The World Cup is here!

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shine2010/

World Cup 2010 kicks off tomorrow and it looks certain to be an exciting month ahead, especially since it is the first World Cup ever to be held in Africa. The final on July 11, and the first game between the hosts South Africa and Mexico, will be played in the magnificent Soccer City stadium (shown above) in Johannesburg. It has a capacity of over 91,000 people and takes its inspiration from the shape of a calabash, which are often hollowed out and used as pots in Africa. 32 teams will take part in the tournament and expect the games to be noisy with lots of supporters blowing the traditional African vuvuzela horn!

To celebrate the World Cup, and its African hosts,  here are a couple of clips from the gallery. The first clip comes from the Primary Literacy module and would be useful if you are looking at African stories, myths, or legends in class. It includes shots of African settings and wildlife (the clumsy meerkats at the end are my favourite!), and could serve as inspiration for children to write their own stories about Africa.

Title of clip	African Myths and Legends
Curriculum location	Primary Module B  >  Literacy  >  Year 5  >  Narrative  >  Unit 3: Stories from other cultures  >  Section 1: Speaking  >  Tell a story using notes designed to cue techniques, such as repetition, recap and humour
Description	Images, with voiceover, depicting the settings and characters of African myths and legends: sun shines down on dried tree stump; footage over and under a rainforest canopy; meandering river; powerful waterfall; Zulus tribesmen in traditional dress dancing; performers play traditional music and dance to firelight; lion crosses river; lioness licks clean cubs; two cheetah cubs play fight; a wildebeest stampede; vast zebra and wildebeest herd spread across savannah; a zebra and giraffe; a wallowing hippopotamus; water buffalo standing forlornly in the rain; giraffe’s head; elephant family crossing desert sands; a gorilla has a good scratch; meerkats keep watch; beautiful sunset.
Duration	4 minutes 30 seconds

 

Please note that this is an example clip provided through our YouTube channel and does not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

This second clip has some helpful tips if you want to brush up on your own footballing skills ahead of the tournament. Teachers demonstrate how to head, shoot, and loft the ball for long passes. It also features some great shots of classic England players (including a very young looking Gary Lineker in shades – see if you can spot him), who were my heroes when I was growing up. They played in the 1990 World Cup when England got to the semi-finals – hopefully they will do at least that well, or even better this time…just got to watch out for those penalty shoot-outs!

Title of clip	Soccer school
Curriculum location	Primary Module C  >  PE  >  Year 4  >  Unit 11: Invasion games (2)  >  Section 1: Acquiring and developing skills
Description	Adults coaching children to develop football skills and improve technique. The first clip shows two coaches demonstrating the basic skills needed for heading the ball, low powerful but precise shots and lofting the ball in long passes. For each technique the coaches describe their body position and body movement for correct ball contact. The second clip shows England football team players from the late eighties and early nineties, including John Barnes and Peter Beardsley displaying their football prowess with a group of young footballing children. England coach Bobby Robson watches from the sideline.
Duration	4 minutes 47 seconds

 

Please note that this is an example clip provided through our YouTube channel and does not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

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