Thorpe has more in store: Frost Thorpe has more in store: Frost
Have students investigate, from the article and statistics provided, what are the factors that enable Ian Thorpe to be so fast and successful. (If he is heavier how can he swim faster - what variables influence speed in the water?)
Being a high profile sportsperson and a bit of a hero it is likely students will relate to the article well and be interested to pursue through intrinsic motivation the strategies and tasks the teacher is able to provide. Of course it will be necessary to use the information from the article in a manner that is within the range of students' learning.
Many challenges and learning opportunities exist in this article
and statistics for experiencing weight, height, speed, and time,
in a manner where students are able to relate to a person they
more than likely know of. This article and chart also enables
literacy to be extended into maths, both in the interpretation
of the problems and in students developing their own mathematical
problems.
(Written by Phil Roberts, BTeach student, University of Tasmania,
2001)
Where to next?
Newspaper article
Student Questions for this article
Index - Number