Hi Everyone,
Well, the day has arrived and tonight is the opening ceremony for the Rio Summer Olympics. Hooray!
Before we got into talking about the Rio Olympics we stepped back in history and took a look at the ancient Greek games. Who participated? What sports did they play? Where did it take place? When were the games played? Take a look at this video which answers these questions, and more.
The final shot of the video shows the Olympics motto – Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger.
This led us to a discussion of what is a motto – it is a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule guiding the behavior or a particular person or group.
Some examples are from Apple – Think Different ; Google – Don’t be evil; and Nike – Just Do It.
One other motto that we discovered right outside the Library on Boylston Street on a sign, and right underneath the information desk is the motto for the Boston Public Library – 
We talked about the Olympic symbols – the five rings and the torch. We talked about the gold, silver, and bronze medals that are awarded to the athletes. We talked about national anthems which will be played at the Olympics, and we talked about Rio’s mascots – Vinicius, a cat, and Tom , a tree. They will be all over the 
souvenirs from the Games – like T shirts, hats, mugs, and tons of other stuff. The Olympics has a particular vocabulary so here are some of the words we reviewed today Olympic Vocabulary.
Next we discussed the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the Games. There are still some issues with infrastructure, and managing all the crowds. The Games bring national pride together with the world’s greatest athletes, and it’s sure to be very entertaining! Check out the official website at Rio 2016 Olympics you will find schedules of events, descriptions of events, and information about your favorite teams and athletes.
We agreed that these athletes are very special, driven, determined, strong and the best they can be. A motto used by Nike in another Olympics was Make It Count-you can see it here in an ad with Allyson Felix, Gold Medal winner in sprinting. So what does Make It Count mean? We tossed around some ideas and agreed that it is when you do something in the best way possible.
Next we watched this video Make It Count which had a lot of quotes which expressed this concept of Make It Count. After watching we discussed the quotes the crazy road trip that the producer, Casey, went on. How did Casey make it count?
Words of the day
compile (verb) : to create ( a book, list, etc.) by gathering things (such as pieces of writing or information) Casey compiled an album of all his photos on his trip around the world.
coupon (noun) : a usually small piece of printed paper that gives you a discount for a service or product There is nothing more annoying that that long list of coupons you get after you buy something at CVS!
contemplate (verb) : to think deeply or carefully about (something) Sometimes I like to take some time to just sit and contemplate about life.
Remember to relax and practice!
and make it count!
ESL for one and all 