76. Teaching Ancient Greece

Ellie 0:00

Welcome back to the Teaching Toolbox Podcast. Today, we're diving into an incredible topic that's both fascinating and foundational for middle school students: Teaching Ancient Greece. I'm Ellie, and I'm thrilled to be here with my co host and ancient Greece teaching expert Brittany.

Brittany 0:37

Hello, so Ellie, I'm excited to be here and to talk about one of my all time favorite topics that I teach and have taught for many years, Ancient Greece. It has so much to offer, not just in terms of history, but also in helping students develop critical thinking skills and an appreciation for the past.

Ellie 0:59

That sounds fantastic. So let's start with the big picture. Why do you think teaching Ancient Greece is so important for middle schoolers?

Brittany 1:10

Great question. Teaching Ancient Greece helps students build a foundation of historical knowledge that's essential for understanding the world today. It's amazing how much of our modern society, like our government, our architecture, our philosophy, even our vocabulary, is influenced by Ancient Greece. Learning about this civilization helps students connect the past to the present and see how history is alive in their everyday lives.

Ellie 1:41

That's such a powerful point. And it's not just about learning facts, right? There's a lot of skill building involved too I would think.

Brittany 1:49

Yeah, I'm not one of those people who like pushes names and dates and names and dates and wars, and I can't do that with my students, so I'm all about teaching the critical thinking skills, the analytical skills - students evaluate sources, primary and secondary sources, comparing different civilizations, drawing connections between historical events and their own experiences, or other experiences throughout the past. And it's such a rich way to engage their minds and teach them to think like historians.

Ellie 2:26

Yeah, that's a great way to just even present it to them like we're gonna think like historians. I didn't get to teach Ancient Greece ever, so this is interesting to think about. I'm sure that it also fosters cultural awareness. How does learning about Ancient Greece helps students develop empathy and a global perspective?

Brittany 2:44

Well, when students learn about diverse cultures and ways of life, it broadens their understanding of the world. Ancient Greece provides a window into different values, traditions, and innovations, and this helps students appreciate the diversity of human experience and become more informed, empathetic global citizens.

Ellie 3:05

And let's not forget how engaging the topic is. Ancient Greece seems like it has such fascinating stories and achievements that naturally would captivate students.

Brittany 3:15

Absolutely. Whether it's the myths of the gods, the drama of the Persian Wars, the brilliance of Greek philosophers, there's something for everyone. It sparks curiosity and inspires students to learn more.

Ellie 3:29

My daughter always loved learning about the gods, like that was one of her huge things. The gods and mythology.

Brittany 3:37

Yeah, they're fun. Teaching Ancient Greece provides a foundation of historical knowledge, builds critical thinking skills, and fosters cultural awareness. Understanding how ancient civilizations have shaped modern society today, gives students context for today's world.

Ellie 3:55

That's awesome. We know that some people like research. Is there any research that backs that up?

Brittany 4:00

Certainly the American Historical Association emphasizes that history offers the only extensive evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how societies function, which is crucial for understanding our present and our future. Additionally, studying history helps students develop the ability to analyze and explain problems in the past, positioning them to see patterns that might otherwise be invisible in the present. This provides a critical perspective for solving modern challenges.

Ellie 4:37

Brittany 5:03

Exactly sometimes we start to repeat the past before we realize we're repeating it already,

Ellie 5:10

right, right?

Brittany 5:12

But research from the National Council for historic education highlights that understanding historical context helps students make informed decisions as citizens. For instance, when students learn how democracy evolved in ancient Greece, they gain a deeper appreciation for its value in today's world, it's about creating not just knowledgeable students, but also engaged and responsible global citizens.

Ellie 5:39

There's some compelling reasons to be studying ancient Greece. It really drives home how important history is for shaping well rounded learners.

Brittany 5:48

And let's not forget, history also builds empathy. By studying the lives and struggles of others, students can appreciate culture, ideas, traditions that are not their own, recognizing them as meaningful products of specific times and places. Ancient Greece is full of stories that inspire curiosity and help students connect with the past in a meaningful way.

Ellie 6:13

Great point. I love that. Well, that brings us to our next focus, which is tools and resources that make teaching Ancient Greece easier and more impactful. Brittany, tell us about your go to resource.

Brittany 6:27

Well, I started it way back in my first year of teaching, and ancient Greece was my very first unit I ever had to teach, and I developed a comprehensive unit that's packed with lessons, activities, maps, assessments - it covers everything from Greek geography and the city states to the gods the major wars all the way through Alexander the Great. And this unit includes interactive activities like foldables, close notes, games, review games. It also has some digital components for classrooms that are using technology.

Ellie 7:04

Wow, that sounds amazing. What are some of the content highlights?

Brittany 7:09

Well, Lesson One is all about geography. I always start with geography and with map activities and a presentation to talk about the terrain of Greece and how that influenced their settlements.

Ellie 7:24

Okay.

Brittany 7:24

And then Lesson Eight focuses on Greek mythology as we talked about the gods and goddesses with an accordion fold that features 13 major gods and goddesses. And if you can believe it, they had hundreds.

Ellie 7:38

Oh, wow.

Brittany 7:40

And there are also some myths and puzzles in that unit as well. And then in Lesson 18, there are some review games, like ancient Greece bingo, a quiz show, if you remember that show that used to be very popular, the weakest link, I have a version of that okay as well.

Ellie 7:59

Great.

Brittany 7:59

So those are always a hit with students.

Ellie 8:02

I was gonna say, and then what, what would be your favorite lesson in that unit?

Brittany 8:06

My favorite lesson is lesson nine on the ancient games. I live in Olympic city, USA, and I have always been a big Olympic fan, and so teaching my students about the games was always important to me, and so this lesson features readings about the games, an indoor version of the games that you can play with straws and masking tape, but if you're digitally bound, it also has a digital version of the games that you can play with your students across the internet, and then it has a Google Sheets scorekeeper so that you don't have to keep track of the score. And it's so much fun. And if you can take your kids outside, it has an outside games you can play too that's not making the kids run a marathon.

Ellie 9:00

Awesome. That sounds like so much fun. So then, with all these fun things, what do we do for assessments? Do you - how do you make sure that students really grasp the material?

Brittany 9:10

I have both a multiple choice and a comprehensive exam in my unit, along with study guides and these tools make it easy to guage understanding and ensure that students are prepared.

Ellie 9:23

Awesome. Well, that all sounds wonderful and very engaging. We know sometimes it's tough to get students engaged in different topics. What other top tips do you have for making an ancient Greece unit engaging?

Brittany 9:37

First of all, incorporate interdisciplinary learning. Tie in art projects like designing Greek vases or studying the Parthenon architecture. Second, use storytelling to bring history to life, and whether it's a myth or a historical event, stories can capture students imaginations. And you can do both the incorporating of interdisciplinary learning with the storytelling, by using Archimedes and his mathematical principle that he figured out with the buoyancy of water,

oh,

and the buoyancy of metal. When he would take a crown, the king's crown, into a bathtub, okay, and he would see how much water was displaced. And when he figured out how much water was displaced overall and the buoyancy of metal, of the different metals, he was known for, saying, Eureka,

I did not know that.

Then there's some funny clip art of Archimedes running around like naked with Eureka covering his, you know, spots. So it just makes the kids laugh further. You know, sixth graders get that kind of thing,

yeah, for sure,

yeah. It just makes it fun for them. So

that's awesome. Yeah, I love the idea of interdisciplinary learning and storytelling. Storytelling was an area I always could have done better with. What about doing debates? Does this unit lend itself to any good debate opportunities?

Debate is great in this unit. You can have your kids debate Athens versus Sparta in which civilization was better. You could have them debate between the Persians and the Greeks and whether or not they should go to war and which side would win. There are lots of different opportunities for debate in a Greek unit.

Awesome. I think I should learn more about that.

Yeah, it's a fun way to build critical thinking skills and to help your students with their public speaking

Always a benefit. Any more tips for this unit?

hands on activities are a must, from foldables to interactive maps, the more tactile the learning, the more it sticks. My resources packed with activities that help history come alive for students, but that don't take a ton of time, cutting, folding, gluing, etc.

I love when learning activities are interactive, but don't take lots of cutting and gluing. Well, thanks for all these ideas. Brittany. Teaching Ancient Greece can be, or it sounds like it can be, such a rewarding experience for both teachers and students. It's a great chance to explore a fascinating civilization while building essential tools and knowledge for your teaching toolbox.

And with resources like the one we discussed today, it's easier than ever to make the unit engaging, interactive, and impactful.

Thanks for joining us on this journey through ancient Greece today. If you're interested in the resource we talked about, check out the link in the show notes, and don't forget to subscribe for more tips and ideas from the teaching toolbox.

See you next time

bye.