Gymnastics

The game of gymnastics has been around for a long time. The sport developed from the ancient Greeks 4,000 years ago. At the time, exercise was thought to be a good use of one's time. People would spend as much time exercising as they would working on writing or math. Men would meet to develop and practice moves that showed their strength, flexibility, and endurance.
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn is widely credited with developing modern-day gymnastics. Jahn, a German educator, had a great love for his country. He thought that the young people of Germany could be encouraged and built up through gymnastics. In the early nineteenth century, Jahn created the first gymnastics club. It helped make the sport popular throughout Germany and later the world. Jahn developed the balance beam, the horizontal bar, the parallel bars, the rings, and the vault. Much of what we see in twenty-first century gymnastics equipment can be traced back to Jahn.

Select all the correct answers.
Roderick needs to write down facts from the passage into his notebook. He is interested in only writing down information about the life of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.

Which facts should Roderick write down?

A. developed strength, flexibility, and endurance

B. improved the sport of gymnastics

C. began about 4,000 years ago

D. thought gymnastics could help German youth

E. invented the balance beam, rings, and vault

He thought that the young people of Germany could be encouraged and built up through gymnastics. In the early nineteenth century, Jahn created the first gymnastics club. It helped make the sport popular throughout Germany and later the world. Jahn developed the balance beam, the horizontal bar, the parallel bars, the rings, and the vault. Much of what we see in twenty-first century gymnastics equipment can be traced back to Jahn.