Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
Unit 1
Big idea
Key knowledge and skills
Resources
VELS standards (adapted)
3.1 How do
civilisations
develop?
History:
1 Origins of ancient Greece
2 Role of topography and trade in
development of a civilisation
3 Features of a city–state
Oxford Big Ideas
History Level 5,
pp. 60–5
Humanities—History, Level 5
1 Use and analyse a range of primary
and secondary sources.
2 Use relevant evidence in sources to
display historical understanding
3 Explain the influences of ancient
societies on contemporary societies
Thinking:
1 Analyse a range of primary and
secondary sources to show
historical understanding
‘Analyse maps’
worksheet (and
suggested answers
where appropriate) at
www.bigideas.com
Suggested answers to
all unit activities at
www.bigideas.com
‘Analyse maps’
worksheet (and
suggested answers,
where appropriate) at
www.bigideas.com
Suggested rubrics for
Big Ideas activities at
www.bigideas.com
Thinking processes, Level 5
1 Locate and select relevant
information from varied primary and
secondary sources
2 Think creatively when interpreting
evidence
Communication, Level 5
1 Use specialised language and
symbols when communicating
historical understanding and points
of view.
2 Use communication conventions,
forms and language appropriate to
History to convey a clear message.
Learning sequence
LESSON 1—THE ORIGINS OF ANCIENT GREECE
1
Ask students to nominate (show of hands/class brainstorm) what they know about Greece today (e.g.
location, climate, people, culture, buildings, ceremonies). This discussion will help later in drawing change
and continuity links. It also provides a framework for looking at ancient Greece’s origins.
2
Re the Minoans and the Mycenaeans (p. 60), you may wish to refer back to Source 1.3 on page 3, and to
some/all of these websites. Discussing particular myths provides a useful segue to a broader discussion on
the role they play (e.g. belief systems) in the development of a civilisation or society:
•
Legend of the Minotaur: http://www.unmuseum.org/minot.htm
http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins563-theseus-and-the-minotaur.html (includes some
possible ideas for activities or adaptations of them)
•
Legend of the Trojan War (and the wooden horse): http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/history.html;
http://history.howstuffworks.com/ancient-greece/trojan-war1.htm;
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461551755/wooden_horse_of_troy.html
3
Prompt students to think about the role topography and trade play in advancing a civilisation or society. How
does each factor impact on (a) knowledge, (b) human contact, (d) wealth? Refer students to Source 3.5. Ask
them to consider how and why the ancient Greeks would have established so many colonies, and for what
benefit?
4
Refer students to the art on pages 62–3. Select students to first locate and then orally describe what they
observe in the illustration in response to your prompts (for example: the strategium, the Bouleterion, a stoa,
the agora).
5
Complete selected Big Ideas activities on page 65 in class (e.g. activities 9–11); others could be finished as
homework. See website for suggested rubric and answers.
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia
Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
Unit 2
Big idea
Key knowledge and skills
Resources
VELS standards (adapted)
3.2 How is one
civilisation
influenced by
the
organisation of
another?
History:
1 Democracy and key political
workings of ancient
Athens/Sparta
Oxford Big Ideas
History Level 5,
pp. 66–71
Humanities—History, Level 5
1 Analyse ways in which an ancient society
was governed (and its political features) and
socially organised (the dominant groups and
how they established and maintained
power).
2 Analyse change and continuity over time
and compare the way past and present
societies were organised.
3 Use a variety of forms to present
understanding change and continuity.
2
Comparison with modern
democracy
3
Social divisions in ancient
Greece: citizens/non-citizens,
freeborn/slave, men/women
(also in education and home)
Thinking:
1 Apply appropriate strategies to
compare modern society with
traditions in ancient Greece
2
Using creative thinking
strategies (e.g. brainstorming)
to develop design ideas.
Suggested
answers to all unit
activities at
www.bigideas.com
‘A long road to
equality’
worksheet (and
suggested
answers where
appropriate) at
www.bigideas.com
Suggested rubric
for Big Ideas
activities at
www.bigideas.com
Design, creativity and technology:
1 Design and present a modern
symbol of democracy
appropriate for Australian
society
Thinking processes, Level 5
1 Apply appropriate strategies when
reasoning.
2 Apply creative thinking strategies (with
teacher support) for a variety of purposes
Design, creativity and technology, Level 5
1 Clarify understanding of brief requirements
and design ideas by gathering, responding
to and providing feedback to others.
2 Use a variety of drawing and modelling
techniques to visualise design ideas and
concepts.
3 Describe and analyse social impact of own
and others’ designs.
Learning sequence
LESSON 1—THE BIRTH OF DEMOCRACY
1
Find out what students understand about democracy. Ask for examples of ‘democracy in action’ in the
classroom, the home, the community. Ask how such principles and behaviours might translate to the political
arena.
2
Have students read the text on pages 66 and 67 aloud, with different students reading a paragraph or the
Zooming in text. Tell them about the role of the Whip in contemporary Australian parliaments. (You may find
this parliamentary fact sheet helpful: http://www.peo.gov.au/students/fss/fss26.html. You could ask some
further questions on the basis of the information presented in the textbook: Was it truly a democracy if only
select members of society were citizens? Why don’t we have a direct democracy in Australia? What would be
the advantages and disadvantages of democratic forums such as shown in Source 3.11? What sort of rules
might have been needed in ancient Greece to keep law and order? (In respect to this question, you may like to
mention the role played by the Speaker and the President in our parliamentary debates. These web sites may
be helpful: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/general/faq.htm#question
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/infosheets/is03.pdf, http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/pubs/briefs/brief06.htm
3
Ask pairs of students to look at Source 3.14. Ask them to write down three points that define the most
significant differences between the political systems in ancient Athens and Sparta, then share with the class.
Discuss which has most influenced the system of government we have in Australia. Ask for examples.
4
Students could complete the questions on page 67 in class. Suggested answers are provided on the Oxford
web site. Extension activities: In pairs, prepare an acrostic poem with the word ‘Democracy’; each line should
reflect some right or lifestyle enjoyed under this style of government. Another activity might be to ask for 3–4
volunteers to role play a discussion between citizens of ancient Greece and citizens of Australia on the
similarities and differences between their respective forms of government, and what our form of government
owes to ancient Greece.
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia
Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
Unit 3
Big idea
Key knowledge and skills
Resources
VELS standards (adapted)
3.3 How is one
civilisation
influenced by the
culture of
another?
History:
1 Ancient Greece’s Golden Age
— classic architecture,
sculpture, literature, language,
drama, mythology, thinking and
learning
Oxford Big Ideas History
Level 5, pp. 72–9
2
‘Design an ancient
Greek temple’ and
‘Design a mask for an
ancient Greek play’
worksheets (and
suggested answers
where appropriate) at
www.bigideas.com
Humanities—History, Level 5
1 Use a range of primary and
secondary sources, evaluating
them for meaning and point of
view.
2 Explain key features of community
life including myths, religious
beliefs and cultural expressions
such as drama.
3 Compare key aspects of past and
present societies and explain the
influences of an ancient society on
contemporary society
Thinking processes, Level 5
1 Select relevant information from
varied primary and secondary
sources.
2 Use appropriate reasoning
strategies to analyse and evaluate
evidence.
3 Use creative thinking strategies to
explore possibilities.
Design, creativity and technology,
Level 5
1 Use a variety of drawing and
modelling techniques to visualise
ideas.
2 Demonstrate understanding of
design elements and principles.
ICT, Level 5
Independent use of processing skills,
functions and equipment to create
products with minimal errors.
Debt owed by modern society
to the culture of ancient Greece
Thinking:
1 Analyse sources to consider
ancient Greece’s contribution to
Western culture.
2 Use a range of thinking
strategies to evaluate evidence
of an auditorium/ a myth, and
explore design possibilities to
create a clay pot.
Suggested answers to
all unit activities at
www.oxfordbigideas.com
Suggested rubric for Big
Ideas activities at
www.oxfordbigideas.com
Learning sequence
LESSON 1— ANCIENT GREECE’S INFLUENCE ON THE VISUAL ARTS
1 Try to obtain copies of photographs of the following: Capitol Hill Building (USA), United States Supreme Court
building (USA), Lincoln Memorial (USA), Jefferson Memorial (USA), British Museum (UK), Harris Museum (UK),
National Library (Canberra). (Images can be printed by searching Google and selecting ‘Images’ from the menu
top left.) Also refer students to Source 3.2. In groups, ask students to identify common elements in the set of
photographs. (You will need to copy 5 or 6 sets of these images, one set for each group.) Explain that the
design of all these modern buildings was influenced by the principles of ancient Greek architecture.
2. Work through the content of pages 72, 73 and the Zooming in feature on page 74 with the class. As
supplementary information to this discussion, you may find the following web sites useful for downloading
images, checking information or for student research:
•
shapes of Greek pots: http://web.onetel.net.uk/~victorbryant/hgrafs06/all_shapes_tssss.gif
http://henry.sandi.net/staff/mbaldwin/greek%20pots.html
•
Greek sculpture: http://www.hellenic-art.com/statues/
•
the Parthenon marbles: http://www.athensguide.com/elginmarbles/
•
computer model of former glory of Parthenon: http://www.civilization.ca/civil/greece/images/gr0014b.jpg
3
Complete the activities on page 74 in class or for homework. The worksheet could, for example, be done as a
homework task. Suggested answers are on the Oxford web site.
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia
Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
LESSON 2 —ANCIENT GREECE’S INFLUENCE ON LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND THOUGHT
1
Explain to students that language is never static. It is changed by the influence of new peoples and their
languages and customs, new technology, new behaviours and trends, slang etc. Ask students to nominate
appropriate words that are part of their slang vocabulary (and hence likely, in some cases, to become
‘mainstream’ language in time). Prompt them with examples: sick = fantastic, 24-7 = all the time, dorky =
stupid, fly = cool, daisy dukes = short shorts, whatever = I don’t care. There is also the cryptic language of
sms. The English language as we know it today has many formative influences: ancient Greek, Latin, Norse
languages, French, old English and so on. Ask students to look at the text and table at the bottom of page
74. Then, in pairs, use a dictionary to find five words of Greek origin (the abbreviation ‘Gk’ will be included in
the entry). Through show of hands, relay findings to the class.
2
Explain the importance of myths and legends in defining a culture. Ask students to locate each of the gods
shown in Source 3.30, and select respondents to describe the role and appearance of each deity as depicted
in this artwork. Ask, following a study of Source 3.31, why Hercules was such a strong and superhuman god.
Can students nominate any modern movies, television series, comic series or books they have read that
feature any Greek deities. Have students nominate any myths, legends or legendary characters they may be
familiar with in Australian lore. These may be Indigenous stories or heroes, or iconic bush figures. Draw links
between legends and myths now and then to identify common characteristics (e.g. supernatural, larger than
life, protective, brave, strong).
3
Explain that ancient Greece is the source of Western drama. Ask students to study Sources 3.32 and 3.34
and identify common links between performances of plays in ancient Greece and plays today, noting how the
art form first developed. Explore change and continuity in both the architecture of the auditorium and the
presentation of plays. What do students think would have been the benefits and limitations of attending plays
in ancient auditoriums (as opposed to modern theatres)?
4
Read the text on page 78 to the students, or have the students read it and frame a question about the
content they would like to know more about. Through show of hands, explore student interests and where
they would go to find out more.
5
Complete some or all of the activities on page 78 in class, in writing or via oral response. Suggested answers
are on the Oxford web site.
6
Complete the Big Ideas activities for homework or partially in class. Note that activity 7, which involves
making a mask as worn by ancient Greek actors, is a long-term task. You may wish to do this activity in
conjunction with the Art teacher.
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia
Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
Unit 4
Big idea
Key knowledge and skills
Resources
VELS standards (adapted)
3.4 What impact
does a strong
civilisation have
on another?
History:
1 Spartan way of life: preparing
for war
2 Ancient Olympic Games:
keeping fit
3 Strength through war: wars with
the Persians including the
battle at Thermopylae
4 Leadership
Oxford Big Ideas History
Level 5, pp. 80–5
Humanities—History, Level 5
1 Analyse and describe key events in
ancient societies.
2 Analyse the ways that dominant
groups in ancient societies
established and maintained power.
3 Describe the roles of key
individuals and evaluate their
contributions and legacies.
4 Use relevant historical evidence,
concepts and language to present
a point of view.
Thinking processes, Level 5
1 Locate and select relevant
information from varied primary
and secondary sources.
2 Use specific language to describe
thinking.
Thinking:
1 Reflect on strategic thinking
2 Locate and assess relevant
information for an investigation
Communication:
1 Discussions and oral and
written presentation on aspects
of the battle at Thermopylae
Suggested answers to
all unit activities at
www.oxfordbigideas.com
‘Create a sport for the
ancient Olympics’
worksheet (and
suggested answers
where appropriate) at
www.bigideas.com
Suggested rubric for Big
Ideas activities at
www.oxfordbigideas.com
Student rubric for Fresh
Ideas feature also at
www.bigideas.com
Communication, Level 5
1 When responding, use specialised
language and symbols as
appropriate to contexts.
2 Use communication conventions,
forms and language appropriate to
History to convey a clear message
across a range of presentation
forms.
Learning sequence
LESSON 1—KEEPING FIT TO FIGHT
1
Ask students what they think members of Australia’s defence force do to keep fit. (Some students may have
parents in the defence forces.) Prompts: visit gyms, running, boot camps, defence force exercises etc. Lead
this into a discussion about the military focus of ancient Sparta. Ask students what they think it would be like
to live under such conditions. Why would such conditions help them to be fierce and fearless warriors? You
could also explore what students know of modern military regimes and the extent to which a focus on military
readiness dominates lifestyles in those countries.
Brief background information on Sparta: the region of Laconia (where the unwalled city of Sparta was
located) was settled around 1000 BC by Dorians (from the north). Sparta was once a cultured city with
artisans, musicians and singers. Focus on the arts started to decline during the 8th century BC, with a new
focus on warfare. Over the next century or so, Sparta conquered many city–states in Laconia including
Messenia, with its rich, fertile plains. The Spartans treated conquered peoples (known as helots) as slaves,
often brutally. Helots greatly outnumbered Spartan citizens; in an uprising in 465 BC, they nearly defeated
their Spartan masters. This constant internal threat, together with external threats from Persia (Persian wars,
fought jointly with other city–states) and later the rival city–state of Athens (Peloponnesian wars), meant
Sparta was focused on defending itself.
2
Ask students to study Source 3.39 to compare and contrast information gleaned here with what they know
about the modern Olympics. Bring discussion back to starting point: what do students see as the purpose of
modern Olympics? In what way do modern countries influence one another through the games?
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia
Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
3
Ask students to read Sources 3.42 and 3.43. Explore through show of hands what these reveal about the
motivations, attitudes and dedication of the ancient Greeks who participated in the games.
4
Complete the activities on page 82 in class, either as written work or oral responses. The worksheet can be
completed for homework. See Oxford website for commentary/suggested answers.
LESSON 1 — KEEPING FIT TO FIGHT
1
Cover the information on page 83 by reading the text aloud or having selected students read paragraphs, and
Source 3.46. Ask students to consider Source 3.44 and think, in broad terms about the size of the Persian
empire (use the scale).
2
Use this information as the basis of a class discussion about some or all of the questions below:
• What are some of the reasons why a country might go to war against another?
• In what ways does fighting a war potentially make a country more powerful?
• Do you think it is possible for societies with differing values and outlooks to peacefully co-exist? Why?
• In what way do countries today prepare for and fight wars? How would fighting an external war impact on a
country’s economy, workforce and people back home? In what way might these forces strengthen (or
weaken) that country?
• Is it true to say that the bigger the country (or empire) the stronger it is? Or are there other factors? What
might these be?
3
Read the story of Thermopylae aloud to the class. The movie 300 is not one that students are likely to have
seen because of its classification, but many will be familiar with its advertising. Some may have read the
graphic novel. Explore through question and answer what this story reveals about:
• the importance of strategy in any conflict situation (battle or otherwise)
• the key role played by leadership in keeping any group effort strong (battle or otherwise).
4
Complete the Fresh Ideas task in small groups. If you wish, students can complete and hand in the selfevaluation rubric (see Oxford website) on completion. This data may provide useful insights into the progress
of individual student learning.
5
Complete the Big Ideas activities for homework. If you wish you can change activities 6 and 7 to written
responses. Suggested answers and rubrics are provided on the Oxford website.
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia
Teaching program— Chapter 3: Ancient Greece
Transferring ideas: Ancient Persia
Big idea
Key knowledge and skills
Resources
VELS standards (adapted)
Transferring ideas:
How do
civilisations
influence one
another?
History:
1 Aspects of the ancient Persian
empire
2 Alexander the Great and
aspects of the Hellenistic
empire
3 Influence of aspects of ancient
Greek systems and culture on
conquered peoples
Thinking:
1 Use a range of thinking
strategies to consider own view
about the influence of ancient
Greece in the Hellenistic
empire
2 Complete decision making
activities about the influence of
ancient Greece’s organisation
and culture on ancient Persia
Oxford Big Ideas
History Level 5,
pp. 86–7
Humanities—History, Level 5
1 Analyse and describe key events in
ancient societies.
2 Describe the roles of key
individuals and evaluate their
legacies.
3 Analyse aspects of change and
continuity over time.
Suggested rubric for
Transferring ideas
activities at
www.oxfordbigideas.com
Thinking processes, Level 5
1 Use various reasoning strategies to
consider evidence in forming a
point of view.
2 Complete decision-making
activities that involve an increasing
number of variables and options.
LESSON (IF COMPLETED IN CLASS)
1
Complete the Transferring Ideas spread in class or as homework as an assessable item. If desired, some of
the activities may be completed orally (through class or group discussion). Rubric and suggested answers
are supplied on the Oxford web site.
2
In completing the chapter on ancient Greece, students will learn not only aspects of history intrinsically
related to this civilisation but also how its systems, mythology, beliefs and traditions have influenced other
civilisations, including our contemporary Western civilisation. By completing this section, students transfer
this understanding in considering how Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian empire saw that
civilisation changed. They obtain some insights into how aspects such as social organisation and
behaviours, cultural norms and aggressive behaviour of one civilisation (or society) can impact on another.
Oxford Big Ideas History Level 5 ISBN 978 0 19 556569 0
© Oxford University Press Australia