1. Teacher Guide
This lesson is designed to teach kids to ask a critical thinking question that you can’t just put into a search box to solve. To do that, we encourage them with smaller questions that search can help them answer. Make sure that you read the notes for each slide: they not only give you teaching tips but also provide answers and hints so you can help the kids if they are having trouble.
Remember, you can always send feedback to the Bing in the Classroom team at You can learn more about the program at bing.com/classroom and follow the daily lessons on the Microsoft Educator Network.
Want to extend today’s lesson? Consider using Skype in the Classroom to arrange for your class to chat with another class in today’s location, take a Skype lesson on today’s topic, or invite a guest speaker to expand on today’s subject. And if you are using Windows 8, the panoramas in the MSN Travel App are great teaching tools. We have thousands of other education apps available on Windows here.
Ja'Dell Davis is a Los Angeles native who currently divides her time between New York City and Madison, Wisconsin. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, pursing a PhD in Sociology. Ja’Dell previously taught high school in Philadelphia public schools, and implemented college access and academic enrichment programming in Chester, Pennsylvania and New York City in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. Ja’Dell received her B.A. from Swarthmore College with a special major in History and Educational Studies, and a minor in Black Studies. She completed her M.S.Ed in Secondary School Education at the University of Pennsylvania.  In addition to her studies and work in the education field, Ja’Dell is a dancer, musician, avid people watcher, and Scrabble enthusiast.
This lesson is designed to teach the Common Core State Standard: Reading: Informational Text
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.2Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.3Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

2. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events?
© Shutterstock
© Matthew Kuhns/Tandem Stills + Motion
Having this up as kids come in is a great settle down activity. You can start class by asking them for thoughts about the picture or about ideas on how they could solve the question of the day.

3. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events?
Gardena Pass links to four other mountain passes, together ringing the Sella Group, a plateau massif in northern Italy. The pass offers many scenic views of the Sella Group and portions of the Dolomites, the mountain range that the Sella peaks are part of.
Though Gardena Pass carries a lot of traffic (motorcycles, bicycles, tour busses) during the summer months, it’s also a passage for skiers during the winter. And each December, the Men’s World Cup alpine ski races take place on the slopes on either side of Gardena Pass.
Depending on time, you can either have students read this silently to themselves, have one of them read out loud, or read it out loud yourself.

4. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 1
Web Search
What are the different types of skiing? What is the distinguishing feature of alpine skiing? 2
Web/Video Search
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Downhill Race” within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event. 3
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Slalom” and “Giant Slalom” races within the alpine skiing category? Find videos that demonstrates these event. 4
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Super-G” race within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event. 5
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Combined” race within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event.
There are a couple of ways to use this slide, depending on how much technology you have in your classroom. You can have students find answers on their own, divide them into teams to have them do all the questions competitively, or have each team find the answer to a different question and then come back together. If you’re doing teams, it is often wise to assign them roles (one person typing, one person who is in charge of sharing back the answer, etc.)

5. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 5
Minutes
You can adjust this based on how much time you want to give kids. If a group isn’t able to answer in 5 minutes, you can give them the opportunity to update at the end of class or extend time.

6. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 1
Web Search
What are the different types of skiing? What is the distinguishing feature of alpine skiing? 2
Web/Video Search
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Downhill Race” within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event. 3
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Slalom” and “Giant Slalom” races within the alpine skiing category? Find videos that demonstrates these event. 4
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Super-G” race within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event. 5
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Combined” race within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event.
You can ask the students verbally or let one of them come up and insert the answer or show how they got it. This way, you also have a record that you can keep as a class and share with parents, others.

7. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 1
Web Search
What are the different types of skiing? What is the distinguishing feature of alpine skiing?
(Possible Search Queries: ”types of skiing” “what is skiing”)
From About Sports (
Cross County Skiing vs. Downhill Skiing
The Technical Difference
From a technical point of view, the difference between the two types of skiing is that in cross country skiing only
the toe of your boot is attached to your ski. In downhill skiing, the entire boot is attached to the ski by your binding. Cross country skiers can go up, and down, a variety of terrains. Downhill skiers can simply go down the mountain, though at a higher rate of speed than a cross country skier can achieve. What's important though, to a downhill skier, is that thrill of going down the mountain.

8. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 2
Web/Video Search
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Downhill Race” within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event.
(Possible Search Queries: ”down hill race skiing” “alpine skiing”)
From About Sports (
Downhill races are designed to be the longest and ultimately generate the highest speed from the skiers. Each skier makes one run only. The skier with the fastest time is
the winner. As in all Alpine events, skiers are timed to one hundredth of a second and any ties stand as that.
Using the “videos” link on the Bing search page, and the search term “downhill skiing”, find videos here:

9. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 3
Web/Video Search
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Slalom” and “Giant Slalom” races within the alpine skiing category? Find videos that demonstrates these event.
(Possible Search Queries: ”slalom skiing” “alpine skiing”)
From About Sports (
Slalom races are traditionally the shortest race. They are comprised of close together turns or gates. Each competitor makes one run, then the course is reset on the same slope, but, with position of the gates changed. The same day, those skiers qualifying for the second run make their run. The fastest combined times of the two runs is the winner.
Giant slalom (GS) races are similar to the slalom races, but, there are fewer gates and wider turns are needed to navigate through them in the GS. As in slalom, skiers make two runs down two different courses on the same slope in the same day. The times of both runs are added together, and the fastest total time determines the winner.

10. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 4
Web/Video Search
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Super-G” race within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event.
(Possible Search Queries: ”super g skiing” “alpine skiing”)
From About Sports (
Super-G is short for super giant slalom. Races are run on a course shorter than the downhill, but, longer than the GS. The skier with the fastest time over one run is the winner.

11. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events? 5
Web/Video Search
If you were watching the Winter Olympics, how would you describe the goals of the “Combined” race within the alpine skiing category? Find a video that demonstrates this event.
(Possible Search Queries: ”combined skiing” “alpine skiing”)
From About Sports (
Combined events include one
downhill run followed by two slalom runs. All times are added together and the fastest total time determines the winner. The downhill and the slalom of the combined event are run on different, shorter courses than the regular downhill and slalom events.

12. What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”
What type of skiing is encompassed in the term “alpine skiing”? Have you participated in or seen these ski events?
This slide is a chance to summarize the information from the previous slides to build your final answer to the question.