UNIT TEMPLATE

Unit Title: The Ancient Greeks

Content Area/Grade Level(s): Social Studies/7th
Implementation Time Frame: 16 Days
Stage 1 Desired Results
Established Goals:
RH 6-8.1-7 and 10
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand how
the government of United
States was affected by the
Greeks.
Students will grasp that
perspective is in the eye of the
beholder.
Students will be able to
decipher what responsibilities
they will have in their society
as a U.S. citizen in a
representative democracy.

Essential Questions
What does it mean to be a citizen?
How is our present society affect by
the Greeks?
How does perspective affect
decisions of government and war?

Students will be able to.

Describe how geography and the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations
influenced Greek culture.
Compare the city-states of Sparta and Athens.
Identify the causes and effects of Greek wars with Persia.
Describe Athens under the leadership of Pericles and reasons Athens
declined.
Stage 2 Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s):
Other Evidence
Brochure
See Think Wonder
Creating a Screen Play
Guided Reading Notes
Connection Board of Artifacts
Teacher Observation
Class Activity
Exit Slips
Venn Diagram
Foldable Study Guide
Graphic Organizers
T-charts
Comparison Charts

Class Discussion
Peer Tutoring
Journals

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Date

Learning Activities:
Day 1:
1. 5 minutes. Warm up: What does Democracy mean to you?
Explain and use examples
2. 5 minutes. Have a whole class discussion on what democracy is.
Explain to students that democracy got its start in Ancient Greece.
a. Do you think that Democracy meant the same thing to the
Ancient Greeks as what it means to us today? Why or why not?
b. How has our meaning of democracy changed/expanded since
the U.S. Constitution was written? i.e. Voting rights for adults.
3. 15 minutes. See Think Wonder- Students will be given 2 minutes
per stage of See Think Wonder to write down their thoughts of the
image (Located in the Supplemental Materials #1) that will be
projected on the Smart Board. This gives students an opportunity
to guess and make assumptions about what they might get to
learn about in this Unit! If they know that the image is of the
Coliseum, then this will definitely excite them to learn about
gladiators and the Greeks.
4. 10 minutes. Instruct students to make a Foldable study organizer.
Teacher will walk them through and make sure they fold and label
it appropriately. This is to be used while they read Chapter 4 to
make notes in order to distinguish the difference between the
time, section, and people. This is a great activity for identifying
the main ideas and themes throughout the chapter. Teacher Note:
this should be kept on hand for each class in order to add to it.
There should be 4 sections
a. The Early Greeks
b. Sparta and Athens
c. Persia Attacks the Greeks
d. The Age of Pericles
5. 25 minutes. Students will read pages 118-120 in table groups.
When the table is finished reading, they will raise their green flag
to show the teacher that they are ready for the next step. They
will be given the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How
handout (located in the Supplemental Materials #2). Students
will be asked to come up with questions (as well as the answers)
about this section of reading using the prompts listed on the
handout. These will be shared with the entire class at the end of
the hour. The following topics/section will be assigned to each
group.

a.
b.
c.
d.

The Minoans
The First Greek Kingdoms/What were Mycenaean Kingdoms Like
Power From Trade and War
What was the Dark Age

Day 2:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: What does it mean to be a citizen? Explain

with supporting evidence.

2. 20 minutes. Students are to read pages 121-123 in pairs or by

themselves. Students are to fill out the Polis and Citizenship

Graphic Organizer (located in Supplemental Materials #3). This
is to give students experience in finding supporting details in their
text connecting to what Polis and Citizenship means and is. This
will be reviewed once all are finished. When they complete this
worksheet, they are to fill out their foldable under the section the
Early Greeks.
3. 5 minutes. Next, the teacher will read the Primary Resource
provided in the text book to the class (Athenian Soldiers Oath).
Then, as a whole class discussion students will identify 6 things
each soldier promises to protect in taking the oath. These 6 items
are as follows.
a. They promise not to dishonor their weapons
b. Not to desert their comrades
c. To improve the father-land
d. To uphold and protect the constitution
e. To honor the temples
f. To honor the religion of their forefathers.
4. 10 minutes. Then, ask students if we take any oaths in the United
States. They may be able to come up with several, but the
following are the focus. The teacher will provide the class with
primary documents listed below for examination. Students will be
asked to compare and contrast the current Soldiers Oath of
Enlistment (located in the Supplemental Materials #4) to the
Athenian Soldiers Oath. This will be done together as a class;
several students will pretend to take the Soldiers Oath for fun and
out of seat learning.
a. The Pledge of Allegiance
b. Soldiers Oath of Enlistment
c. Citizenship Oath
5. 10 minutes. Students will be asked to fill out and turn in an Exit
Slip (located in Supplemental Materials #5). On the slip are the
following questions
a. What made the Minoans Wealthy?
b. How was a Greek city-state different from a city?
c. What changes occurred in Greece during the Dark Age?
d. Name 3 rights granted to Greek citizens that American citizens
have today.

e. Why did the use of money help trade to grow?

Day 3:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: What things do you take for granted?

Explain your answer.

2. 15 minutes. Coops Quiz! Students will be given a short multiple
choice quiz to check for understanding of Chapter 4 Section 1. The
quiz will be checked using the ZipGrade app as soon as they finish!
They may read quietly or listen to music as they wait for their
classmates to complete the assessment.
3. 30 minutes. Students will be provided with the Greek Short
Stories handout (located in Supplemental materials #6). This is
a reading exercise as well as informative. Students will be
permitted to work in pairs. This will count as a homework grade.
They may turn it in if they finish early.
Day 4:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: How do you feel when someone makes a

decision that affects you without asking your opinion?

2. 25 minutes. Students will read pages 125-130. They will be using

post-it notes and will mark what they think they knew, knowledge
they learned, and what they would like to learn/wonder about.
(students should also be adding to their foldable)
3. 15 minutes. When students finish this exercise they will place
their post it notes on the white board in the appropriate category.
Each answer and question will be discussed as an entire class
discussion. If the teacher does not know the answers to what the
students would like to learn, one student may take out their phone
and google search for an answer if it seems applicable.
4. 5 minutes. Video: Show the life of a Spartan Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v97o90bnUVs
Day 5:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: What would it be like to be forced to leave

home at the age of 7? How would you deal/cope with the

challenges of being away from your parents?
2. 10 minutes. Students will be given a Venn Diagram (located in
Supplemental Material #7) to complete comparing Sparta to
Athens. They will need to decipher what characteristics belong to
each city-state and which belong to both. This is a quick exercise
in order to refresh their memories of what they read the prior
class. Review the answers with students to ensure they are on the
right track.
3. 5 minutes. Host a brief verbal quiz based on popular
representations and misrepresentations of ancient Greece, asking

such questions as:

a. Did the ancient Greeks own slaves? Yes
b. Could women vote in Democratic Athens? No
c. Were most city-states actually cities? No, many were small
communities
d. Did the Ancient Greeks have nobles and aristocrats? Yes, even
in Democratic Athens they were a force to be reckoned with.
e. Was the secret of Ancient Greeces success their rich, fertile
soil? No
f. Did the Ancient Greeks value wealth above everything else?
No, they valued fame and honor
4. 20 minutes. Next hand out the Fact Comparison Chart Activity
Packet (located in the Supplemental Materials #8). Students are
to work in pairs. They are to read the chart, then apply the
knowledge gained by the chart in order to answer the comparison
chart.
5. 10 minutes. After reading the information about Sparta and
Athens, and looking at the chart from the Fact Comparison
Chart Activity Packet, students should be prepared to tell in
which city-state they would rather live and why. This will be an out
of seat learning activity. One side of the room will be Sparta and
the other Athens. Students will move from side to side depending
on their answer.
a. If you were a young teenage girl of the citizen class, in which
city-state would you rather live? Why?
b. If you were a slave, in which would you rather live? Why?
c. If you were a boy of the citizen class, in which would you rather
live? Why?
d. If you were a young soldier, in which would you rather live?
Why?
e. If you were a very wealthy person of the citizen class, in which
would you rather live? Why?
Day 6:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: Would you rather live in Sparta or Athens?

Why? You may use your chart from the previous day to assist you
with this.
2. 45 minutes. Travel Brochure: Students will be given instruction
and a rubric (located in Supplemental Materials #9) in order to
complete this assignment. They will be asked to make a travel
brochure in order to entice tourists to come to their city-state of
either Athens or Sparta. This should be fun, creative, and show
the knowledge and perspective each individual student has
developed of these two regions of Greece. Students will be
provided with paper, crayons, and markers. Students may use the
class computers (there are 3) if theyd like to print off any pictures,
but it is important that they understand there is only black and
white printing available.

It should tell about the advantages of the area to potential

visitors or homeowners. Highlights may include: cultural
activities (such as drama, music and arts); recreation, athletics
and sports; architecture and famous sites; schools;
accommodations (like homes where the tourists can stay with
some of the locals or homes for sale); transportation; and food.
b. It should include a map showing where your city-state is
located.
c. In another smaller section you may want to add travel alerts
which warn the tourist of some of the dangers he/she might
encounter while staying in your city-state.
d. Students may take their brochure home to finish, or turn in at
the end of the hour in their class tray.
a.

Day 7:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: What area of the world do you think would
be interesting to visit? What tourist attractions are there for you to
see and experience?
2. 20 minutes. Kahoot! Students will engage in the online game
Kahoot! This will be questions that pertain to the first 2 sections of
Chapter 4. Students love this fun, competitive, and interactive
game. This is also a fun way for them to review the first 2 sections
before moving on in the chapter.
3. 25 minutes. The class desks will be put into a full circle. Students
will be given the 4.3 Guided Reading Notes (Located in
Supplemental Materials #10). Teacher Note: (The day before
Christmas Break, I had the students pass the talking stick and tell
me what they liked and disliked for class activities. When it comes
to note taking and reading, they expressed that this was their
favorite method, because often they felt unsure of their answers.)
As an entire class, we will read Chapter 4 Section 3 Persia Attacks
the Greeks pages 132-137. As each subheading is read, students
will write on the white board 3-5 bullet points that summarize each
section. Then, we will proceed to answer the Guided Reading
Notes. This should make it easier for students if they can learn to
comprehend the main ideas of the reading before being asked to
fill out a worksheet. I find that some students do a great job
reading and comprehending, while others remember very little of
what they read. This will probably not finish in Day 7 and need to
bleed into Day 8. (Students should also add to their foldable)
Day 8:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: Have you and a rival ever set aside your
differences to work for a common cause?

2. 15 minutes. Finish the Guided Reading as a whole class activity.

Once this is finished, students should have all the correct
information written in their packets. Students should turn these in.

Teacher will check for completeness to make sure that students

remained on task during the activity. Students will receive 10
points for having the worksheet correct and complete. (Easy 10
points, more about participation and active listening.)
3. 10 minutes. Next, handout the Ruler Accomplishments chart
(located in the Supplemental Materials #11). As a full class
discussion have students fill out what each ruler accomplished.
Students may come up and write on the white board the answers
they contribute (They love this). The following rulers are listed on
the chart.
a. Cyrus
b. Darius
c. Xerxes
4. 15 minutes. Video on the Battle of Marathon 490 BC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx-XB2eh-pQ
Day 9:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: How is the Persian Empire and the United

States the same? Think government and geographical structures.

2. 45 minutes. Screen Play! Students will be asked to create a
screen play about one of the battles described in Chapter 4. They
will be permitted to work in pairs, and assigned a specific battle
perspective, for example Persian or Greek. They will be told some
characters names to include in their play through dialogue, but will
be directed to also use a narrator and other characters they might
want to create as well. These could be the loyal wife, the soldier,
or a child. This will be typed out in the library the following day so
it is professional and easy to read.
a. The rough draft is expected to be completed during class. This
lesson will be treated as an organization and planning day.
b. This will be treated as a contest. The best Screen Play of each
Battle assigned, will be created and a video made by members
of the class.
c. Teacher Note: The teacher will model what a good screen play
looks like, so that students understand how dialogue and
narration work.
3. Here is a list of perspectives and battles that are to be assigned
a. The Rise of the Persian Empire
1. Cyrus the Great, Jews, later leaders, the Kings Messengers
b. The Battle of Marathon- Persian Perspective or point of view
1. Darius, the Persian Commander, Persian foot soldiers,
Pheidippides
c. The Battle of Marathon- Athenian/Greek Perspective or point of
view
1. Themistocles (Athenian General), Pheidippides, Greek
Soldiers
d. Battle of Thermopylae/Salamis- Persian Perspective

1. Darius, Xerxes, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea

e. Battle of Thermopylae/Salamis- Greek Perspective
1. Themistocles, Leonidas, Spartans, Athenians, Thermopylae,
Salamis, Plataea

Day 10:

1. Library Day! - Students will report to the Library in order to use the

computer lab. They will be asked to sit with their assigned

partners, and complete their rough drafts if they did not finish the
day before.
2. Once the rough draft is finished and approved by the teacher,
students may then begin typing their screen play on the
computers. Once they finish and check for any errors, they will be
able to print and turn in their work. If they do not finish, they may
put their work on a flash drive and finish at home. These are to be
turned in that day, or the following.
Day 11:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: Do you think the Persians had a right to

start a war with the Greeks? Why or why not?

2. 25 minutes. Teacher will read out loud the top contenders of the

screen play contest. Students will then take a vote to solidify the
winners. Once the winners are determined, the class will be
placed into acting groups. (I might see if there is a better room
available for the creation of the skits. For example, the project
room, or ITEC center). Students may use the script when
performing because there will not be enough time to memorize.

3. 20 Present! These will need to be well rehearsed, because they

will be performing their skits at the end of the hour! This will be
fun for the students, and possibly a little goofy.

Day 12:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: In any kind of an election or contest that

takes voting, such as our Screen Plays, why do you vote for certain
people over the other?

2. 15 minutes. Next, students will read Chapter 4 Section 4 pages

139-146 The Age of Pericles as a whole class. Students should

be adding to their foldable as others read.

3. 10 minutes. Then, students will be separated into groups of 4 to

create a Jigsaw! I find that if students jump straight to the jigsaw

in the 7th grade, they often lose much of what is important in the
reading. This will be timed in order to keep students on task. The

groups will be given the following topics

a. The Athenian Empire

b. Democracy in Athens
c. The Achievements of Pericles
d. Daily Life in Athens/What Drove the Athenian Economy?
e. Roles of Men and Women
f. The Peloponnesian War
g. Pericles Funeral Oration
h. Why was Athens Defeated?
4. 20 minutes. Each group will then present their jigsaw puzzle piece
to the class, as the rest of the class takes notes on the provided
Guided Notes provided by the teacher (located in Supplemental
Materials #12).

Day 13:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: Have you ever tried to get people to work
together, and get frustrated when they will not cooperate?

2. 45 minutes. Collection board of Artifacts! Students will be asked

to create a collection board of artifacts as a performance task at
the end of Chapter 4. They will be provided with a poster board
and will be asked to take events from Chapter 4 and find
similarities to their daily lives. For example there are many
government similarities.

a. On the board they should make a giant T-chart. On the chart

they need to list the Greeks on the Left and the United States
on the Right. They will need to put an = sign between the 2.
This will help students to relate similarities in a culture that
existed thousands of years ago, to the world they know today.
This will help them connect with the past and how it has
influenced their daily lives. They should include written or

typed text and pictures for each event or similarity in order to

show their understanding.

b. They will be given a Rubric (located in Supplemental Materials

#13) to follow for the criteria expected. Students are expected

to have at list 5 comparisons. They will be permitted to use the
classroom computers if needed.

Day 14:

1. 5 minutes. Warm up: School may be difficult at times, but how

would you feel if you could not go to school? How would your life
be affected or limited?

2. 45 minutes. Continuation of Day 13 Collection Board of Artifacts!

Students are to use class time wisely. Boards are to be completed

and turned in the next day. Teacher will observe and help out
students throughout the hour. Students may turn in their
assignments if they finish early, but then they are expected to help
those that are struggling to finish. (Peer tutoring for inspiration).

Day 15:

1. Grudgeball!!!- Students will participate in a review game called

Grudgeball. This is a class favorite! This is a highly competitive

and fun learning activity. Students will be separated into teams by
row. Each row is given 12 lives. If they get a question right, they
get to shoot the basketball. If they do not make the basket, they
only get to erase 1 life, if they make it, they get to erase 2. The
team with the most lives at the end wins jolly ranchers!

2. Students will then be handed out a study guide in order to help

students prepare for the test. The teacher will also provide them
with a Quizlet posted on Edmodo in order to allow them to study
vocabulary using technology. If there is time, they will practice the
Quizlet as a class using the smart board.

Day 16:

1. 5 minutes. Cramming with Cooper! Students get 5 minutes to

study and ask the teacher any questions that they may be
confused about.

2. Test time! Students will be given as much time as needed to

complete the test. It will be multiple choice and essay based.

Students have shown great improvement in their essay writing
abilities and effort since the beginning of the year. After they
finish, they may quietly read of listen to music with headphones.
Some students will need the entire class. A modified test will be
given to Special Education students, and a paraprofessional will
read the test to students with an IEP. Special Education students
will also be given an additional day to study.