DOes anyone have any great ideas to open up my Ancient Greece lesson. I feel I am in a rut. I have funa activities and projects, I just want a WOW to start.

[kitty11710]

I am about to start my next unit in Social Studies on Ancient Greece as well. I would love any ideas people have to share! I wish I could be more of a help to you.

[imalith]

Start the unit explaining about important trade was to the ancient Greek people. The marketplace, the Agora, is where people trade goods. Make cooperative groups/families and each family is has something they will trade at the Agora. I wrote different scenarios regarding economic status and what they have to trade and what they need to acquire.

Each family reads their scenario and makes up signs for the marketplace and creates their "goods" . The goods are like "10 cows" SO they draw one cow on a scrap of paper and write 1 cow below it. Or maybe they have bolt of linen.

On the written scenario it explains what the family needs to trade for at the Agora. (I made sure that each family needed something that another family had to trade).

Big market day: Students put up signs, reread their scenario to determine what they need to trade for and then, let the trading begin...it gets wild and loud. At the end you evaluate who traded for what they needed and who came out ahead. Talk about economy, etc.

My students loved this. They talked about it for months. It was one of the activities where my normally lower achieving students totally excelled.

I cannot claim this as my idea. I read it in a book somewhere, but modified it and created my own scenarios to fit my class size and needs.

[WildcatBarb85]

I always read myths about a god/goddess, especially the Olympian gods. The students love to hear them and I have them summarize the stories in their own words. After we have done quite a few, they have some matching activities to do. We also make vanity plates for a particular god or goddess, which they love to do. After I have read several myths, I show them the movie "Jason and the Argonauts".
We also study the Greek alphabet and I have them make name plates for themselves in Greek.

[lostlady21]

I just finished a unit. Check out Mr. Donn's and Maxie's units. I did a lot with Greek Mythology.

My favorite activity were the persuasive letters we wrote to Zeus. It was a R.A.F.T. (Role Audience Format Topic) activity.

Role: a god or goddess from Greek Mythology
Audience: Zeus
Format: Persuasive Letter
Topic: Persuade Zeus to give you a new power that will help you do your job better

The students were very creative with this.

I am finishing up my unit and I have this idea that I will try next year. I like to do a little acting so I will dress as a Greek woman and role play. I will introduce a little culture to the students to get them interested in the history and I would tell them things they can expect to learn throuhout the unit. It will be a total surprise. I will tell them they will have a sub the day before so they won't expect it. Thoroughout the unit we will do things like: the three governments of Greece flipbook, discuss Greek heros and watch, Hercules and The Odyssey. They will learn to write a letter from Odysseus to Penelope, his wife in Greek. They will create a Greek Pottery etching. They will learn about Greek mythology and create a book of the Gods and Goddess. Those are a few ideas for you. I hope your unit goes well and good luck!