Lesson Plan - Are Youth Sports Too Intense?

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• professional
• obligation

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about the benefits of playing sports.

1. What does the author mean by “intense competition”? What details in the article help you know?
By “intense competition,” the author means sports competition that takes up all or most of an athlete’s focus. The author gives clues to this meaning with phrases like “travels for hours to compete in tournaments,” “train and compete year-round,” “full-time job,” and “specializing in one sport.”
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2. Why do some people worry that young athletes and their parents have unrealistic goals?
Some people worry that young athletes and their parents have unrealistic goals because few kids will go on to play sports professionally. The author notes that “by one estimate, only about 1 in 2,600 high school basketball players make it to the pros.” 
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3. According to the article, what are some of the advantages of kids playing sports?
According to the article, some advantages of participation in youth sports are becoming better at a sport, bonding with teammates, spending less time on video games or phones, and learning the value of hard work and determination.
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Featured Skill: Reading a Graph
Use the skill builder “Top Youth Sports” to have students read a bar graph of the top 10 team sports for children ages 6 to 12. Discuss what students find interesting or surprising about the data. Then have your class survey other students in your school to learn what sports they participate in. Make a graph of the findings.
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