The Game Ritual
Presentation
Lesson Components
Learning Intention
Success Criteria
Language Objective
Identify and analyze key themes in "The Game Ritual."
Discuss and analyze the characters and their motivations in the story.
To explore the role of rituals in literature and society, and to understand how rituals contribute to cultural identity and community cohesion.
I will use descriptive language to explain the concept of rituals and their relevance in various cultural contexts.
Do Now:
- What is one ritual you engage in every day and why is it important to you?
- How do rituals help to create a sense of community and identity within a group or society?
Introduction
When each player eats a peanut butter sandwich before a game, a struggling soccer team wins. The activity becomes a ritual, as do others when the team keeps winning. Soon the team members are performing three different rituals before every game. What would happen, however, if one of the rituals was accidentally skipped? Would the winning streak come to an end—or would it all prove to be just superstition? *Watch StudySync Video
Vocabulary
command
awkward
adept
verbto give an authoritative order requiring obedience
During the game, the umpire had to command the fan to leave the field.
adjectivenot graceful or smooth; clumsy
Though his movements were awkward, he managed to get the thread through the needle.
adjectivevery skilled at something
Sharon won the talent contest because she was an adept dancer.
Vocabulary
exhausted
element
deficiency
adjectivevery tired
The girl is exhausted after playing soccer all day.
nounan extremely important part of something; part of a whole
Interesting word choice is one element of good writing.
nounlack or shortage
My mom is worried that I’ll develop a vitamin C deficiency, so she makes me take a multivitamin and eat an orange each morning.
Vocabulary
obvious
ingredient
guarantee
adjectiveeasily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
The reviewer’s opinion of the movie was obvious—don’t go see it.
nounone of the things in a mixture
Fresh eggs are an important ingredient in many recipes.
nounsomething that assures or promises a certain outcome
We scheduled the picnic for Saturday, even though we had no guarantee that the weather would be sunny.
Summary
The narrator recalls how when she was a kid, the captain of her soccer team told all her teammates to eat a peanut butter sandwich before a game. They did as instructed and went on to win. Before the next game, another teammate read a poem, and it fired everyone up. They won again, and now the team had two rituals to perform. A third ritual was added when someone else did a pre-game victory dance. The team won again and was on the verge of going to the playoffs. However, on the morning of the big game, the narrator overslept and only had time for a protein bar, not a peanut butter sandwich. In the locker room, she went through all the rituals, but on the field she kept falling. Then, in the final minute of the game, she failed to defend the winning goal. To this day, she wonders whether they lost because she was nervous or because she had failed to eat the peanut butter sandwich.
The whole superstition thing with our soccer team started innocently enough. Our team captain, Rosalind, dedicated herself to improving our performance. She had read an article about good health and decided that our lackluster performance was caused by a nutritional deficiency. So, after practice the day before our match with Edgefield High, she instructed (some might say commanded) each of us to eat a peanut butter sandwich on the morning of the game for the protein. The next day, our team scored a one-point win over Edgefield. It was the first time we had ever done that well. Before the next game, we all enjoyed the peanut butter sandwich breakfast again. Although the final score was close, we won again! This is where things got interesting. As we gathered in the locker room before our next game, Gabriella announced that she had written a team poem.
Of course, we all wanted to hear it. Although it lacked a lot in terms of poetic beauty, it did fire up the team. We won with a last minute goal. So now our success was attributed to peanut butter and poetry, an interesting combination to say the least. But it didn’t stop there.
The following Saturday, we put uniforms and pads on while listening to “our poem.” Then Debbie, the most cheerful member of the team, added another element to the pregame ritual. “I’m so sure we’re going to win,” she chattered. “I’m going to do my victory dance now!” She did, and we all joined in. The score was three to two; we won again.
Could we continue to add more and more things to do before a game to guarantee a win? After all, professional athletes thump helmets, wear special socks, or bounce the basketball exactly seven times before taking a free shot. Whatever the cause, we were doing well, until the game that would take us into the playoffs. We lost that one. It was my fault.
I knew our team had become much more adept. But I was really nervous about this game. I slept badly that night as a result. When the alarm went off, I hit the snooze button. When Mom finally came in to wake me, I got up in a panic. I was going to be late for the game! I threw on jeans and a shirt and grabbed my bag. As I headed to the door, Mom handed me a peanut butter protein bar. I did not have the peanut butter sandwich for breakfast.
All the way to school, my head was spinning like a wayward top. I wondered, fearfully, if what I had done would make a difference. But how could eating a peanut butter sandwich actually change anything? I had a protein bar made out of the same ingredient, though I could hardly swallow it.
As we suited up, I could feel that bar knocking against the sides of my stomach like a plank in a rough sea. Gabriella read her poem. Debbie led her dance. I pretended all was well. I was terrified of what might happen if the team knew I hadn’t followed part of the ritual.
During the game, I fell a few times just running down the field. I was an awkward duck trying to fly. Then, horribly, the other team took the ball down the field right past me and scored in the final minute of the game! We were not going to the playoffs. I never told anyone about the sandwich, and I quit the team before the next season. That was a long time ago. Truthfully, I’ve never quite answered the obvious question: did we lose because I was exhausted and nervous? Or did we lose because I failed to eat a peanut butter sandwich?
THANK YOU!
The Game Ritual
Ashley Campion
Created on January 27, 2024
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Transcript
The Game Ritual
Presentation
Lesson Components
Learning Intention
Success Criteria
Language Objective
Identify and analyze key themes in "The Game Ritual." Discuss and analyze the characters and their motivations in the story.
To explore the role of rituals in literature and society, and to understand how rituals contribute to cultural identity and community cohesion.
I will use descriptive language to explain the concept of rituals and their relevance in various cultural contexts.
Do Now:
Introduction
When each player eats a peanut butter sandwich before a game, a struggling soccer team wins. The activity becomes a ritual, as do others when the team keeps winning. Soon the team members are performing three different rituals before every game. What would happen, however, if one of the rituals was accidentally skipped? Would the winning streak come to an end—or would it all prove to be just superstition? *Watch StudySync Video
Vocabulary
command
awkward
adept
verbto give an authoritative order requiring obedience During the game, the umpire had to command the fan to leave the field.
adjectivenot graceful or smooth; clumsy Though his movements were awkward, he managed to get the thread through the needle.
adjectivevery skilled at something Sharon won the talent contest because she was an adept dancer.
Vocabulary
exhausted
element
deficiency
adjectivevery tired The girl is exhausted after playing soccer all day.
nounan extremely important part of something; part of a whole Interesting word choice is one element of good writing.
nounlack or shortage My mom is worried that I’ll develop a vitamin C deficiency, so she makes me take a multivitamin and eat an orange each morning.
Vocabulary
obvious
ingredient
guarantee
adjectiveeasily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind The reviewer’s opinion of the movie was obvious—don’t go see it.
nounone of the things in a mixture Fresh eggs are an important ingredient in many recipes.
nounsomething that assures or promises a certain outcome We scheduled the picnic for Saturday, even though we had no guarantee that the weather would be sunny.
Summary
The narrator recalls how when she was a kid, the captain of her soccer team told all her teammates to eat a peanut butter sandwich before a game. They did as instructed and went on to win. Before the next game, another teammate read a poem, and it fired everyone up. They won again, and now the team had two rituals to perform. A third ritual was added when someone else did a pre-game victory dance. The team won again and was on the verge of going to the playoffs. However, on the morning of the big game, the narrator overslept and only had time for a protein bar, not a peanut butter sandwich. In the locker room, she went through all the rituals, but on the field she kept falling. Then, in the final minute of the game, she failed to defend the winning goal. To this day, she wonders whether they lost because she was nervous or because she had failed to eat the peanut butter sandwich.
The whole superstition thing with our soccer team started innocently enough. Our team captain, Rosalind, dedicated herself to improving our performance. She had read an article about good health and decided that our lackluster performance was caused by a nutritional deficiency. So, after practice the day before our match with Edgefield High, she instructed (some might say commanded) each of us to eat a peanut butter sandwich on the morning of the game for the protein. The next day, our team scored a one-point win over Edgefield. It was the first time we had ever done that well. Before the next game, we all enjoyed the peanut butter sandwich breakfast again. Although the final score was close, we won again! This is where things got interesting. As we gathered in the locker room before our next game, Gabriella announced that she had written a team poem. Of course, we all wanted to hear it. Although it lacked a lot in terms of poetic beauty, it did fire up the team. We won with a last minute goal. So now our success was attributed to peanut butter and poetry, an interesting combination to say the least. But it didn’t stop there. The following Saturday, we put uniforms and pads on while listening to “our poem.” Then Debbie, the most cheerful member of the team, added another element to the pregame ritual. “I’m so sure we’re going to win,” she chattered. “I’m going to do my victory dance now!” She did, and we all joined in. The score was three to two; we won again. Could we continue to add more and more things to do before a game to guarantee a win? After all, professional athletes thump helmets, wear special socks, or bounce the basketball exactly seven times before taking a free shot. Whatever the cause, we were doing well, until the game that would take us into the playoffs. We lost that one. It was my fault.
I knew our team had become much more adept. But I was really nervous about this game. I slept badly that night as a result. When the alarm went off, I hit the snooze button. When Mom finally came in to wake me, I got up in a panic. I was going to be late for the game! I threw on jeans and a shirt and grabbed my bag. As I headed to the door, Mom handed me a peanut butter protein bar. I did not have the peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. All the way to school, my head was spinning like a wayward top. I wondered, fearfully, if what I had done would make a difference. But how could eating a peanut butter sandwich actually change anything? I had a protein bar made out of the same ingredient, though I could hardly swallow it. As we suited up, I could feel that bar knocking against the sides of my stomach like a plank in a rough sea. Gabriella read her poem. Debbie led her dance. I pretended all was well. I was terrified of what might happen if the team knew I hadn’t followed part of the ritual. During the game, I fell a few times just running down the field. I was an awkward duck trying to fly. Then, horribly, the other team took the ball down the field right past me and scored in the final minute of the game! We were not going to the playoffs. I never told anyone about the sandwich, and I quit the team before the next season. That was a long time ago. Truthfully, I’ve never quite answered the obvious question: did we lose because I was exhausted and nervous? Or did we lose because I failed to eat a peanut butter sandwich?
THANK YOU!