The Guardian Teacher Network has some imaginative teaching resources to help explore ancient Greek life, achievements and philosophy.
Emily Drubble
Fans of the classical world are delighted to discover Ancient Greece's firm foothold in the key stage 2 primary curriculum which begins next September.
The Guardian Teacher Network has some stimulating teaching resources to help explore the life and achievements of ancient Greeks and look at their huge influence on the western world in key stage 2 and beyond.
We start off with some interesting resources shared by the British Museum. For a fascinating look at what life was like for women in ancient Greece check out the Greek women slideshow which uses photographs of objects to examine the roles women played in ancient Greece, from weaving to ritual ceremonies.
Another classic resource from the British Museum education team is the Explore an Athenian picture slideshow which asks students to interpret a painting by gradually revealing it part by part, helping students learn to think about the relationships between figures in the picture. These accompanying teachers' notes explain more.
The British Museum has also put together an intriguing look at the hoplites, the heavily armed infantry soldiers of the Greeks. Who were they and what did hoplite warfare look like? By interpreting paintings on pots on this hoplite slideshow students are able to gather evidence about hoplite warfare and the forms it took. The accompanying teachers' notes give the background.
A huge thanks to primary school teacher Tim Taylor for creating and sharing a complete unit of work to study ancient Greece which has been inspired by the British Museum's collection and extends the use of the resources highlighted in the preceding paragraphs.
Tim harnesses the imaginative inquiry approach to teaching and learning, which is all about providing engaging and meaningful contexts for children. His unit The Young Soldier creates an imaginary context where the students study the theme of ancient Greece by working as a team of museum exhibition designers. In the unit, students are commissioned by the British Museum to visit a cave in Greece where the remains of a young soldier (who may have fought in the battle of Thermopylae) have recently been discovered. They are then to bring back the artefacts found with the soldier's skeleton and to design a temporary exhibition at the British Museum to inform and educate visitors.
The unit is detailed in Tim's very thorough The Young Soldier teachers' notes (and here's word version for those who prefer a writeable file). Also shared are a number of documents to help you teach this unit: find a letter from the British Museum requesting the exhibition, a PowerPoint showing photos and a map of the cave and the skeleton of the young solider, thrilling notes of the Battle of Themopylae and a corresponding PowerPoint.
The framing of the student's study within the imaginary context of the exhibition gives opportunities for students to develop, use and apply their knowledge and understanding in meaningful ways. Although the scenario is entirely fictitious, there is a commitment (if the students develop an investment in the project) for the work to be both coherent and historically plausible.
To find out more about imaginative inquiry and to access further contexts for learning visit www.imaginative-inquiry.co.uk and www.mantleoftheexpert.com.
Students of all ages may be surprised to find out that the ancient Greeks were asking the same questions about life and how to live as we do today. The Philosophy Foundation has shared some thought-provoking teaching resources to explore taken from Peter Worley's book the If Odyssey, a philosophical adventure story told through the events of Homer's Odyssey. Find The singing women which helps the children explore the philosophical topics of freedom and desire and the relationship between the two and Circe and the Pig Men which asks students to consider ideas around happiness and value in life. Also see Thinking about nothing which introduces the ancient Greek philosopher Parmenides.
Twinkl has shared some excellent graphic-led resources to use in your ancient Greek lessons, find Ancient Greece word cards, an ancient Greek timeline depicting the key events of ancient Greek history from 776BC to 146BC, Greek gods display posters, Greek Empire display posters and Greek Olympics display posters.
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books really bring the heroes of Olympus alive and are a great way to get students excited about the ancient world. Check out this Rick Riordan myth master to find out more.
Finally, to look ancient Greece in a wider context find Key themes ancient history in which students can explore the similar challenges different civilisations including ancient Greece faced, such as the development of technology, governments and religions which run through many civilisations and link together with continuous strands. The lesson plan uses Time Maps – a free online atlas of world history.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/teacher-blog/2013/sep/24/how-to-teach-ancient-greece
