Silken Laumann : Excellence

Canadian Olympic School Program

Transforming
Processing Connecting
Canadian Olympic School Program
TM 2005, VANOC. Used under license.
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Canadian Olympic School Program
The Olympic philosophy of education is about a balance of intellectual instruction,
cultural development and physical education. It is about participation, efort, and
knowing you have given your all in the pursuit of excellence.
Olympism is a philosophy of life; exalting and combining in balanced whole qualities
of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks
to create a way of life based on the joy found in efort, the educational value of
good example, and respect for universal, fundamental ethical principles. - Olympic
Charter, Fundamental Principles.
Olympian stories of triumph and disappointment can engage learners in
discussions about important value issues. Through the stories and challenges of
Olympic athletes, children and youth can explore and connect values to their lives,
and perhaps begin to see their world in new and diferent ways.
Teaching Guide for Educators
Current curriculum theory emphasizes the importance of reinforcing value
messages through narratives, storytelling, art, posters, drama, and physical
movement. Activities based on the stories, events, ceremonies and symbols of the
Olympic Games stories have school-wide relevance.
The Olympic Values
The Canadian Olympic Committee identifes seven Olympic values: excellence,
fun, fairness, respect, human development, leadership and peace. The narrative
that follows highlights one of these values. When you engage your learners with
this narrative, you will have the opportunity to expand their understanding of this
value and to expand their moral capabilities.
Principles of Learning
The following principles of learning are highlighted in order to actively engage
students in the values education process:
Learning is an active and not a passive activity. Students need to be actively
engaged in discussion, sharing their ideas in small groups and exploring difering
points of view.
People learn in diferent ways. Some people learn best by reading; some people
learn best by listening; some people learn best by moving around. The activities
associated with these narratives present diferent ways of learning.
Learning is both an individual and a cooperative activity. Young people need
opportunities to work together as well as independently. They also need to practice
cooperative behaviours in order to learn competitive behaviours.
Stages of the Learning Sequence
Successful learning is built upon a carefully scafolded series of steps that connect
to students prior understanding, actively process or practice new information, and
fnally transform their understandings into powerful demonstrations of learning.
Each Olympic athlete story is presented at three reading levels: bronze (grades 2/3),
silver (grades 4/5), and gold (grades 6/7). The accompanying activities are sufciently
open-ended to address a diverse range of learning styles and profciencies. They
focus on six main facets of understanding: explaining, interpreting, applying, taking
perspective, empowering, and developing self-knowledge are critical thinking skills
that are woven into all three stages of the learning sequence in order to promote
deep understanding of the values and concepts.
Silken Laumann
Excellence
Suggested Learning Sequence for
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Transforming
Showing understanding in a new way
Processing
Using strategies to acquire and use
knowledge
Connecting
Building a foundation for new learning
Gold grades 6-7
Silver grades 4-5
Bronze grades 2-3
BRONZE Canadian Olympic School Program
ROWING
Silken Laumann
Excellence
Perseverance is critical in life.
Perseverance is proving to yourself
that you can do it. It doesnt matter
what anyone else thinks.
BRONZE
Silken Laumann was one of the best rowers in the world.
She hoped to win the gold medal in rowing at the 1992
Olympic Games.
A lot of people were sure she would.
But just 10 weeks before the Olympic Games she was in
a scary accident.
She was rowing on a lake in Essen, Germany. Another
rowing boat crashed into her boat.
The front of the boat tore into her right leg.
Canadian Olympic School Program
Silken Laumann Excellence
BRONZE
Silken thought that this might have
ended her rowing career.
I saw the muscle folded down to my ankle
and I saw the bone inside my leg. I thought
I might lose my leg. Then I thought, I wont
be going to the Olympic Games.
Doctors operated on Silkens leg for
hours. They put pins in the bone to hold
it together. They stitched the muscles
and skin to hold them together.
Silken thought about her Olympic
dream. It might never happen.
Back in her room Silken stared at her
leg. It hurt and looked awful.
She was worried that she might never
race again.
But she refused to give up.
It was a lesson she had learned as a little
girl.
I decided that this was an obstacle. I
learned not to give up. I didnt learn to read
until I was in Grade 3. Now Im an English
major and Ive written a book. I had to work
really hard to do well at school but it built
my character. I knew you could get results
through hard work.
Silken spent three weeks in the hospital.
As soon as she was out the front door
she started rowing again.
How tough was she?
Rowers need their legs to push when
they are rowing. It hurts, even when
you are feeling healthy.
Silken was not healthy.
But Silken says all she thought about
was the Olympic Games.
I was so focused that I didnt feel the pain.
Focus is a big part of perseverance. The
mind is powerful.
Silken trained a little bit more each day.
Finally, the Olympic Games arrived.
Silkens leg was still a mess. She had to
wear bandages. She had to use a cane
to walk to her race, but she was going
to race.
Silken sat in her boat, waiting for the
starting gun.
The biggest obstacle was mental. I had
always been prepared. I couldnt say that
this time. I had to challenge myself to
believe in myself.
The race started.
Silken few through the water.
She couldnt believe it. For the frst half
of the race her body seemed perfectly
healthy. She was going for frst place.
Then halfway through I felt really tired.
Other boats passed her.
But she didnt give up.
Had she tried so hard to get to Barcelona
only to stop now?
She pushed and pulled, and pushed
and pulled.
At the fnish line, she just passed the
boat ahead of her.
She had won the bronze medal!
Just being at the Olympic Games was
strange. I was competing against athletes
who hadnt had accidents just weeks before
the Games. But there were little miracles
every day. Things I could do that I thought
I couldnt.
Standing on the podium, Silken stared
at the bronze medal around her neck.
Perseverance is showing yourself that you
can do it. It doesnt matter what anyone else
thinks.
For Silken, perseverance had paid of.
Canadian Olympic School Program
Partner Talk
In pairs, students share their ideas about excellence.
What does excellence mean to you?
When have you experienced excellence?
Is excellence important?
When is excellence important?
Why is excellence important?
Class Share
Teacher records web of student ideas on chart paper.
Listen, Sketch, Write (Graphic Organizer A)
The teacher reads the story in three or four chunks, stopping after each
for students to sketch what they have heard and then summarize the
information in their own words.
Class Discussion
Teacher leads a class discussion on how Silken Laumann demonstrated
excellence, referring to the web and adding the new ideas.
Journal Entry
Teacher gives the prompt: What does this story remind you of? (A personal
connection or a connection to another text)
BRONZE
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Suggested Learning Sequence for Silken Laumann
Bronze Level
Key Concept: Excellence
Connecting
Building a foundation for new learning
Processing
Using strategies to acquire and use knowledge
Transforming
Showing understanding in a new way
Canadian Olympic School Program
Listen -Sketch-Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
BRONZE Canadian Olympic School Program
Silken Laumann
Excellence
Suggested Learning Sequence for
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Transforming
Showing understanding in a new way
Processing
Using strategies to acquire and use
knowledge
Connecting
Building a foundation for new learning
Gold grades 6-7
Silver grades 4-5
Bronze grades 2-3
SILVER
Canadian Olympic School Program
ROWING
Silken Laumann
Excellence
Perseverance is critical in life.
Perseverance is proving to yourself
that you can do it. It doesnt matter
what anyone else thinks.
SILVER
CRASH!
Silken Laumann never saw the boat coming.
She was out training for a World Cup rowing race in
Essen, Germany. It had been a peaceful morning on the
course.
But out of nowhere another rowing boat came right
towards her at top speed, and crashed into her boat.
The boat tore into her right leg.
I looked down and saw the muscle folded down to my ankle
and the bone inside my leg. I thought I might lose my leg.
Then I thought, I wont be going to the Olympic Games.
Canadian Olympic School Program
Silken Laumann
Excellence
SILVER
Silken was rushed to hospital. Doctors
hurried to save her leg. They operated
for hours, putting pins in the broken
bone to hold it together and stitching
the gash on her leg.
Back in her room Silken stared down at
her leg.
The Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games
were just 10 weeks away. Silken had
been favoured to win the gold medal in
the womens singles.
Now, it looked like she might never race
again.
Or would she?
It was a dark hour, but Silken refused
to give up. She had faced obstacles all
her life, and had learned all about the
importance of perseverance.
I decided that this was an obstacle, not a
sentence. Ive always had fght in me. I didnt
learn to read until I was in Grade 3. Now Im
an English major and Ive written a book. I
had to work really hard at school but it built
my character. I knew you could achieve
results through hard work.
As soon as she could get out of hospital,
she got to work. She got back in her
boat.
In sculls rowing, you push with both
your legs and you lean back and pull
the oars through the water. It hurts
even when you have a healthy body.
Silkens leg shot with pain each time
she pushed of. Her body screamed in
protest.
But she refused to yield to the pain.
I was so focused on my desired outcome
that I became oblivious to the pain. Focus
is a big part of perseverance. The mind is
powerful. You focus only on the things you
need to help you.
Silken trained a little bit more each day,
adding more volume and quality as her
body healed.
Finally, the Olympic Games arrived.
Silkens leg was still a mess. She had
to keep it tightly wrapped to stop the
wound from bleeding. She had to use
a cane to walk to her race. She needed
physiotherapy after each practice.
Silken sat in her boat, anticipating the
race start. She fought away the doubts
that she would not be ready.
The biggest obstacle was mental. I always
gained confdence from being prepared. I
couldnt say that this time. I had to challenge
myself to believe in myself.
In an instant, the race began.
All of Canada was cheering for Silken as
she few through the water.
She couldnt believe it. For the frst half
of the race her body seemed perfectly
healthy. Maybe it was the adrenaline,
but remarkably, she was fghting for
frst place!
Then halfway through I felt exhausted. A
wave of anxiety poured over me. I thought,
I am not prepared.
Other boats started to pass her. But
again, Silken refused to give up. Had
she tried so hard to get to Barcelona
only to stop now?
With just a few metres left, Silken used
every iota of energy she could gather.
She pushed and pulled with everything
she had.
At the fnish line, she just passed the
boat ahead of her.
Silken shouldnt have been able to
race at all and she had won the bronze
medal!
Just being at the Olympic Games was
surreal. I was competing against athletes
who hadnt had accidents just weeks before
the Games. But there were little miracles
every day. Things I could do that I thought
I couldnt.
Standing on the podium, Silken stared
at the bronze medal around her neck.
Perseverance is proving to yourself that you
can do it. It doesnt matter what anyone else
thinks. It keeps you going.
For Silken, perseverance had paid of.
Canadian Olympic School Program
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Suggested Learning Sequence for Silken Laumann
Silver Level
Key Concept: Excellence
Connecting
Building a foundation for new learning
Partner Talk
In pairs, students share their ideas about excellence.
What does excellence mean to you?
When have you experienced excellence?
Is excellence important?
When is excellence important?
Why is excellence important?
Class Share
Teacher records web of student ideas on chart paper.
Partner Talk
In pairs, students discuss what is needed to achieve excellence.
e.g. practicing, never giving up
Class Share
Teacher lists student ideas for what is needed to achieve excellence on
chart paper.
Processing
Using strategies to acquire and use knowledge
Listen, Sketch, Write ( use Graphic Organizer A)
The teacher reads the story in three or four chunks, stopping after each
for students to sketch what they have heard and then summarize the
information in their own words.
Thinking Bubbles ( use Graphic Organizer B)
Students listen and at key points make a sketch of Silken Laumann
including her thoughts and feelings in a thought bubble.
Transforming
Showing understanding in a new way
Class Discussion
Teacher leads a class discussion on how Silken Laumann demonstrated
excellence, adding new ideas to the chart of qualities developed earlier in
the lesson.
Journal Entry
Teacher gives the prompt: What does this story remind you of
(i.e., a personal connection, a connection to another text, or a global
connection)? Describe the qualities people need in order to achieve
excellence.
SILVER Canadian Olympic School Program
Listen -Sketch-Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
SILVER Canadian Olympic School Program
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Silken Laumann
Excellence
Suggested Learning Sequence for
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Transforming
Showing understanding in a new way
Processing
Using strategies to acquire and use
knowledge
Connecting
Building a foundation for new learning
Gold grades 6-7
Silver grades 4-5
Bronze grades 2-3
GOLD Canadian Olympic School Program
ROWING
Silken Laumann
Excellence
Perseverance is critical in life.
Perseverance is proving to yourself
that you can do it. It doesnt matter
what anyone else thinks.
GOLD
Silken Laumann sat in her rowing scull and stared down
at her broken and bloody ankle.
Just moments before, she had been enjoying a training
session on the lake in Essen, Germany. She was there
to compete in a World Cup rowing race, a critical step
on her way toward winning the gold medal at the 1992
Olympic Games.
Or so shed hoped.
Then out of nowhere, another boat smashed into her
leg.
Canadian Olympic School Program
Silken Laumann
Excellence
GOLD
I saw the muscle folded down to my
ankle and I could see the bone inside
my right leg. It looked so horrendous
that I thought I might lose my leg.
Then I thought, I wont be going to the
Olympic Games.
The Barcelona Olympic Games were
a mere 10 weeks away. Now, she was
worried she might never row again.
The doctors had similar apprehensions.
They operated for hours, putting pins
in the broken bone to fasten it together
and stitching the gash on her leg.
Specialists and physiotherapists told
her there wasnt enough time before
the Olympic Games to heal properly, let
alone for her to compete for a medal.
It was a dark hour, but Silken refused
to give up. She had faced obstacles all
her life, and had learned all about the
importance of perseverance.
I saw this as an obstacle, not as a sentence.
I was always tenacious. I didnt learn to read
until Grade 3. Now Im an English major
and Ive written a book. I had to work really
hard at school but it built my character. I
understood that you could achieve results
through hard work.
As soon as she could get out of hospital,
she got to work.
In sculls rowing, you push with both
your legs as you lean back and pull the
oars through the water. It hurts even
when you have a healthy body.
Silkens body was far from healthy. Her
leg ached each time she pushed of, but
she refused to yield to the pain.
Focus is a big part of perseverance. I believe
the old adage that says If you think you can
or you think you cant, youre right. When
you can get your mind to a place where
youre really focused on a positive outcome,
you start to attract positive opportunities.
You become very selective in how you spend
your energy and how you spend your time.
Silken trained a little bit more each day,
gradually adding to the volume and
quality as her body healed.
Finally, the Barcelona 1992 Olympic
Games arrived. Silkens leg was still
such a mess she had to keep it tightly
wrapped to keep the skin together.
She needed physiotherapy after each
practice and had to use a cane to walk
to the race.
Silken sat in her boat, anticipating the
race start. She fought away the doubts
that she would not be ready.
The biggest obstacle for me was mental. I
had always gained confdence from being
prepared. I couldnt say that this time. I had
to challenge myself to believe in myself, to
believe that I was capable of racing.
The race started.
Silken few through the water. For the
frst half of the race her body seemed
perfectly healthy, and remarkably, she
was contending for frst place.
Then halfway through I felt exhausted. A
wave of anxiety poured over me. I thought,
I am not prepared.
Other boats started to pass her.
But again, Silken refused to give up.
With just a few metres left, Silken
expended every iota of energy she had.
She pushed and pulled. At the fnish
line, she managed to edge past the
boat ahead of her.
She had won the bronze medal!
Just being at the Olympic Games was
surreal. I was competing against athletes
who hadnt had accidents just weeks before
the Games. But there were little miracles
every day. Things I could do that I thought
I couldnt.
Standing on the podium, Silken stared
at the bronze medal around her neck
and it glinted as if it were gold.
Perseverance is critical in life. Perseverance
is proving to yourself that you can do it. It
doesnt matter what anyone else thinks.
For Silken, perseverance had paid of.
Canadian Olympic School Program
Teaching Values Through Olympian Stories
Canadian Olympic School Program
Suggested Learning Sequence for Silken Laumann
Gold Level
Key Concept: Excellence
Connecting
Building a foundation for new learning
Partner Talk
In pairs, students discuss what is needed to achieve excellence (e.g.,
practicing, never giving up, believing in yourself, etc.)
What does excellence mean to you?
When have you experienced excellence?
Is excellence important?
When is excellence important?
Why is excellence important?
Class Share
Teacher records web of student ideas on chart paper.
Partner Talk
In pairs, students discuss what is needed to achieve excellence.
e.g. practicing, never giving up
Class Share
Teacher lists student ideas for what is needed to achieve excellence on
chart paper.
Processing
Using strategies to acquire and use knowledge
Listen, Sketch, Write ( use Graphic Organizer A)
The teacher reads the story in three or four chunks, stopping after each
for students to sketch what they have heard and then summarize the
information in their own words.
Thinking and Speech Bubbles (Use Graphic Organizer C)
Students listen and at key points make a sketch of Silken Laumann,
including her thoughts and feelings in a thought bubble. In a speech
bubble, students record a phrase from the text to support their thought
bubble.
Transforming
Showing understanding in a new way
Class Discussion
Teacher leads a class discussion on how Silken Laumann demonstrated
excellence, adding new ideas to the chart of qualities developed earlier in
the lesson.
Journal Entry
Using what students learned about excellence from Silken Laumanns
story, students describe a situation in their life where excellence is
required. Students try to use the following key terms in their entry:
excellence, focus, perseverance, preparation, belief in self, obstacles.
GOLD
Canadian Olympic School Program
Listen -Sketch-Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
Sketch Write
GOLD Canadian Olympic School Program
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Acknowledgements
Canadian Olympic School Program
The Canadian Olympic School Program wishes to thank and acknowledge the
contributions of the following people. Without their eforts and creativity, this project
would not have been possible.
Silken Laumann Featured Olympian
Kevin Sylvester Story Writer
Peter Eller Graphic Artist
Andrea Hunter Writing Team Member
Denise Beck Writing Team Member
Juanita Hewitt Writing Team Member
Shirley-Ann Rubis - Writing Team Member
The Olympian Stories were feld tested in Canadian classrooms by the following
teachers and educators.
Adrienne Coletto-Keith
Aiisha Kublinskas
Beth Pye
Bill Day
Bill Harrington
Bonnie LAbbe
Bruce McNicoll
Cathy Grifn
Cheryl Rabbitt
Dave Pickard
Denise Beck
Erika Black
Gayle Wannop
Hilary Tomlin
Jan Smith
Janice Perry
Jennifer Johnson
Jodee Sayle
Jody Wilson
Judith Wright
Kimberly Engelbrecht
Lisa Ferguson
Mario Iozzo
Mark Bomba
Mary Wright
Pat Dennill
Patrick Doyle
Rob Grantham
Russ Winters
Shane Wray
Sonja Hansen-Chunik
Susan Kelly
Susan Peeters
Tim Worthy
The Canadian Olympic School Program was developed by:
Bruce Deacon -
Manager, Education and Community Relations, Canadian Olympic Committee
Lisa Wallace -
Program Manager, Education and Community Relations, Canadian Olympic Committee
Ayisha Karim
Education Program Assistant, Canadian Olympic Committee
Canadian Olympic School Program