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Thematic Unit Plan

Grade: Third
Unit Title: Time to Meet the Greeks!
Course/Subject: Ancient Greece
Approximate Time Required: One Week
1.

Main Purpose:

The main purpose of this unit is to teach 3rd grade students about the history,
geography, and other key aspects of ancient Greece. Students will analyze the history of
Greece, by looking at their government structure, architecture, and their culture, and how
that all impacted the world today. Students will also learn about the geography of both
Greece and the surrounding countries, so that they can understand how these have
affected the development of the country. They will be learn about both the physical and
human characteristics of Greece, and how the human characteristics showed proof of
their adaptations to survive and prosper. We will explore all of this through many
methods, with a main one being reading. The students will read about ancient Greece,
through books and plays and movies either written in the time or about the time, in order
for them to understand as much as they can about the history, culture, beliefs, people, and
country, and how all of those aspects have influenced the world today.

2.

Behavioral Objectives:
The student will be able to:
I.
II.

III.

History
a. SWBAT explain the contributions of ancient Greece in terms of
architecture, government, and culture on today's world.
Geography
a. SWBAT locate Greece and other important locations in the region.
b. SWBAT describe the human characteristics of Greece
c. SWBAT describe the physical characteristics of Greece.
d. SWBAT describe how people of Greece were able to adapt to survive and
prosper
Reading
a. SWBAT demonstrate comprehension of fiction and nonfiction relating to
ancient Greece.

3.
I.

Content Outline:
History
a. SWBAT explain the contributions of ancient Greece in terms of
architecture, government, and culture on todays world.
i. Architecture
1. Minoans
a. Large towns were built around palaces
i. Palaces: private appts.; large, airy rooms,
decorated with colorful wall paintings
(frescoes); built of stone; ceilings, roofs, and
doors made of wood; 3-4 stories; built
around courtyard; light wells; store rooms
for food; rooms for religious ceremonies
ii. Smaller houses outside palace grounds: vary
in size; had storage, cooking, work, living,
and sleeping areas
b. Outdoor shrines for religious purposes
c. Elaborately decorated tombs
d. Palaces destroyed (1450 B.C.): believed to be by
volcanoes
2. Mycenaenas
a. Lived in small kingdoms, each with own cities
i. Protected by walls and being on high ground
(acropolis: high city)
ii. Buildings more than one story high, grouped
around a central courtyard, brightly painted
inside/out
iii. Large storerooms held agricultural produce
and crafts
3. Greeks
a. Simple structures of mud and brick: homes
b. Temples were most important buildings
i. Provided focus for both civic and religious
feelings
c. Public buildings made of
limestone/marble/sometimes sandstone
i. Parts made of wood (roof, frame, ceilings)
ii. Roof tiles made of terra cotta/stone tiles
d. Building were different shapes and sizes
i. Tholos: round building with a conical roof
1. Athens: sued as meeting place for
members of city council
2. Other places: religious purposes
ii. Stoa: building with row of columns at
front.

1. Provided shelter from sun and rain


2. Built around agora (market place)
3. Contained shops or offices
iii. Treasuries: buildings that resembled small
temples
1. Built to store offerings
e. Elaborate altars were built in the open (usually in
front of temple entrance)
i. Propylaea: temples elaborate gateway;
formed entrance to sacred enclosure of
religious sanctuary
f. Design was based on vertical pillars with horizontal
lintels
i. Various styles of pillars: Ionic and Doric
pillars (used in many temples); Corinthian
and Caryatid
g. Walls of public buildings decorated with murals,
friezes, and statues
ii. Government
1. Independent states called polis or city state
a. Was a city surrounded by countryside
b. Athens was the largest
c. States were small with less than a few thousand
people
d. In Greek society, two groups of people: free people
and slaves
i. Slaves did all work for free people
ii. Had no legal rights
iii. Prisoners of war or purchased from slave
traders
iv. Treated fairly though, some even paid
e. Athens, two groups: citizens and metics
i. Citizen
1. Free man, born to Athenian parents
2. Most powerful and privileged
3. Only ones who could take part in
government
a. Could hold office and
become government officials
b. Serve in army
ii. Metic
1. Man born outside Athens, came to
live to trade and practice
2. Paid taxes and served in army
3. No say in government, couldnt own
land, couldnt speak in law court

f. Could not switch social groups once born into one


i. Slaves could improve their social status,
however freed slaves could never become
citizens or metics
g. Social divisions ONLY applied to men, but women
had same status as their husbands. However, could
not take part in public life
2. Went through major changes
a. Archaic Period- oligarchy (rule by the few),
people in power were aristocrats
b. Then ruled by a tyrant, one man who would have
absolute power
3. Democracy (510 B.C.): due to a civil war
a. All citizens had a say in the government
b. Today, everyone has a vote. But ancient Greece,
only citizens could vote
c. Women, foreign residents, and slaves were excluded
d. Cleistenes divided people into groups for
administrative purposes
i. Small communities: demes
ii. Demes grouped into 30 larger groups:
trittyes
1. 10 trittyes: from Athens
2. 10 from the countryside
3. 10 from costal areas
e. Assembly: every citizen had the right to speak and
vote
i. Met once every ten dayson a hill called the
Pnyx
ii. So important that if enough people werent
in attendance, police went to round more up
f. Council made up of 500 citizens, 50 from each
Athenian tribes
i. Councillors elected every year and take
responsibility for the day-to-day running of
the state (met in Tholos)
g. Elected 10 strategoi annually, who were military
commanders who implemented policies decided by
Council and Assembly
h. Archons: nine, chosen by citizens
i. Three most important:
1. Basileus Archon: responsible for
arranging religious sacrificies and
the renting of temple land.
Supervised the theater festival and
feasts

2. Eponymous Archon: organized


choral and drama contests.
Responsible for lawsuits about
inheritances and the affairs
3. Polemarch Archon: in charge of
offerings and special athletic contests
4. Minoans
a. Royal palace was in the center (main government),
moving out towards the country where common
people lived
b. Food was grown on farms, congregated in palace
store rooms, then dispersed to everyone
5. Mycenaenas
a. Lived in small kingdoms, each with own cities
i. Protected by walls and being on high ground
(acropolis: high city)
ii. Contained royal palace with houses for
courtiers, soldiers, and craftsmen
iii. Palaces used as military headquarter
1. Administrative center
b. Mycenaean world was breaking up (1200 B.C.):
poor harvests, food shortages, and famine- city died,
lead to the Dark Age
iii. The Dark Ages (C. 1100-800 B.C.)
1. Revolved around the Dorians
2. Due to lack of information about the period, the name Dark
Ages came
a. Writing was lost, no written records
3. Population decreased dramatically
4. The arts suffered (fresco painting, cutting gems, pottery,
etc.)
5. Architecture became more simple
a. Buildings made of mud bricks and wood
b. Did not last, looked like small huts
6. Clothing became more simple
a. Loose tunic, fastened at shoulder with dress pin
(Doric chiton)
7. Cremation was introduced
a. Burned body of deceased, stored in a clay jar, then
buried in a grave
8. Passed down stories by professional poets (bards)
a. Told about gods and Mycenaean heroes
iv. The Archaic Period (C. 900- 500 B.C.)
1. Time of progression and expansion, rebound after Dark
Ages
a. Gained contact with outside world

b. First Olympic games took place


c. Greeks began to use writing again (800 B.C.): went
from Phoenicians writing, to adding vowel sounds.
Basis of alphabet today
2. People began settling around Mediterranean Sea
3. Government was ruled by an oligarchy (rule by the few)
a. People in power were aristocrats
v. Culture
1. Minoans
a. First inhabitants of Greece (6000 B.C.)
b. Highly organized, trading economy
c. Living from: farming, animals, hunting, fishing, and
trading (crafts and arts)
d. Traveled all over (land and sea)
i. Relations/trade with other countries
e. Most civilization was along the coast line
2. Mycenaenas
a. Dominated Greece from 1600 to 1100 B.C.
b. Lived in small kingdoms, each with own cities
i. Contained royal palace with houses for
courtiers, soldiers, and craftsmen
ii. Palaces used as military headquarter
1. Administrative center
2. Work place for many skilled
craftsmen
3. Center of economic life
c. Traded with other countries along eastern
Mediterranean sea (Asia Minor and Lebanon)
d. War
i. Warlike people: soldiers wore bronze body
armor, helmets, and shields
ii. Trojan War
1. Famous Greek poet: Homer
2. City of Troy was destroyed after a
ten year war
3. Thought to be a myth, until remains
were found in Modern Turkey (19th
century A.D.)
4. Between Greece and Troy over
Helen of Sparta (promised to one
guy by father, promised to another
guy by Aphrodite)
5. King of Ithaca Odysseus came up
with the Trojan Horse

a. Huge wooden horse left


outside city of Troy, sailed
away
b. Trojans brough it inside
c. Greek soldiers hidden inside
and crept out at night to allow
their army into the city
6. Aeneas, a Trojan prince, was only to
escape alive with family.
Descendants believed to be founders
of Rome
3. Spartans
a. Self-sufficient in food, making it one of the largest
Greek states (Sparta)
b. Suffered from wards, invading nations, and
rebellions
c. Every male Spartan had to become a full-time
soldier
i. Spent life training and fighting
ii. Dedicated to producing strong, superior
warriors
iii. Began at birth. If weak at birth, father could
refuse to bring him up and abandon
him/officials made decision
iv. Sent to military school at 7, experienced
major discipline, poor food (went hungry),
slept on rushes, and wore minimal clothing
in both summer and winter, no shoes, even
in winter
1. If caught disobeying, punished and
ridiculed by peers
2. Trained everyday, no holidays, and
inspected every week for spare fat
(minimal food)
v. Couldnt show weakness/emotion
1. Whipping contests held to see who
was strongest; sometimes ended in
death
vi. Given land and slaves (helots) to do their
work so they could be in military
1. Helped them to support their family
with land, shelter, and food
vii. Did not marry until 30, seldom at home
because they spent most time at barracks.
Only old men lived at home
4. Greeks

a. Statues honored famous people


i. Detailed carving done in workshop
b. Pictures on pottery depicted daily life
c. Potters were skilled craftsmen (figure ware, cooking
pots, lamps, roof tiles)
d. Decorative pots made by potter and artist
i. Potters (Athens) worked in Kerameikos,
shops were small (5-6 men)
5. Bards (professional poets who pass on stories)
a. Most famous: Homer
i. The Illiad
ii. The Odyssey
iii. Mostly about Trojan War
6. The Arts
a. Minoans
i. Frescoes (colorful wall paintings in palaces)
ii. Palaces decorated with pictures of bulls
horns
iii. Decorated many things with two sacred
symbols: horns of the bull and the doubleheaded axe (religious meaning)
b. Mycenaenas
i. Building surrounding palace were brightly
painted, inside and out
c. Greeks
i. Walls of public buildings decorated with
murals, friezes, and statues
ii. Statues
1. Used for many purposes
2. Decorated temples/homes
3. Honored famous people/marked
graves
4. Made of limestone/marble, could
also be made of wood/bronze
5. Detailed carving done in workshop
6. Originally painted. Would use glass,
colored stone, or ivory for eyes
7. Weapons, crowns, jewelry, and horse
tackle (made of bronze) were put on
statue
8. Terra cotta (made of clay and sand):
used to make small statues and
plaques
iii. Pottery
1. Made for daily use
2. Beautifully decorated: intricate

3. Pictures depicted scenes from daily


life
4. Decorative pots made by potter and
artists
5. Potters (Athens) worked in
Kerameikos, shops were small (5-6
men)
7. Athletics and Sports
a. Done during leisure times, encouraged for use of
fitness
b. Local competitions held, with four major
competitions called the Panhellenic Games (each
honored particular deity)
i. Olympics (776 B.C.)
1. Oldest and most important
2. Developed from funeral games held
in honor of Pelops (Greek hero)
3. Held every four year, at Olympia, in
honor of Zeus, for five days
4. Messengers traveled throughout
Greece, announcing and inviting
5. Ceased all wars for safety purposes
6. Impressive buildings at Olympia to
house events (sporting grounds,
facilities for spectators/competitors,
religious ceremonies)
a. Palaistra: athletes trained for
jumping and wrestling
b. Gymnasium: running and
throwing events
c. Prytaneion: sacred fire, used
to light the fires on all the
altars at Olympia
d. Stadium: running events
e. Pelopion: burial mounds of
Pelops
f. Leonidation: hotel for
officials
g. Bouleuterion: where Olympic
Council held meetings
h. Temple of Zeus: held a statue
of Zeus, ivory and gold, 43
feet tall
7. 6 main events: running, wrestling,
pentathalon, boxing, chariot races,
and horse races

8. Winners received: olive wreath, palm


branches, and woolen ribbons
9. Everyone performed naked, except
chariot drivers
ii. Pythian
iii. Isthmian
iv. Nemean Games
8. Religion
a. Minoans
i. Palace contained religious rooms
ii. Outdoor shrines for worship
iii. Many gods and goddesses
iv. Decorated many things with two sacred
symbols: horns of the bull and the doubleheaded axe
v. Believed in life after death, buried people
with objects to be used in the afterlife
b. Greeks
i. Temples were most important buildings
1. Provided focus for both civic and
religious feelings
2. Decorated with statues and plaques,
often made of terra cotta
II.

Geography
a. SWBAT locate Greece and other important locations in the region.
i. Review general map skills
1. Identify map
2. Find compass rose
3. Find legend
ii. Review previously learned locations
1. US
2. Europe
3. Great Britain
iii. Directions from Great Britain to Greece
1. GB is north-west of Greece
2. Go to the southern most tip of GB
3. Cross the English Channel into Belgium
4. Go South East through Germany, Austria, Hungary
5. Then go directly south through Serbia, Albania, until you
reach Greece
iv. Other important locations
1. Mediterranean Sea
a. Body of water surrounding Greece
b. Used for transportation/protection/trade
2. Turkey/Italy
a. Two closest countries, across bodies of water

III.

b. Used to trade
3. Athens
a. Capital of Greece
4. Middle East
a. Southern countries that are used for trade
b. SWBAT describe the human characteristics of Greece
i. Fearsome fighters
ii. Olive skin/naturally darker skin
c. SWBAT describe the physical characteristics of Greece
i. Climate
1. Cool in summer, warm in winter
2. Temperature is hot and dry
3. Average Temperature:
a. Summer: 33 degrees Celsius
b. Winter: 15 degrees Celsius
ii. Terrain
1. Varied (scenic)
a. Mountains
b. Valleys
c. Coasts
i. 40 miles from the farthest part inland
2. Lots of islands
3. Dry soil around cities
4. Volcanic
a. Between the European and African tectonic plates
b. Very volcanic
iii. Agricultural
1. Varied vegetation
a. About 6,000 indigenous species
b. Olives, figs, grain, fruit, grapes: fertile valleys
2. Less vegetation around cities
3. Couldnt do large-scale farming (high mountains)
a. Made them look at other countries for fertile land
d. SWBAT describe how people of Greece were able to adapt to survive and
prosper
i. Needed to be able to fight because they were in a position in which
they could be easily attacked
ii. Darker skin to endure the strong sun
Reading
a. SWBAT demonstrate comprehension of fiction and nonfiction relating to
ancient Greece
i. Set a purpose for reading
ii. Make connections between previous experiences and reading
selections
iii. Make, confirm, or revise predictions
iv. Compare and contrast settings, characters, and events

v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.

Identify the authors purpose


Ask and answer questions
Draw conclusions about character and plot
Organize information and events logically
Summarize major points found in fiction materials
Understand basic plots of fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and
fables

4.

Procedures and Activities:

Procedures- what the teacher does


Direct- lecture with a PowerPoint
Direct- Didactic questioning (review)
Direct- guided instruction
Monitor and facilitate
Monitor and facilitate
Facilitate and questions
Monitor and facilitate
Monitor and facilitate
Direct-reflective questioning

5.

Activities- what the student does


Notes page (structured overview)
Answering
Visual or written overview
Cooperative Learning- group discussion
Experiential- plays/role play
Indirect instruction- read aloud
Independent Study- writing activity
Experiential- visit Smithsonian Greek
exhibit
Answering

Instructional Aides and Resources

Worksheets
Books on gods and goddesses
Video
Smithsonian Greek exhibits

6.

Assessment:

I. History
SWBAT explain the contributions of ancient Greece in terms of architecture,
government, and culture on todays world.
Formal- graded (indicate high/low stakes) Informal- ungraded, feedback only
Entry and exit tickets (low)
Notes page
Homework (low)
Didactic questions
Projects (high)
Reflective questions
Quizzes (low)
Exit tickets, entry tickets

Unit test (high)


Homework
Presentation (low)
Debates
II. Geography
SWBAT locate Greece and other important locations in the region
SWBAT describe the human characteristics of Greece
SWBAT describe the physical characteristics of Greece
SWBAT describe how people of Greece were able to adapt to survive and prosper
Formal
Informal
Homework (low)
Didactic questions
Quizzes (low)
Homework
Unit test (high)
Oral class tests
Presentation (low)
Diorama/poster (low)
III. Reading
SWBAT demonstrate comprehension of fiction and nonfiction relating to ancient
Greece
Formal
Informal
Projects (high)
Daily discussions on reading
Reading quizzes (low)
Notes page on reading
Unit test (high)
Book report (high)

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