KS2 Ancient Greece Outstanding Lessons

AcropolisTeaching ancient Greece at KS2 features a fully-resourced medium-term planner with lessons and resources for 6 enquiry questions plus a home study. Each question is now tightly linked to the existing outstanding lessons that many of you are familiar with plus loads of new smart tasks that you’ll love. For the legacy question alone there are 5 activities, including evaluating a BBC video, analysing a story for evidence of Greek-origin words as well as a bit of healthy debating to discover the greatest Greek, and some fun with Under the Cloth, plan your own Greek legacy museum and decide/justify what images should go on a new set of Greek legacy commemorative stamps.

Because this is quite demanding stuff, I have chosen lessons on Ancient Greece mainly suitable for Years 5 and 6 and there are some stunners here. The lesson on making ostracons is a fantastic way into Greek democracy. Speaking and listening are massively enhanced through the role play concerning whether to support Pericles’ Millennium dome-like idea to build the Parthenon. Contrasting interpretations are dealt with ingeniously through the lesson on the battle of Marathon which also features an excellent history mystery. For enormous fun potential alone, the ‘Call My Bluff’ and ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ approaches to pictures and replica artefacts from Ancient Athens should win you over.

Ancient Greece KS2 Scheme of Work, Knowledge Organiser, Assessment & Quiz

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Key QuestionHistorical focus
KQ1 Part 1 – How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago?Evidence and historical enquiry
KQ1 Part 2 – Theseus and the Minotaur: Is there any evidence for the legend?Evidence, myth and legend
KQ2 Part 1 – What can we work out about everyday life in Ancient Athens?Everyday life and evidence
KQ2 Part 2 – Ancient Greek vases: the answer lies on the potArtefacts and source analysis
KQ2 Part 3 – What was life like for women in Ancient Greece?Society and diversity
KQ3 Part 1 – Why was Athens able to be so strong in the 5th and 6th century BC?Causation and power
KQ3 Part 2 – The Battle of Marathon: a history mysteryCausation and historical mystery
KQ3 Part 3 – Comparing interpretations of the original Marathon runHistorical interpretations
KQ3 Part 4 – What were the consequences of the Battle of Marathon?Consequences and significance
KQ4 Part 1 – Role play on building the ParthenonDemocracy and citizenship
KQ4 Part 2 – Making Greek democracy come to lifeDemocracy and government
KQ4 Part 3 – Would you have preferred to live in Athens or Sparta?Similarity and difference
KQ5 Part 1 – What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from a study of their Olympics?Culture and society
KQ5 Part 2 – What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from their interest in the theatre?Culture and beliefs
KQ6 Part 1 – Is it all Greek to you?Greek legacy
KQ6 Part 2 – The Ancient Greek legacy: languageLegacy and language
KQ6 Part 3 – How Great is your Greek?Significance and legacy
KQ6 Part 4 – What did the Greeks do for us?Legacy and significance
Ancient greece
Ancient Greece – end of unit quiz

You’ve learned about the amazing people, places, and ideas from thousands of years ago — now it’s time to see what you remember! In this quiz, you’ll answer questions about…

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women in ancient greece
Top tips for planning your KS2 history studies – Ancient Greece

A study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world With its emphasis squarely on the achievements and legacy of the Greeks, this topic is much…

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women in ancient greece
Ancient Greece – assessment task – Life for women in Ancient Greece

This is a Year 6 task which focuses on Key Element 2a : characteristic features of life for men women and children and has a challenging supplementary question on interpretations which allows…

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ancient greece knowledge organiser
Ancient Greece knowledge organiser – KS2

In your study of Ancient Greece you will learn how a civilization that flourished over 2500 years ago still influences our lives today. Even the Olympic games come from this…

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planner
Planning for teaching Ancient Greece KS2

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 a society…

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Acropolis
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…

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minotaur
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…

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minotaur
Ancient Greece – KQ1 Part 2 – Background information

This short article provides some background information to support your teaching of Key Question 1 Part 2. Set the lesson in a chronological framework. It is probably worth chunking up…

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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…

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

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greek women
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…

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

As well as recapping Athens’ natural advantages (coastline to trade by sea, expand into colonies and capture slaves) and their natural resources (silver mines) pupils focus on the significance of…

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

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…

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Ancient greece
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…

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Ancient greece
Ancient Greece – KQ3 Part 3 – Additional Information – 10 Things Your Pupils Need To Know About Pheidippides ’Marathon’ Run

1. Herodotus makes no mention of the run from Marathon to Athens The principal source for the battle of Marathon is the Greek historian Herodotus. He makes no mention of…

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bells and whistles
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….

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parthenon
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…

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Making Ostracons
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…

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sparta
Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 3 – Would you have preferred to live in Athens or Sparta? Comparing life in Athens and Sparta: a short smart task

One way of bringing home to pupils what was so special about life in Ancient Athens is to compare it with life in Sparta. Also one of the strongest city-states,…

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Making Ostracons
Ancient Greece – KQ4 Part 2 Additional information – Ancient Greek democracy. Or what links Red painted rope, an idiot ,and piloting the ship.

This article supports the fully resourced outstanding lesson on democracy that can be found here Democracy is made from two words: Demos means people, Kratos mean power Interesting fact The…

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greek olympics vase
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…

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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…

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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…

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latin in english
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…

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Sophocles2
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…

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greek alphabet
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: BBC Bitesize – Watch: What did the ancient Greeks do for us? Instead of taking everything the…

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Replica pot from TTS
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…

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Ancient Greece
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…

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