Social Studies Lesson Plan

Overview:The Olympics may sound like a sports topic, but, based on the number of spectators and participants and the cost of developing any chosen venue, it’s really an economic topic as well. For instance, Chicago, in its bid to be the first U.S. site for Summer Olympics since 1996, is suggesting a $1.1 billion athletes’ village by Lake Michigan. What else has a price tag or a chance to fill the coffers?

Suggested time allotment: Students will spend three days reading background on the Chicago bid in particular and other sites in general to find out what they would be willing to spend.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Collect background information about costs of hosting the Olympics.
2. Prepare a presentation about Chicago’s bid..
3. Debate the pros and cons of going to Chicago.
4. Present this to the class.

Curriculum Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies: Thematic Strands, from “Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.”

• VII – Production, distribution and consumption. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.…. High school students develop economic perspectives and deeper understanding of key economic concepts and processes through systematic study of a range of economic and sociopolitical systems, with particular emphasis on the examination of domestic and global economic policy options related to matters such as health care, resource use, unemployment, and trade.

Resources and materials:
Web sites with information:
• First check out a thorough, multimedia look at the general story from the L.A. Times: “In novel fashion, Chicago edges L.A.: A fresh approach proves decisive. The lure of TV revenue and a weak international field could seal the deal for 2016,” by Lisa Dillman, April 15, 2007.
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• A solid look at Chicago’s financial plans is available from “Chicago, After Failed New York Bid, Seeks U.S. Olympics in 2016,” by Mason Levinson on the Bloomberg Web site.
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• One part of Chicago’s plan includes a $500m insurance policy, explained by FinanceialTimes.com reporter Doug Cameron, in “Chicago plans Olympic insurance,” on the MCNBC site April 15, 2007.
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• “Chicago 2016: At What Cost” in the “Chicagoist,” an information and blob site, includes analysis of the negative sides of this from University of Chicago economist Allen Sanderson. Lots of reader posts follow. (This was posted before the city was named the U.S. host site bid.)
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