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| courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Public Domain |
Except for this past week while I was on vacation, I have been trying
to watch as much of the UEFA Futbal (soccer to us Americans) Championship as I
could. I have seen some great games and so far, my two favorite teams, Ireland
and Germany, are still in the running to win it all.
Ireland is playing France – the nation hosting the Championship
this year – this morning my time. It is in the afternoon where the game is
being played. A new record was set in the first two minutes of the game when a
French player plowed over an Irish player and Ireland was granted a Penalty
Kick. The kick by the Irish player rebounded off the right post and went into
the net, resulting in the earliest goal off of a Penalty Kick in the history of
the UEFA Championship.
Two more games will be televised today and I will have both of
them playing on the television while I work around the house on other things. I
can see the television in the living room from my desk in the office so am able
to write, do research, and catch up on the news of the day while keeping up
with the game.
What has futbal to do with Social Studies? When it comes to
events like the UEFA Championship, the Copa America Tournament, and the World
Cup, futbal has everything to do with Social Studies. Such tournaments are a
great way for students who are more interested in sports than studies to learn
about countries from different parts of the world, learn a bit about those
countries as the commentators are always providing tidbits about the culture
and politics of those countries.
Students can learn about rivalries between nations in the same
part of the world, why those rivalries exist, and some of the history behind
them.
Social Studies teachers can use world maps or regional maps to
identify where the countries playing in the tournament are, discuss why they
are included in the tournament, and show which countries border one another.
Math teachers can use tournaments like these to teach the
probability each team has of becoming tournament champion, how math is used to
determine scoring differential, and show how some of the oft quoted statistics
are determined and used.
Science teachers can discuss the climate and weather where the
tournament takes place, compare and contrast that to the climate of the
countries the teams are from. They can bring in physics as it pertains to
Newton’s Laws and how they govern what happens to the ball when it is kicked,
headed, or rebounds off the frame of the goal.
Language Arts teachers can have their students read and analyze
stories about the games, stories about the teams and players, and write about
their favorite teams or players.
Physical Education teachers probably have it best, as they can
get the kids out on the field and have them practice futbal skills and play
scrimmage games.
Art, Life Skills (what we old timers called Home Economics), and
Music teachers can all find aspects of the gathering of these countries they
can incorporate into their curriculum.
Futbal is a truly international game. When you understand the
game, you understand why even a low or no scoring tie can be exciting. And
there is so much to learn by following the tournament, and not just about the
sport, but about the world.
As always, I remain,
The Exhausted Educator
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