduated UMASS, Amherst (1993) Graduated Columbia (2005)

Virtual Tour of David’s World

Sports & Games

Example evaluation rubric Pronunciation Language

UseContent Voice projection &

ClarityEye Contact & Body

Posture

1~10 1~10 1~10 1~10 1~10

Pronunciation LanguageUse

Content Voice projection & Clarity

Eye Contact & Body Posture

Sports & Games

Popular sports Basketball Baseball Soccer Tennis Figure Skating Field Hockey Track & Field

Sports & Games

Less well known sports Scottish Highland Games WSM / WSW Murderball

Sports & Games

Popular Games Chess Mahjong Checkers Bingo Scissors, Paper, Stone

Sports & Games

Less well known games Competitive Scrabble & Crosswords Math Olympiad Scissor, Paper, Stone, Lizard, Spock Role-playing games of all sorts.

Sports & Games Some Media

Hooked, the Hook Mitchell Story (Street basketball) Gunning for # 1 (High School Basketball) Quantum Hoops (Caltech Basketball) Big Bang Theory (Academic Bowls; Rock, Paper, Scissor, Lizard, Spock) Iron Ladies (Volleyball) Princess Bride (Horsemanship, Wrestling, Hunting, Fencing, Battles of

Wits) Weird Weekends (Wrestling, Rap Beefing) Dodgeball (Dodgeball – Comedy) Hard Problems (Math Olympiad) Word Games (Crosswords championship) Word Wars (Scrabble championship) 8 Mile (Rap battling) Spoken Word Revolution (CD – Slam Poetry)

Sports & Games

Language goals Speaking and public presentation Reading fluency Research & writing skills Listening ability

Other goals Increase motivation Learn about world cultures Find a new Hobby(?)

Sports & Games

Today’s film clip – The Princess Bride Not a sports film, but …It shows Horsemanship, Wordplay, Sailing, Climbing,

Fencing, Wrestling, Battling Wits, and HuntingCharacters Buttercup – a beautiful princess who is talented and brave.

She lost her true love, and decided to marry a prince that she didn’t love, because the custom of her country demanded it.

Inigo Montoya – A Spaniard who is the best swordsman in the world. He gets bored fencing with normal people so he uses his weak hand (his left) to make it interesting.

Sports & Games

Today’s film clip – The Princess Bride Fezzik, a Turkish giant (called a colossus) who is the

strongest man in the world. Ordinarily he fights several opponents at once, be a single fighter is usually no challenge for him. He is very gentle hearted, and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

Vizzini, a Sicilian strategic genius. He is cruel, and is very proud of himself.

The man in black, a great sailor, climber, fencer, wrestler, and thinker. He is able to defeat others, because they underestimate him.

Sports & Games

Princess Bride Language Scaffolding “the sot as spoken” – Vizzini is insulting Inigo, who was a

drunk when they met. “That’s inconceivable” – That’s not possible. It cannot be

imagined (or conceived) to be true. Vizini: “I suppose you think you’re brave.” Buttercup:

“Only compared to some.” – Vizzini is a coward. “He is right on top of us!” – He has nearly caught / reached us. “He is gaining on us.” – He is getting closer. Colossus – A giant. The Colossus of Rhodes. Colossus the

super hero. Colossal – very big. A Colossal mistake. A Colossal decision.

Sports & Games

Princess Bride Language Scaffolding “slow going” – When something is taking a long time. I am

doing my homework, but it is slow going. “Nothing comes to mind” – I can’t think of anything / I can’t

think of an answer. “Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father.

Prepare to die!” “My way is not very sportsmanlike.” “Are you just fiddling around with me or what.” “I just want you to feel that you are doing well. I hate for

people to die embarrassed.

Sports & Games

Princess Bride Language Scaffolding “It is down to you, and it is down to me.” “We are at an impasse.”