Introduction to Ancient Greece
Essential Questions: How does the geography influence the development
of ancient civilizations? How do ancient cultures influence our world
today?
Day 4: The Greek Gods and Goddesses and the First Olympics
Connection: Yesterday you learned about daily life in ancient Greece
and how fishing was an important part of their daily lives due to their
location on the Mediterranean Sea. Today we will learn about some of
the Greek gods and goddesses. We will also learn about the connection
of the early Greeks to our modern day Olympics.
Teaching Point: We can learn about the traditions of ancient cultures to
help us understand how they lived.
Active Engagement: [Show SMARTBoard Greek Gods.]
Consider what you learned about the lives of people in ancient Greece.
How does what you learned about the gods and goddesses connect to
what you learned yesterday about life in ancient Greece?
[Show the SMARTBoard Greece Lesson 9 Olympics.]
Discuss how the early Olympics compare to the Olympics today. Turn and
talk to your neighbor.
[Pass out a piece of construction paper to each student.]
Fold your paper in half. On the left side, draw a picture of the early
Olympics. On the right side, draw a picture showing how the Olympics
have changed.
*Note: If time, read pages 20-23 of If I Were a Kid in Ancient Greece.
Link: Today we learned about some of the early Greek gods and
goddesses. We also learned how the Olympics originated in ancient
Greece. Tomorrow we will summarize our learning by completing
minibooks about ancient Greece. We will also learn how the Greeks
contributed to our world today.