Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Culture and beliefs of Ancient Greeks
Target group
5th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
Pupil:
characterizes the structure of society and the belief system in (...) Greece; explains the difference between polytheism and monotheism;
characterizes the most important achievements of the material and spiritual culture of the ancient world in various fields: philosophy, science, law, architecture, art, literature.
General aim of education
Students learn about the culture, art and beliefs of ancient Greeks.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to describe what the ancient Greeks believed in;
to characterize how the ancient Greeks worshiped their gods;
to explain what were the sport and the Olympic Games for the Greeks;
to list the most outstanding creators of the ancient theater;
to explain what influence ancient Greek had on modern culture and science.
Methods/techniques
expository
talk.
activating
discussion.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
Students recall the beliefs of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Israel, and how their inhabitants worshiped the gods.
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
The teacher, referring to the homework task, asks pupils to recall what the beliefs in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Israel looked like. What were the similarities and what was different? How did the ancients imagine their gods? Asking the questions, the teacher remembers that they are to be formulated as key questions. Students should recall and know the concepts of polytheism and monotheism.
Realization
The teacher asks students if they know any Greek gods. Their names and attributes are still present in culture and pop culture. Students should list Zeus and lightning; Poseidon and the trident, the beauty of Aphrodite, etc. Then the teacher asks the students how did the ancient Greeks imagine the appearance of their deities? Students assign images to the deities in Exercise 1 **.
The teacher explains to students the anthropomorphic image of Greek deities, with the difference that they were immortal and eternally young. Then he explains that according to the beliefs, they were characterized by human vices and behaviors. He goes on to explain to the students how, where and when were the gods worshiped. The teacher should mention feasts: dionysia (bachanalia), mysteries; temples: eg Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and the Temple of Artemis (wonders of the world), and types of sacrifices: libation, hecatomb. Students get acquainted with the interactive illustration in ** Task 1 **.
The teacher explains that in antiquity, religious life and religion permeated all aspects of life and were present at every step. Work, rest and entertainment had their guardians and patrons. The teacher then divides the class into two groups – one for sports, the other for entertainment (theater). The students' task is to prepare a presentation on their meaning in the lives of the ancient Greeks. The teacher should draw the attention of the first group to the why, how and where the ancient Greeks took care of their bodies, what were the Olympic Games and what disciplines they had. The „theater” group should focus on the pedigree of the theater, performances and their appearance as well as the most outstanding works and authors. Students can use all available sources – e‑textbook, Internet, books, etc..
While working on the exercises, students use a set of cards in three colors: green, yellow and red. Using to the cards, they signal to the teacher if they have difficulties in carrying out the orders (green color – I'm doing great, yellow - I have doubts, red - I'm asking for help).
The students present their work. Then the teacher asks students what connects these areas of life (sport, theater, politics, war). Students should know that it was all a male domain and very strongly associated with religion. Then the teacher explains why the role of women was completely neglected (the woman's domain was home and family matters).
Summary
Aa a summary, the teacher asks students what terms, phrases or sayings originating from or associated with antiquity we use today. Students on the basis of knowledge gained during the lesson complete the text in Exercise 2 ** and then solve the crossword (** Exercise 3 **).The teacher provides feedback and checks the correctness of completed tasks..
The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.
Homework
The teacher tasks willing students with homework: Greeks loved science, they even created a term that defines this state – philosophy, or love of wisdom. Find out who the most famous Greek philosophers were and what their views were.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Polis – rodzaj miasta‑państwa w starożytnej Grecji, które ograniczało się do miasta i pobliskich osad.
Oligarchia – dosłownie panowanie nielicznych; forma rządów niewielkiej grupy ludzi wywodzącej się z warstw uprzywilejowanych
Demokracja – forma sprawowania władzy, w której udział mają wszyscy obywatele.
Politeizm – wiara w wielu bogów, którzy zajmują się odrębnymi sferami życia.
Mit – opowieść o bogach, herosach i nadprzyrodzonych stworzeniach.
Panteon – w religiach politeistycznych zbiór bóstw, w które wierzy się w danej religii.
Hekatomba – ofiara ze stu wołów składana Zeusowi, później nazywano tak wszystkie większe ofiary składane bogom.
Deus ex machina – dosłownie „bóg z maszyny”; niespodziewane wprowadzenie nowej postaci (najczęściej boga) lub zaistnienie nowej okoliczności.
Komedia – utwór, którego celem jest rozśmieszenia i zabawa widzów.
Tragedia – utwór, w którym bohatera spotykają konflikty i trudności, które prowadzą do jego klęski. Tragedie wystawiano z okazji świąt na cześć boga Dionizosa.
Gimnazjon – zespoły budynków przeznaczone do ćwiczeń sportowych i rozwoju umysłowego. Obejmowały przede wszystkim obiekty sportowe.
Hipodrom – prostokątny plac zakończony półkolami pełniący funkcje toru wyścigowego podczas zawodów rydwanów
Palestra – część gimnazjonu przeznaczona to nauki i treningu zapasów i boksu.
Texts and recordings
Culture and beliefs of Ancient Greeks
Ancient Greeks treated science and art with great admiration. Adopting and creating alphabet by them quickly lead to the creation of literature. Its best example are two big epics of incredible artistic level created by Homer – Iliad and The Odyssey. Also the belief in many gods generated numerous stories about their adventures and achievements, called myths. Their creation and conveying were the tasks of numerous poets, they were also the plot of many theatre plays. In the elaborated Greek mythology full of gods, heroes and magical creatures the most important place was that of Zeus – the ruler of earth and heavens. By his side was Hera – the goddess of marriage and family, Poseidon – the ruler of the seas and waters, Hades – the ruler of the underworld and Athena – the goddess of wisdom and science. The most beautiful gods were Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Apollo – the god of music and poetry. They lived on the highest peak of Greece, the Olympus, and thanks to nectar, gods’ food, they were granted everlasting youth and immortality.
The Greeks worshipped the gods and gave them sacrifices in numerous temples, as well as by praying to them and singing them hymns. The most ceremonial and biggest sacrifice was called hecatomb, which was a sacrifice of 100 items of cattle.
Religious aspect, incredibly important for the Grecians, was also visible in sports. They believed that physical activity is incredibly important for the balance between the body and the spirit. And healthy and adequate looks, connected with beauty and kindness, was the height of humanity, beloved by the gods. Sport was also an element of education and civic lifestyle. In majority of Greek polis there were gymnasiums – places where both body and mind were exercised. It was in Ancient Greece where the Olympic Games were created. The first Olympic Games, to celebrate Zeus, took place in 776 BC in Olympia on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. For their duration (every 4 years), a peace was announced that was respected by everybody in the world, so that the sportsmen and the spectators could come from the furthest corners of Ellas without any problems. Only men could compete, women could not even be in the audience. Among many disciplines the most popular were chariot races and pentathlon. The winners of the competitions received laurel wreaths and their name was glorified for ages.
Greek myths and literature became inspiration for other creators. One of the form of presenting them were theatre plays. Theatre began in 5th century BC in Athens, and quickly became a popular form of entertainment. Theatre plays originated from celebrations of the god of grapevine – Dionysus, and they were most frequently played during the festivals for the glory of on of the gods. The most distinguished authors of Greek tragedies were Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.