lp_w_hss_acivgreece

Ancient Greek Civilizations Lesson Plan
Students will learn how the ancient Greek civilization helped to shape Western ideas. Using Microsoft Word, they will write a letter to a friend in another city-state. They will look at the geography of the region and determine how it has influenced the development of the human story and the everyday lives of the people living in this region of the world, studying the differences between the city-states of Athens and Sparta, with particular emphasis on their social, economic, and political structures. They will learn how religion influenced the Greeks as well as be able to describe the achievements and contributions of these early people and their influence upon later civilizations.

Ancient Greek Civilizations

Lesson Plan Attachments

On-line Resources

Ancient Greek Music
Excellent audio site that contains over 30 authentic "sound fragments" of Ancient Greek instrumental music. The fragments are brief but provide a good impression of the sound and melodies.
Homeric Singing
Audio site that plays Homeric epics as songs, representative of the oral tradition from which these poems originated.
The Sound of Ancient Greek - Classical Pronunciation
This site contains three readings by ancient Greek philosophers, including Homer's Illiad. The audio gives the listener a feeling for the tones, pitch, and inflection of the ancient Greek language and the corresponding text provides an example of the Greek alphabet.
Greek Music and the Greek Gods
This site discusses the connection between Greek music and the Greek gods and also contains additional links.
Ancient Greek Music on Papyrus
Pictures, explanation, and audio by William A. Johnson, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, of two new (but very brief) fragments of Ancient Greek Music recently found on papyrus in Egypt.
Didaskalia
This text site (with pictures) is devoted to ancient theater, beginning 2500 years ago with a Greek named Thespis. (Thespis was the first to use speaking actors in the performances of choral song and dance.)
Greek Art and Architecture
This site by the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs has a number of good pictures. (See "Classical Greek Architecture" pages for photographs of The Acropolis, Parthenon, etc.)
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games
This site by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology has information about the ancient Olympic games and also interesting comparisons between the ancient and modern games.
The Ancient Olympic Games Virtual Museum, Dartmouth College
Although registration is free, you have to register to have access. Once you enter, there is much information about the ancient games including a fictional story of a competitor.
Perseus Project, Tufts University
This site focuses on the Olympic games, and includes a pictorial tour of Ancient Olympia (photos and narrated video).
The Ancient City of Athens
This site, created by Kevin T. Glowacki and Nancy L. Klein of the Department of Classical Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington,is a frequently-used resource by secondary schools. A good collection of photographs is found under the "Sites and Monuments" topic.
The Ancient Greek World, University of Pennsylvania Museum
The "Daily Life" and "Economy" topics are noteworthy.
History for Kids, Portland State University
This site has been designed by Portland State students for the use by middle school students who are learning about the Greek civilization.
Ancient/Classical History, About.com
This site provides an encyclopedia-like collection of topics related to the ancient Greeks including art, literature, language, history, philosophers, engineering, mathematics, politics, and social life. Warning: site invokes "pop-over/pop under" windows for commercial advertisements, which can be annoying and may be inappropriate or contrary to local school practices.