Adam Coykendall
Unit Plan
This unit will focus on ancient Greece in a world history class. The unit will begin with
the Minoan and Mycenaean periods and will end with the capture of Greece by the Philip of
Macedonia. The unit will discuss the development of ancient Greece into a civilization, the
political realms of Athens and Sparta and Thebes, important ancient philosophers, Greek
mythology, and wars. The students will work on a group project in which they will give a 2-3
minute presentation about an influential figure of ancient Greece. A unit test will be given on
day 7.
Day one: Minoans and Mycenae. Trojan War. Introduction to Greek city-states.
Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify the areas of ancient Greece and Persia on a map,
including important cities.
- Students will be able to summarize events of the Trojan War.
Introduction: (15 minutes) To start, the teacher will briefly cover the Minoans. Students will
watch part of video introducing them to ancient Greece. Important points will be explained
intermittently through the video. The teacher will then bring up a map covering ancient
Greece and Persia. The students will be asked to identify what they can, with help from the
teacher.
Lecture: (20 minutes) Teacher will give lecture on the cause and events of the Greco-Persian
war. Students should take notes.
Presentation information: (12 minutes) The teacher will hand out directions for a
presentation the students must complete. The students will form into groups of 2, and will
select an important figure of ancient Greece from a list they will be provided. The students
will be responsible for researching and gathering information to give a 2-3 minute
presentation to be done on day 5 of the unit.
Closing: (3 minutes) Teacher will reiterate instructions from assignment, review the days
lesson, and give a preview of next class time’s lesson.
Assignment: Read chapter X, pages –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mkVSasZIM
Day two: Athens and Sparta.
Objectives:
- Students will compare and contrast the differences between Athens and Sparta.
- Students will recognize the similarities the governments have to current governments.
- Students will be able to discuss pros and cons of being a citizen in each city.
Introduction: (7 minutes) The video started the previous class will be finished. The teacher will
ask the students to identify anything they already know about Athens, Sparta, or anything
related.
1
Lecture: (25 minutes) A lecture will be given that details the various difference and
characteristics of Athens and Sparta. The teacher will cover population, style of government,
social structure, lifestyle, roles of women, slaves, allies, and education. Students should take
notes.
Discussion: (15 minutes) Students will get into groups of 3-4 to discuss the pros and cons of
living in each city. They will then decide which one they would want to live in and why. The
class will convene together to get a few thoughts from each group. During the discussion, each
students will write down what they discussed (pros and cons) and write where they would live
and why. This will act as a formative assessment.
Closing: (3 minutes) The teacher will remind them of the presentation assignment, review what
was covered during the lesson, and give a preview the next lesson.
Assignment: Read chapter X, pages -Day 3: Thebes, Peloponnesian Wars
Objectives:
- Students will be able to recall information about Thebes and compare them to Athens
and Sparta.
- Students will analyze the events of the Peloponnesian Wars and evaluate the impact
they had on the region.
Introduction: (10 minutes) The lesson will start with an introduction of the city Thebes and its
characteristics. The teacher will discuss the importance and characteristics of the city, as well as
its elite army which it is famous for. Students should take notes.
Lecture/discussion: (25 minutes) The teacher will then split the class into 2 halves. One side will
be Athens, and the other Sparta. The teacher will hand out a paper to both groups listing the
strengths and weaknesses of their respective city. The teacher will go through the events of the
war, while often requiring the class to fill in the blanks with the information they have or justify
why an action was done. The class will then discuss what the most important factors were in
Athens defeat. Students should take notes.
Group work: (14 minutes)The class will have time to work with their partner on their
presentation project.
Closing: (1 minute) the teacher will quickly preview the next day’s lesson.
Assignment: Read chapter X, pages -Day 4: Greek mythology
Objectives:
- Students will be able to name and define the prominent figures and stories of Greek
mythology.
- Students will be able to relate the mythology to aspects of Greek culture.
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Students will be able to compare Greek mythology to other ancient religions.
Introduction: (10 minutes) The teacher will go over the plan of the day’s lesson. A video will be
shown that describes the origin story of man according to Greek mythology. Students will be
instructed to take notes.
Body: (15 minutes) The teacher will give a slideshow lecture over the most important figures in
Greek mythology, including their traits and a small story attributed to them. Students will take
notes.
Discussion: (10 minutes) Students will discuss in small groups about how the different
personalities and traits of the gods and goddesses represent how the cultures of ancient Greece
function.
Group work: (10 minutes) Students will be able to work on presentation which will be the next
class day.
Closing: (5 minutes) The teacher will tell the students which order they will present in and
remind them of details regarding the test on day 7.
Assignment: Finish chapter X, pages –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxoRWD-RwtU
Day 5: Presentations and the conquering of Greece.
Objectives:
- Students will effectively describe and explain the figure they chose to present on.
- Students will understand how the Sparta and Thebes became enemies after the
Peloponnesian War.
- Students will be able to explain how Philip of Macedonia conquered much of Greece,
including Athens and Sparta.
Presentations: (30 minutes) Students will give their presentations of figures such as Socrates,
Aristotle, Homer, Herodotus, Leonidas, Pythagoras, Plato, etc. The students watching will be
advised to take notes and ask any questions they have at the end of each presentation.
Lecture: (15 minutes) The teacher will give a short lecture detailing the events after the
Peloponnesian War that eventually leads up to Philip of Macedonia coming in to conquer the
area of Greece. Students will take notes.
Formative assessment: (5 minutes) The students will be asked to write which ancient Greek
figure they liked best from the presentations other than their own and why. They will hand it in
by the end of class.
Day 6: Gap filling and review
Objectives:
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Students will be able to accurately describe an event, person, or city if prompted.
Students will be able to distinguish between the different philosophers, writers, and
other prominent figures of the time.
Introduction: (5 minutes) The teacher will give feedback about the presentations and also give
the plan for the day’s lesson.
Gap filling: (15 minutes) The teacher will fill in any important information the presenters may
have missed about a person that did not get presented on. Students will take notes.
Review: (20 minutes) Students will be given 10 minutes to study by themselves and gather any
questions they have. The next 10 minutes is dedicated to students asking questions they have
over the entire unit.
Test Information: (10 minutes) The teacher will give any last minute information about the test
that students should know and be aware of.
Day 7: Test Day