Miracle on Ice

Objectives:

• Students will be able to recall facts about the U.S. ice hockey team's victories in the 1980 winter Olympics.

• Students will use inference to describe the emotions felt by Americans while watching the U.S. team defeat the Soviet Union and win the gold medal.

Suggested Grades:

3rd Grade - 4th Grade - 5th Grade - 6th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

If you ask sports writers and fans about the most memorable moment in U.S. sports history, there is a good chance they will tell you about the "Miracle on Ice." It took place during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. At the time, ice hockey was a sport dominated by the Soviet Union, a team that had won the gold in the last five winter Olympics. While the Soviet team was considered the best in the world, the United States team was a group of mostly college players who were young and did not have much experience. As a team, the U.S. was expected to place seventh out of the twelve teams that were competing. Just a few days before, the Soviet team had beaten the U.S. team 10-3 in an exhibition game!

Continued...