Teaching Ancient Greece at KS2 - Years 3,4,5 & 6 History

Planning for teaching Ancient Greece KS2

OFSTED-approved Outstanding new medium term planning for Ancient Greece, matched to 2019 history national curriculum and OFSTED requirements The main foci throughout this planner are: Ideas, Beliefs, Attitudes (especially the role of women); Way of life (contrasting Athens with Sparta and grasping that ideas flourished in...

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 1 – How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago?

Any study of ancient Greek society must begin with an appreciation of the physical features of Greece. Landform and climate do not explain the vast and varied achievements of the ancient Greeks, but they have determined and influenced many of the political economic and social...

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 2 – Theseus and the Minotaur: Is there any evidence for the legend?

This KS2 smart task places pupils in the role of detectives trying to prove that the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur may actually have been been a fact. First they have to think carefully about what sort of evidence MIGHT have survived. Showing...

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 1 – What can we work out about everyday life in Ancient Athens?

There are three distinct parts to Key Question 2 but each centrally based around the need for pupils to use evidence of different forms. The introductory PowerPoint shows 4 contrasting types of evidence: buildings, coins, statues and monuments, and archaeological remains. Activities and resources for...

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 2 – Ancient Greek vases: the answer lies on the pot

Sample of animated slide showing how to decipher an Ancient Athenian pot

This KS2 history lesson, in which the decoration of a Greek pot is slowly revealed, features two cracking activities designed to set pupils thinking deeply, laterally and creatively. It is based on the principle that pupils need to work out the meaning of an image...

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 3 – What was life like for women in Ancient Greece?

This simple lesson on life for women in Ancient Greece, based around a PowerPoint presentation, makes an excellent contribution to literacy and also makes pupils aware of the nature of evidence and the need to be careful when making generalisations. The children draw conclusions from...

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 1 – Why was Athens able to be so strong in the 5th and 6th century BC?

Part 1

Looks at characteristic features of Classical Athens. This is a simple teacher-led explanation using a few PowerPoint clues.

Part 2

Looks at the causes of the unlikely victory of Athens over Persia and is a separate full outstanding lesson - The Battle of Marathon: a history...

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 2 – The Battle of Marathon. A history mystery

Sample page from the PowerPoint presentation showing Hoplite armour

This lesson on the Battle of Marathon makes a major contribution to pupils' thinking skills. They are presented with a paradox. How could the David of Athens beat the Goliath of Persia?

Instead of being given a textbook account or a video explanation, pupils...

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 3 – comparing six contrasting interpretations of the original Marathon run

Interesting session comparing six contrasting interpretations of the original Marathon run, followed by analysis of which to believe and understanding of why we have so many versions. Introduce with slide 2 which children should find interesting with its reference to Nike. Set the challenge. What is...

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 4 – Consequences of the battle of Marathon: Bells and whistles – Smart task

Really fun lesson called bells and whistles in which team have to make the appropriate sound depending on whether the consequence mentioned on the PowerPoint referred to Athens or Persia. This is a very short activity to help pupils grasp what is meant by...

Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 1 – role play on building the Parthenon

This full lesson is a role-play activity looking at Greek democracy in the context of the rebuilding of the Parthenon. It starts with a link to the building of the Millennium Dome. In Ancient Greece, anyone who did not fulfil their democratic duties was called an...

Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 2 – Making Greek democracy come to life – a ‘smashing’ lesson

This is a really fun, practical lesson involving smashed pottery, writing in Ancient Greek through black wax and deciphering each other's writing . Pupils actually decipher the names of people who were ostracised over 2,500 years ago. Not bad for Year 5!

Learning objectives

pupils grasp the...

Ancient Greece – KQ5 Part 1 – What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from a study of their Olympics?

We thought we would offer you a range of different cameos showing how the history of the Olympics could be imaginatively integrated into your current teaching.

The teaching activities below have all be tried and tested in schools and have been judged outstanding by...

Ancient Greece – KQ5 Part 2 – What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from their interest in the theatre?

This key question is divided into two distinct parts, starting with Part 1 - the Olympics. This has its own outstanding fully-resourced series of tasks which can be found on the site. Part 2 below looks at Ancient Greek theatre: To start, pupils are shown a...

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 1 – Under the Cloth: sorting the muddled collection. Is it all Greek to you?

Step 1

To introduce the notion of the Greeks having a major influence on our lives today use the activity called Under the cloth. Simply place copies of the pictures 2 –23 (printed as A4 so large enough to be seen by whole class) from Key...

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 2 – Short KS2 task on the Ancient Greek legacy: language

This is a fun activity looking at the contribution the Ancient Greeks have made to our language. Great for literacy. Pupils are given two different stories of 10 year-old children today, buried in which are 20-odd words that derive from Ancient Greece. Working in pairs,...

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 3 – How Great is your Greek?

Pupils have to select a team of 11 Great Greeks. They do this by preparing and then evaluating 14 different presentations about 14 Ancient Greeks as explained on slide 2 of the PowerPoint presentation. As they prepare focus their thinking on what makes someone ‘great’. ...

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 4 – What did the Greeks do for us? Evaluating the video

This task puts pupils in the position as evaluators of a BBC film: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z9kmhv4 Instead of taking everything the video says as gospel, pupils have to predict which aspects of Greek legacy they think the film should cover and then the depth to which they should...

Ancient Greece: Short task on using Greek pots

What can I do with just one Greek pot in the resource cupboard? Collaborative and creative storyboarding At the core of this activity is the development of pupils' creative imagination and their sense of the past as evidence for just one object. To make it work...

How to teach Ancient Greece to Key Stage 2

To all intents and purposes, the ancient Greek planning and all the outstanding lessons fit just as perfectly with the current curriculum as well as the existing one. The only difference might be is where schools choose to look at Greek and Roman legacies together...

Ancient Greece at KS2

KS2 Ancient Greece Outstanding Lessons

Planners

Planning for teaching Ancient Greece KS2

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 1 – How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago?

Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 2 – Theseus and the Minotaur: Is there any evidence for the legend?

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 1 – What can we work out about everyday life in Ancient Athens?

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 2 – Ancient Greek vases: the answer lies on the pot

Ancient Greece – KQ2 Part 3 – What was life like for women in Ancient Greece?

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 1 – Why was Athens able to be so strong in the 5th and 6th century BC?

Part 1

Part 2

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 2 – The Battle of Marathon. A history mystery

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 3 – comparing six contrasting interpretations of the original Marathon run

Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 4 – Consequences of the battle of Marathon: Bells and whistles – Smart task

Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 1 – role play on building the Parthenon

Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 2 – Making Greek democracy come to life – a ‘smashing’ lesson

Learning objectives

Ancient Greece – KQ5 Part 1 – What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from a study of their Olympics?

Ancient Greece – KQ5 Part 2 – What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from their interest in the theatre?

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 1 – Under the Cloth: sorting the muddled collection. Is it all Greek to you?

Step 1

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 2 – Short KS2 task on the Ancient Greek legacy: language

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 3 – How Great is your Greek?

Ancient Greece – KQ6 Part 4 – What did the Greeks do for us? Evaluating the video

Ancient Greece: Short task on using Greek pots

How to teach Ancient Greece to Key Stage 2

Useful links

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