What Kind of Classroom
Do You Want to Have This Year?
Start your school year with
Go online for
free lesson plans!
Designed for use in general education classrooms, the all-new Get Into It curriculum from
Special Olympics includes dozens of free skill-based activities, games, worksheets, and more.
These new resources help you
• incorporate service-learning into your curriculum in a simple, step-by-step format
• advance students’ civic knowledge while teaching core skills
• show young people how to serve as active agents for change in their local, national,
and global communities
• energize students to unleash their creative leadership potential
• provide interactive, age-appropriate activities, worksheets, and other materials
designed for use in general education classrooms, grades K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12
• promote acceptance and understanding of people’s differences
• motivate students to become advocates for and work together with all people
To get started, we’re featuring a variety of sample activities from the free Get Into It
curriculum. Tear out these free activities and file them for use all year long. Then be sure to
download the complete curriculum—with dozens of free lessons, videos, and fun online
games—at getintoit.specialolympics.org.
Download your free lesson plans today!
Sure to Soar!
What do you do in your classroom to make sure your students succeed? Share your thoughts and enter to
win a $500 classroom achievement award, courtesy of Special Olympics. One lucky classroom will
win! To enter, visit themailbox.com/specialolympics. Hurry, the contest ends November 30, 2011.
getintoit.specialolympics.org
Circle Reader Action Number 99.
Grades K–2
e’re All Different y are the same as their
.W
..
ke
li
A
ll
A
re
We’
which the
more about the ways in
dents to learn
Here’s a fun way for stu
ent.
in which they are differ
d
classmates and the ways
need to listen carefully an
le. Explain that students
ce, circ
voi
ge
r
lar
rke
a
ba
in
al
nd
niv
sta
them. Using a car
ibe
1. Have students
scr
de
t
tha
ces
ten
sen
rs.”
en they hear
you are wearing sneake
step for ward wh
such as “Step right up if
,
ive
ect
dir
ple
ysical sim
(ph
a
cs
h
characteristi
begin wit
es, moving from external
ori
eg
cat
. ent
es)
fer
dif
iliti
t
ab
ou
d
rences an
2. Continue calling
rnal characteristics (prefe
inte
to
)
eral ces
en
sev
e
eri
lud
exp
Inc
d
s.
an
mber of statement
descriptions
nu
a
in
ed
ent
res
rep
students are
Make sure that all
er the entire group.
cov
t
tha
s
ent
esome second-grade
statem
for ward if you are an aw
ep
“St
ce,
un
no
an
y,
ivit
3. To close the act
ith’s class!”
student in Ms. Sm
these:
ivit y, discuss questions like
4. Following the act
t your classmates?
learn anything new abou
you
Did
•
king at them?
about people just by loo
?
Go online for a list of
• How much can you tell
de up of the same students
pped for ward always ma
ste
t
tha
ups
gro
the
re
skills and outcomes for these
• We
mon?
r classmates have in com
t kinds of things do all you
ha
W
•
activities and others!
is.
s or Friends by Rob Lew
er’s Way by Kevin Henke
est
Ch
oks!
ud
bo
se
alo
g
the
h
din
wit
rea
ivities to use
Continue this activit y by
cussion questions and act
dis
for
m
ulu
ric
cur
It
Download the Get Into
Grades K–2
Finding the Words
Don’t miss the story
“My Brother’s Special Olympics Medal,”
available as part of the free curriculum at
getintoit.specialolympics.org.
Focus your students on
ways they can show on
e another that they care.
Place a number of item
s designed to spur thoug
hts of caring and encou
in a bag or box, such as
ragement
• a pencil or sheet
of paper for encouraging
remarks about a student’s
• a ball to conjure
schoolwork
thoughts about a student’s
play at recess
• a mirror to promp
t kind words about a pe
rson’s appearance
• glasses to encou
rage appreciative words
about a student’s way of
looking at things
Taking turns, have stude
nts reach in and feel an
object, describe it to the
guess what the object is.
ir classmates, and
Remove the object and
discuss how it relates to
encouraging toward cla
being kind, caring, and
ssmates.
getintoit.specialolympics.org
Grades K–2
The Meaning of Pe
rseverance
For this activit y, you’ll ne
Print additional activities and
lesson plans! You’ll find lots more
at getintoit.specialolympics.org.
ed a copy of the popular
fable The Tortoise and the
Hare.
1. Tell students that
you will be reading a spe
cia
l kind of story called a fab
story in which the
le—a fictional characters are animals
that talk and act like hu
that every fable
man beings. Tell students
has a lesson to teach.
2. After reading the
story, spell and write the
word perseverance for
students if they can
students to see. Ask figure out what this word
means.
3. Continue the discus
sion with questions like
these:
• What are som
e ways that Tortoise sho
wed hard work and perse
• How was he
verance?
able to win the race wh
en
Hare was a much faster
• What things did
run
ner?
Tortoise’s friends do to he
lp and encourage him?
Discuss the role that a frie
nd’s support plays in he
lping us to persevere.
Continue the activit y wit
h a worksheet about Sp
ecial Olympics athlete Co
You’ll find this free page
le Cleworth.
and more at getintoit.spe
cialolympics.org.
Grades 3–5
“I Am” Poems
nt the full version, go to
ttie J. T. Stepanek. (To pri
Ma
old
ar-ye
14
by
n
itte
Share a list poem wr
.org.)
getintoit.specialolympics
y, with the phrase
poem starts the same wa
the
of
line
ch
ea
t
tha
nts
1. Point out to stude
.
down adjectives, …”
am
“I
, asking students to write
wly
slo
re
mo
ain
ag
it
d
then rea
, make a column 2. Read the poem;
themselves. On the board
to
ply
ap
t
tha
es
ras
ph
iptive
consider both visible nouns, and descr
. Encourage students to
rds
wo
d
ad
to
nts
de
stu
ite
for each and inv
racteristics.
cha
le
isib
inv
d
an
poems. Have group
create their own “I Am”
3. Group students to
I am black.
iting each on a wr
s,
scriptors from the list
de
ect
sel
ers
a logical mb
in
me
ps
stri
the
I
am white.
ge
an
arr
n direct students to
poem flows.
the
sentence strip. The
how
I
am
h
wit
all skins in between.
d
ase
ple
nging until they’re
or
sequence, rearra
n
I
am
iso
un
you
in
ng.
g
din
rea
to share their poems by
gs, din
I
am
rea
old
the
.
t
4. Invite the groups
ou
gh
ou
Thr
individual readers.
I am each age that has
assigning parts to
students and the
been.
e qualities of individual
iqu
un
the
rce
nfo
—
rei
excerpted from “I Am” by
ss.
cla
the
hin
wit
ed
ent
res
Mattie J. T. Stepanek
diversity rep
getintoit.specialolympics.org
Grades 3–5
?
What’s in an Oath
r
nsider adopting it for you
ympics Athlete Oath. Co
Ol
al
eci
Sp
the
by
ed
Students will be inspir
groups class motto!
them brainstorm a list of
en an oath. Then have
tak
r
rtroom. eve
cou
ve
a
ha
in
y
ses
the
if
nes
1. Ask students
ents, scouts, and wit
sid
pre
as
h
suc
th,
oa
to take an
that are required
le take oaths.
op
pe
y
wh
s
that Special Olympics Discus
th on the board. Explain
Oa
lete
Ath
s
ke pic
ym
Ol
al
and that gladiators spo
2. Write the Speci
competing in the games
e
for
be
think th
nts
oa
de
stu
this
e
do
t
tak
ha
for battle. W
red
participants
pa
pre
y
the
as
me
Ro
in ancient
these same words
s?
an
me
th
rticipated: What is it like
this oa
ivities in which they’ve pa
act
t
ou
ab
k
thin
to
nts
de
challenges might Special
3. Finally, ask stu
l to lose? What special
fee
it
es
do
w
Ho
?
win
to want to
s face while competing?
Olympics athlete
worth.
ympics athlete Cole Cle
rksheet about Special Ol
wo
a
h
wit
y
ivit
act
the
g.
Continue
cialolympics.or
and more at getintoit.spe
You’ll find this free page
Grades 3–5
A Lesson From th
e Sneetches
For
Let me win.
But if I cannot
win, let me be
brave in the
attempt.
The founder of Special Olympics
was Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
To honor her—and to keep her vision
alive—Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day is held
every year on the fourth
Saturday in September. This year
that’s September 24!
this activit y, check out a
copy of Dr. Seuss’s The
Sneetches
from the library. Begin
the lesson by writing the
first four lines
of The Sneetches on the
board.
1. Ask students to ma
ke predictions about the
story.
2. Read The Sneetche
s aloud, pausing for stu
de
nts to make additional pre
ask questions like
dictions. Afterward, these: What was the ba
sis for one group of Sneet
better than the oth
ches thinking they were
ers? Were their differen
ces visible or invisible? Ho
Sneetches exclud
w did the Star-Belly e the Plain-Belly Sneetche
s?
3. Write the words
inclusion and exclusion
on the board. What can
the meanings of
students tell you about these words?
4. Add other terms
to the board: internal/e
xternal, include/exclude,
visible/invisible, ab
tolerant/intolerant,
ilities/disabilities, and res
pect/disrespect. Have stu
word pairs. Prompt stude
dents compare the nts to identif y the prefixe
s in the words and write
on the board: in-, ex-, dis
them
-.
Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches
5. Finally, have students
work in pairs to discuss
Had bellies with stars.
how these words could
applied to the Sneetche
be
s.
Instruct students to write
The Plain-Belly Sneetches
Sneetches Speeches tha
include these words to de
t
liver to the snooty Star-B
elly Sneetches, convincin
Had none upon thars.
them to change the way
g
they act.
Sure to Soar!
Share how you work to help every student succeed and enter to win a $500 classroom achievement award,
courtesy of Special Olympics. One lucky classroom will win! To enter, visit themailbox.com/specialolympics.
Hurry, the contest ends November 30, 2011.
getintoit.specialolympics.org
Circle Reader Action Number 99.