Giro d’Italia

Giro d'Italia

Pupils/Parents

Whether you are a pupil or a parent, take some time to browse through the list of resources and links to websites with information about the Giro d'Italia 2014 coming to Belfast Northern Ireland and Dublin Ireland.

Based on what you find out about the Giro d'Italia, and depending on what your teacher has told you, decide what you want to work on.

There are some suggestions below if you need ideas for things to do. You may also use the appropriate downloads at the bottom of this page to keep track of what you plan to do.

Ideas for things to do based on the Giro d'Italia, Key Stage 2

Language and Literacy

Write a story about racing in the Giro d'Italia. You could imagine you are a racer, or tell the story as if you are writing in a newspaper to tell people about what happens.

Mathematics and Numeracy

If you like numbers, collect all the details of the Giro d'Italia to show how many races there have been, the number of countries where it has started, and other facts and figures about the race. Perhaps you could show all your results as a list?

The World Around Us

Perhaps the Giro d'Italia will be coming past where you live, or you will go to see it. What would you tell other visitors to go and see when they come to Northern Ireland? Are there any places you know about that are interesting to visit? Give people a tour of the sights to show them all about where we live. You can make a map with pictures, a tour leaflet, or collect information about the places the Giro d'Italia will pass through.

Personal Development and Mutual Understanding

Imagine what it must be like to take part in the Giro d'Italia. Maybe you have come here from Italy, perhaps you don't even speak English! What would a cyclist need to know when they come here? Make a guide book for them so that they will know what to expect. Or imagine you are going to Italy to race there... what do you think you'll need? Make a plan for a visit: how will you get there, what will you do, and what will you need to take?

The Arts

Make a drawing, a painting, or a collage about the Giro d'Italia. If you have a digital camera you could take photographs, or design a special bike to win the race.

Physical Education

Do you have a bike? Do you like cycling, or would you like to try? How do the riders get fit enough to ride their bikes in a race as long as the Giro d'Italia? How far do you think you could ride in one go? Make an imaginary race course in the playground and time racers with a stop-watch. (You don't need to use real bikes, just imagine you are racing).

*You might also be interested to look at the materials on the 2012 Olympics resource website.

Ideas for things to do based on the Giro d'Italia, Key Stage 3

English with Media Education

Use the Giro d'Italia as inspiration for a piece of writing. This could be imaginative writing: a narrative, story or script for a film. Or it could be factual, such as a journalist's account, a report or an opinion piece about the values of sport, cycling, or a visit to Northern Ireland to see the event. Take the position of a competitor, a reporter or someone watching the race and get your audience to feel the excitement.

  • Radio or television report
  • Podcast
  • Magazine article
  • Interview questions for a competitor
  • Text for a visitor leaflet
  • Script for a short film
  • Poem

Maths/Using Maths/Financial Capability

Perhaps you have a head for figures, and would rather do some work on the numbers involved. You could draw up a spreadsheet to model the number of expected visitors, the hotel rooms they'll need, and the impact on the local economy. Or you could examine the distances involved in the race and come up with an original way to display the information. Consider using diagrams, graphs or tables to provide an analysis of some aspect of the Giro d'Italia.

  • Spreadsheet
  • Diagram
  • Graph

Science*

There is lots of science involved in high-level sports! Perhaps you could design an experiment to check the fitness of class members. Maybe you want to consider the health benefits of cycling as exercise: why is cardio-vascular exercise good for us? Alternatively, it could be the mechanics of the bikes that interests you... why do elite-level bicycles use alloys in their construction? What factors influence the efficiency of a bicycle, and what difference does wheel size make: does it depend on the height of the rider? What about using gears... how do they work to make the effort of the rider translate into movement? Investigate the impact of Aerodynamics/Wind Resistance/Different bikes needed for different routes e.g. Time-trial bikes vs road bikes/ Potential weather impact of Northern Ireland? You could collect information for a wikipedia-type entry of your own.

  • Experiment
  • Report
  • Wiki entry

*You will find more information and ideas on the STEM Works! resource:

  • Sports Science / The Bicycle
  • Streamlining in sport
  • One day event
  • Staging an event

Technology and Design*

The design of racing bikes is very hi-tech. Can you research existing designs and make some improvements to enhance aerodynamics, strength to weight ratio, or design a souvenir incorporating the Freddie character? Alternatively, you might want to look at the technical aspects of riders' clothing: can you design a way to use specialist fabrics to prevent injury following a collision?

  • Sketch
  • Plan
  • Design
  • CAD Drawing
  • Model

*You will find more information and ideas on the STEM Works! resource:

  • Sports Science / The Bicycle
  • Streamlining in sport
  • One day event
  • Staging an event

Art and Design

Take the Giro d'Italia as your inspiration for a drawing, painting, collage, photo-essay, logo design, fashion design or graphic design. Use Photoshop to assemble a montage or make a piece of advertising to celebrate the event. Capture cyclists with a digital video camera and edit a short movie. Make an animation for a TV ident to be used during the Giro d'Italia, or make a model of a velodrome.

  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Photography
  • Movie
  • Animation
  • Model
  • Design

Music

The Giro d'Italia will be a big media event, with extensive reports on TV and radio. Compose a jingle that identifies the Giro d'Italia. Maybe you can incorporate something distinctively Italian in the music, or perhaps you'll feature the roar of the crowd... Listen to how short music clips are used, and either record yourself playing or use software like GarageBand to make your signature tune. If you play in a band, perhaps you can write and perform a song about the Giro d'Italia, or maybe you want to take an existing tune with a cycling connection and make it your own performance.

  • Jingle
  • Song
  • Recording
  • Performance

Drama

For the aspiring actor or scriptwriter you might want to dramatise an event associated with the Giro d'Italia. Try out an improvisation, and then refine the ideas into a script. Give the audience an insight into the life of a competitor, act out an imaginary interview, or make the story of the race come alive. What about using puppets? Should the events be told as a comedy, a thriller, or a gothic horror?

  • Script
  • Improve
  • Short Play
  • Genre piece

History

If your interest is history maybe you could investigate some background to the race. Where does it fit into Italian culture, and why isn't it better known? Tell the story through a museum exhibit, illustrated talk or webpage. Collect your sources, make your case, and explain the significance. Use illustrations, diagrams, graphs and photographs to document the event. There are several historical figures mentioned in the websites listed above. Perhaps you want to investigate in more detail one of these personalities, or take a more general look at something you've seen about Italy, bicycles or international sporting events. Maybe the race will pass through your home town: what should visitors know when they visit?

  • Display
  • Report
  • Webpage
  • Presentation
  • Leaflet

Geography

The Giro d'Italia this year will cross several borders and take the riders into different terrain and climates. Use maps, diagrams, photographs and descriptions to document the route of the race. You could present the results as a souvenir guide for race fans, a gazetteer for competitors, or a guidebook for visitors travelling to follow the race. What are the important local features, what sort of weather conditions do you need to be prepared for, and what are the facts and figures: highest, longest, coldest, wettest etc. Maybe you could do a David Attenborough, and script a TV programme about the places the route passes through?

  • Website
  • Guide book
  • Handbook
  • Annotated map
  • Presentation
  • Documentary

Modern Languages

Although the Giro d'Italia is an Italian event, you might not be studying Italian. However, it is expected that there will be visitors coming from all over Europe to see the start of the Giro d'Italia in Northern Ireland. Some will speak the language you have been studying. With those visitors in mind, plan some key phrases they will need to know. What signs will they see if they arrive at the airport? If they come by train, what will they need to know to get across town to their hotel? Work up some parallel text to translate between the target language and English. Use diagrams and symbols too.

  • Presentation
  • Guide book
  • Phrase book
  • Leaflet
  • Hotel guide
  • Restaurant guide
  • Tourist map

Local and Global Citizenship

The European dimension to the Giro d'Italia is obvious. If you are an active citizen, perhaps you'd be interested in researching some aspect of international relations in advance of the event. Which countries in Europe can visit the UK and Ireland without a visa? What border controls are in place, and for who? What will visitors find different about local culture when they visit Northern Ireland to what they're used to at home? Are the customs different, is the food different? What would you want them to take away from their experience of Northern Ireland, and what would make them come back? Think about a marketing and tourist strategy to sell your home country as an attractive destination for visitors. How important is tourism to Northern Ireland? Present your findings as:

  • Leaflet
  • Booklet
  • Poster
  • Essay
  • Newspaper Article
  • Policy document
  • Display

Personal Development

Imagine you were an elite level cyclist, travelling to take part in an international competition. What qualities have brought you here? What sort of a person are you, and what do you want to be? How long will your career as a competitor last, and what will you do afterwards? Put yourself in the position of an athlete and weigh up the pros and cons. What motivates people to want to put themselves through the rigours of training? Put together some advice for young people considering going into competitive sport. Be clear about the benefits, but advise on the sacrifices too.

  • Presentation
  • Wiki
  • Blog
  • Animation
  • Leaflet
  • Hand-out
  • Web Page

Employability*

One of the reasons the Giro d'Italia is being hosted in Ireland is that it brings with it economic opportunities. There will be some short term benefits, such as visitors using hotels, and some jobs for people on the day. Staging an Event? What activities for planning and staging an event on this scale do you think takes place? This is the first time Northern Ireland has ever had a major sporting event like this? What factors and which organisational bodies do you think have been involved? Investigate the issues associated with putting on an international sporting event. Who has been involved, how long have the preparations been going on, and what sorts of people do the support work to make it all happen? Pick three or four occupations, perhaps including that of a competitor in the event, and give a sense of what's involved. What routes do people follow who work in those occupations: what qualities do they need, how do they get there, and how long do they stay? Collect your research as a career guide for each of the occupations you choose, and pick a format for sharing the information:

  • Web Page
  • Wiki
  • Report
  • Leaflet
  • Hand-out

*You might find some more information to help with your research here: Sustainability and Legacy

Home Economics*

Nutrition will be important to the competitors, but it will also be something that affects visitors. Either, investigate the details of a nutrition plan for an elite-level competitor; or, look at the sort of menus available to visitors who come to see the event. What kind of hotel food is available, do you think European visitors will prefer fast-food outlets or restaurants? Suggest some examples of local produce that you think visitors should experience. Collect your investigations as a set of sample menus, together with additional information to guide customers when making choices about where to eat and what to eat.

  • Web Page
  • Wiki
  • Report
  • Presentation
  • Leaflet
  • Hand-out

*You might find some additional useful information here: LLW Zest

Physical Education*

What is the significance of international events like the Giro d'Italia? Do they encourage people to take up sports like cycling, and if so how can that interest be maintained? As well as inspiring you to get your bike out, think about your own exercise. Are you a good cyclist, or do you prefer other sports? What's the role of the team in sports like cycling, and how do tactics work? Share your findings about the Giro d'Italia and its influence with your team-mates.

*You might also be interested to look at the materials on the 2012 Olympics resource website and on the Sports Institute website.