Summer Learning Journey Day 4, Week 1

DAY 4: Individual Pursuits

Activity 1: Making a Racket [4 points]

Billie Jean King, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams are three exceptional, female tennis players. They are not only outstanding athletes and some of the best tennis players in the world, but they have fought for women to be recognized as equals to men in the game of tennis. Billie Jean King famously beat a male tennis player, Bobby Riggs, in 1973, to prove to the public that women could compete at any level in tennis.

Billie Jean King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was recently awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year - Lifetime Achievement Award.

For this activity, please read the following information about Billie Jean King from the Kiddle Website. After reading this information, please tell us three things that you learned about Billie Jean King, as well as one thing you would still like to know. Post your work on your blog.

The three things I've learned are...

• Billie Jean is considered one of the greatest female tennis players.
• She is known for speaking against sexism in sports society
• Her career started in 1959 and ended in 1983

The one thing I would still like to know is ...

• How many championships has she won?

Billie Jean King (born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California) is
an American retired tennis player. She is considered one of the greatest female tennis players. She won many championships during her career, which started in 1959 and ended in 1983. She was known for speaking against sexism in sports and society. She started the Women's Tennis Association, World TeamTennis, and the Women's Sports Foundation. Her most famous match was in 1973. It was with a male tennis player, Bobby Riggs, who had been a champion in the 1930s and 1940s. She loved playing tennis but had to stop after an injury. Billie Jean King grew up poor. It was hard for her parents to support her. Her father was an engineer for a fire department. Her mother was a housekeeper. Her father had two jobs. Her mother sold Tupperware to pay for King’s tennis competitions. King’s family could not pay to join their local tennis club. Therefore, King learned at public tennis courts.

Activity 2: What’s in a Name? [4 points]

Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers of all time. He started boxing when he was 12 years old and went on to become the World Heavyweight Champion numerous times in the 1960s and 1970s.

Muhammad Ali was an African American man born with the name Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. When he was a young man, however, he became a Muslim and converted to Islam. When he converted, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

During his life, Ali gave a lot of time and money to various charities. He also helped to feed more than 22 million people across the world who didn’t have enough food. Despite all of his charitable work, Muhammad Ali is still best known for his aggressive boxing style and his confident personality.

Changing your name is a big deal! If you were to change your name, what would you change it to?

For this activity, imagine that you were allowed to change your name to anything that you wanted. Tell us what you would change your name to and why you would choose that name. Post your work on your blog.

My Current name right now is Siosaia. And if I had the power to change my name forever, I would change my name to Miracle. I really like the name "Miracle" because of its definition. The definition of the word "Miracle", is an extraordinary event that is believed to be caused by God himself. And also, the word "Miracle" has appeared in the bible a few times.

Activity 3: Worth her Weight in Gold [6 points]

Dame Valerie Adams (half-sister of basketballer, Steven Adams) is a shot put champion from New Zealand (NZ). She has won the World Championships four times as well as both gold and silver medals at the Olympics. Here, in New Zealand, she has won the Halberg Award for New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year seven consecutive times (2006-2012)! She is a bit of a legend both in NZ and in her homeland of Tonga.

Valerie Adams is a proud Tongan New Zealander. There are many Tongans living in New Zealand - you may be one of them! The Kingdom of Tonga is a group of 169 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is located between Fiji, Samoa, and Niue. Many people travel to Tonga each year on holiday. Before they go, they might read about Tonga in a travel brochure.

For this activity, please create a travel brochure for New Zealand (NZ). On the brochure, include lots of great tips about what to see and do in NZ. Post a copy of your brochure on your blog.