World Cup Soccer Comes to Somers

“Play hard, win big” attitudes filled the gymnasium with cheers.

As part of their physical education lessons on soccer, fourth-grade students at Somers Intermediate School put their skills to the test with a fast-paced Soccer World Cup tournament. The tournament brought their lessons on soccer to a close before moving on to their next sport.

“We won our first game,” said Jack C. “We’re doing good.” 

Students further developed the soccer skills they’d learned in third grade and continued to expand on them. They improved their ball control and handling, perfected their dribbling and passing, and increased the communication between teammates. As their class lessons progressed, they focused more and more on using the skills they’d learned in a game setting. 

“We’re going to try as hard as we can. We started in the dungeon and now we’re on the hill,” said Lana V.

The class was divided into approximately 10 teams, each with five players. Every team represented a different country that has played in the World Cup in the past. As part of their lesson, students made posters about their represented countries, that included fun facts, the country’s flag, and the last time they were at the World Cup.

Isabella V. said, “We’re going to play again and again until someone plays in the gold medal match.” 

Each team played multiple three-minute mini-games throughout the class period, rotating throughout the gym as they went. The scores were recorded at the end of each game. In the event of a tie, the teams played one round of rock paper scissors to determine the winner. The top two teams went on to play in the Gold Medal game. For these students, the Gold Medal game came down to Australia versus England with Australia winning 1-0. Students not playing in the final cheered on their classmates from the sidelines.

“We’re trying to play our hardest,” said Lana. “We want to win the World Cup.”