UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

UNIT PLAN:
THE GREEK WORLD

1. GENERAL ASPECTS

TITLE: The Greek World

LEVEL: First Level of Secondary
TERM: third TEMPORALISATION: 8 lessons

This unit is concerned with the study of the history of Greek civilization and the
legacies that it left. We will study the necessary elements of Ancient Greece in order to
further our understanding of its culture and the significance that it has had on
civilization today. This unit will attempt to be inclusive and interactive to ensure the
excitement and interest of the students.
Students will explore a variety of different topics such as the geography of Greece the
“polis” and Greek society, government in the city-states, religion, Greek art and the
history of Ancient Greece will be covered in order to cement an understanding of
Ancient Greece in the minds of the students. This focus will help the students
understand and relate to the world in which we live through the understanding of the
culture of the Ancient Greeks and to establish a foundation on which to build for future
units such as the Roman Empire. The rationale of this unit is for the students to have a
better understanding of the geography and history of Greece and especially to encourage
them to consider multiple perspectives and make connections in hopes of motivating
them to make reasoned judgments about how history affects life today.

2. CONTENT OBJECTIVES

1. Learning about the origins of Greek civilization

2. Recognising the importance of Athens and Sparta
3. Learning about Alexander the Great
4. Reflecting on Greek society, religion and culture

3. CONTENTS

A.- Concepts:
• The geographical situation of Ancient Greece
• Stages in Greek history
• The poleis: from oligarchy to democracy
• The Greek colonies
• Democracy in Athens
• The empire of Alexander the Great
• Greek religion: belief, worship and gods
• The culture of reason
• Greek theatre
• Architecture and sculpture

1
UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

B.- Procedures:
• Interpreting historical maps and time lines
• Analyzing drawings and photos in order to obtain information
• Drawing maps to show Greek expansion
• Completing a chart to show differences between citizens and non-citizens
• Researching different topics: life in Athens, religion, sport, and important
figures
• Comparing sculptures from different periods in Greek history
• Analyzing a building and a sculpture

C.- Attitudes
• Curiosity about ways of life in the past
• Appreciation of the remains of Greek civilization and their role in telling us
about the past. Recognition of the need to preserve them
• Rejection of the discrimination against certain social groups in these
civilizations
• Understanding of the beliefs and way of life in other periods of history

4.- KEY COMPETENCES

Linguistic • Vocabulary related to the civilization of Ancient Greece

communication • Pronunciation /t/: Democracy replaced aristocracy.
• Pronunciation /d/: They belonged to the same civilization.
• Pronunciation /id/: Greek civilization started in…
Digital ICT competence • Using primary and secondary sources to obtain
information
• Using texts, pictures and photos to obtain information
• Looking for information on the Internet and in
encyclopedias
Learning to learn • Making maps to express concepts such as territorial
expansion
Interpersonal and civic • Comparing two political systems, aristocracy and
competence democracy, and relating them to our own political system
• Understanding that territorial expansion takes place for
different reasons and has different results
• Understanding how the concept of citizenship is related to
political rights which some people possess and others do
not
• Showing empathy for people of other times, their
problems and feelings
Autonomy and • Using information to form reasoned opinions about
personal initiative slavery and the position of women
Temporal competence • Determining the space / time context of early Greek
civilization
• Knowing about the people and events which were
fundamental in the history of Ancient Greece
• Explaining why the expansion of the city-states and
Hellenism were important
• Describing the main characteristics of life and society in

2
UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

Ancient Greece
• Analyzing the effects of Ancient Greece on our politics,
town planning, art and science
• Situating on historical maps and time lines the events
studied
Cultural and artistic • Knowing the main examples of Greek art and their
expression features
• Analyzing the relation between art and the values of a
society
• Using the correct terms to describe art and architecture,
such as metope, pediment, cella
• Using basic guidelines to analyze buildings and sculptures
Knowledge and • Analyzing the importance of geographical factors in the
interaction with our formation of the city-states
world • Comparing the political systems of Athens and Sparta
• Differentiating the causes, development and effects of
Greek civilization
• Explaining the reasons for the wars in this period
• Comparing the Greece of city-states with the empire of
Alexander the Great
• Comparing the rights and freedom of different social
groups
• Identifying the factors which explain the location and
structure of the Greek city

5. LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES

LESSON SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES RESOURCES

TITLE OBJECTIVES
Lesson 1: Find the location of Introduction: Maps
The Greek Greece in the world. listening to and PowerPoint
world. Learn about the answering some
Stages in Greek geography of Greece. questions about the
History Including the seas, Greek world.
vegetation, and Analyzing the map
climate. of Ancient Greece
How the geography of to learn about its
Greece affected geography
society and its Lecture: the
development. geography of
Where the major Greece, one
settlements in Greece civilization, and the
were. first Greeks.
Learn about the
general characteristics
that all Greeks share.
Learn about the stages
of History of Ancient
Greece.
Lesson 2: the Realize that Athens Lecture: the poleis Pictures of agora

3
UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

poleis and Sparta were city- Diagram: compare and acropolis

states that governed and contrast the Diagram of
themselves, like all governments of governments
the other city-states. Athens and Sparta. PowerPoint
Compare and contrast
the different forms of
government in Athens
and Sparta.
Know the two parts of
each polis and the
main buildings
Lesson 3: the Understand that Lecture: the Pictures of Greek
Greek colonies territorial expansion creation of the ship and colonies
takes place for colonies; the Greek Map of Greek
different reasons and expansion migrations (8th-6th
has different results. Analyze the map of centuries BC)
Learn about the Greek migrations PowerPoint
characteristics of the (8th-6th centuries
Greek colonies. BC)
Name some areas
colonized by the
Greeks and the most
important colonies.
Lesson 4: Explain democracy Describe the main Diagram of
Democracy in and its birth institutions of Athenian
Athens Learn about the main Athenian democracy
Athen’s golden institutions of democracy using a Diagram of social
age Athenian democracy diagram. groups in Athens
Understand how the Lecture: democratic Text of Pericles
concept of citizenship institutions; Athen’s about democracy
is related to political golden age (Greco- Map of the Delian
rights which some persian wars, the League
people possess and Delian League, PowerPoint
others do not Peloponnesian war)
Understand Greek
warfare
Recognize the
different
hegemonic
powers in Greece
and the influences
that they had on
other city-states
Lesson 5. The Learn about Read a text about Pictures of the
Empire of Alexander the Great Alexander the phalanx and the city
Alexander the Explain why the Great’s education of Alexandria
Great expansion of the city- (Plutarch script) Plutarch script
states and Hellenism Analyze the map of Map of Alexander
were important Alexander the the Great’s Empire
Know the territories of Great’s Empire PowerPoint

4
UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

Alexander the Great’s Compare the

Empire and the cities Greece of city-
he found states with the
Explain what empire of
happened when Alexander the
Alexander the Great Great
died Lecture: The
Understand the kingdom of
meaning of Hellenistic Macedonia and
kingdoms Alexander the
Know the importance Great; the
of the city of Hellenistic
Alexandria Kingdoms

Lesson 6. The Learn about myth Define history, Diagram of the

Greek religion and legend in legend, myth, and Greek gods
Ancient Greece religion. PowerPoint
Recognize the Read a few
different Greek different
gods and the legends
difference between Make a table
private and public comparing the
cults Greek gods
Lesson 7. The Understand the legacy Analyze why Pictures of Greek
culture of of classical culture Greece is inventions and of
reason. Learn about the main considered the the classical theatre
The Greek Greek philosophers birthplace of PowerPoint
theatre and scientists rational thought
Recognize the Describe some
difference between Greek inventions
comedy and tragedy Describe a Greek
Identify the parts of a theater
Greek theatre Lecture: Rational
thought; philosophy
and science; the
Theatre
Lesson 8. Greek Know the main Compare sculptures Pictures of classical
architecture and examples of Greek art from different orders, buildings
sculpture and their features periods in Greek and sculptures
Analyze the relation history PowerPoint
between art and the Analyze a building
values of a society and a sculpture
Use the correct terms Lecture: Greek
to describe art and architecture (main
architecture, such as characteristics, the
metope, pediment, classical orders,
cella temples and
Use basic guidelines theatres); Greek
to analyze buildings sculpture (the

5
UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

and sculptures periods)

6. RESOURCES
A.- Text Books:

BARCLAY, B., JÉGOU, R. & ALEJO ÁLVAREZ, J.A. Geography and History.
Bilingual Secondary Education. ESO 1. Granada: Lingua Frame, 2011.

Essential Geography and History 1. Madrid: Santillana, Richmond publishing, 2008.

GARCÍA SEBASTIÁN, M & GATELL ARIMONT, C. Social Sciences. Geography and

History 1.2. Barcelona: Vicens Vives, 2010.

Social Science. Madrid: Pearson Longman, 2010.

VVAA. 1 Secondary Education. Social Science. Basic concepts. Madrid: Anaya, 2010.

B.- Internet Resources:

Ancient Greece:
http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Main_Page/

Ancient Greece Quiz:

http://www.historiasiglo20.org/MEC-BC/10.htm

Ancient History for kids and teachers:

http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/AncientGreece.html

Ancient Greece for kids:

http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/Greece.html

BBC. Ancient Greeks:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/

Greece (Historia siglo 20):

http://www.historiasiglo20.org/greece/index.htm

Greek Architecture and Sculpture:

http://blog.educastur.es/mrteacher/files/2009/05/greek-architecture-and-sculpture.swf

Greek religion:
http://blog.educastur.es/mrteacher/files/2009/05/greek-religion.swf

History for kids. Ancient Greece for kids:

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/

The Greek Temple:

http://www.historiasiglo20.org/1ESO/greektemple.htm

6
UNIT PLAN: The Greek world Ana Garay Stinus

7. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
1. Applying the concepts of chronology, evolution and change to the events and
processes of ancient civilizations.

2. Differentiating the most relevant features of Ancient Greek civilization and

evaluating their influence on western civilization.

3. Showing comprehension of texts about history in oral or written form.