Ancient Greece Unit Bundle - 10 lessons; 92 pages of material!

This Ancient Greece unit bundle contains the materials and directions for TEN complete lesson plans, activities, worksheets, readings, and PowerPoints! 92 pages and TWO WEEKS of lesson material. All resources needed for a complete lesson, ready in seconds, are included in the zip.

These lessons and activities are completely Common Core aligned, substantiated with primary source analysis, and will prepare your students for state assessments, as well as the AP World History exam. You may find a list of the included lessons below - links are provided to each product sold separately, containing more detailed information and images of materials. Any product that is not in Word already that you would like to edit for the needs of your class can be obtained simply by emailing me.

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1. Greek Geography: Lesson and Worksheet

In this complete lesson students analyze images and maps of Greece and its geography, followed by reading an excerpt about the impact of geography on Ancient Greece's history. They then answer four reading questions synthesizing their knowledge of the geographic features of ancient Greece and the resulting impacts on its development. They finish by completing two questions helping them place Ancient Greece in cross-cultural and historical context - analyzing an alphabet image to determine Ancient Greece's relationship with other Mediterranean cultures, and completing a writing activity comparing and contrasting the impact of Ancient Greece's geography with another ancient civilization they have studied. Students especially come to understand the unique significance of Greece's mountains, access to seas, limited farmland, and inland isolation. All teacher answer keys are included. 6 pages.

2. Religion in Ancient Greece: Lesson, PowerPoint, and Activities

In this lesson students learn about Ancient Greek religious beliefs, how religion was important in Ancient Greek society, and how Ancient Greek religion still affects our society today - a great introduction for any history or ELA class studying Ancient Greece. The lesson is student-centered, engaging, and action-packed! My kids LOVE doing the "Which god should you call upon?" activity and finding the modern connections between Greek religion and our culture in the PowerPoint slideshow. Students also read the "Pluto and Persephone" myth and complete reading questions. All teacher answer keys included! 22 pages.

3. Early Greek Forms of Government: Reading and Worksheet

Students learn about the forms of government in Ancient Greece (monarchy, oligarchy/aristocracy, tyranny, and direct democracy). They read a handout on the different early Greek forms of government, as well as a hypothetical legal scenario. They then complete a chart which has them apply the information they've learned to answer different questions about how the legal scenario would be resolved under each form of government. Complete teacher answer key is included. 3 pages.

4. Athens vs. Sparta: Lesson and Debate

It's the battle of the Greek city-states in this fun lesson! Students complete a reading and a chart about the Athenian and Spartan city-states, then are guided through a structured debate activity to determine which society was more successful overall. Students are assigned city-states and debate topics such as whether democracy or totalitarianism is a better governing system, whether Sparta or Athens was best for women and low-class citizens, and which society we should look to as the representation of Greek greatness. Watch out - this debate gets competitive! 7 pages.

5. The Persian Wars: Reading, Worksheet, and Illustrated Timeline Activity

This resource begins with a clear and engaging 2 page reading on the First and Second Persian Wars. The reading discusses the causes of the Persian Wars; the Ionian Revolt; the roles of Athens, Sparta and other Greek city-states; the Battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis; key leaders and strategies; and the overall significance and results of the Persian Wars including the creation of the Delian League. Students then complete a worksheet involving vocabulary terms and comprehension and opinion questions. A complete teacher answer key is included. The lesson finishes with a fun activity in which students create an illustrated timeline of key events in the Persian Wars, cementing student understanding especially among more visual learners. A complete rubric is included. Point values are left blank so you can adjust them to your grading scale. 6 pages.

6. Path to the Peloponnesian War: Interactive Simulation

Students learn about the conditions that led to the Peloponnesian War in the aftermath of the Persian Wars by experiencing it themselves! They play the roles of five Greek city-states in small groups, read about the background of the Peloponnesian War and the tensions/interactions between the city-states, then conduct diplomacy with each other to form treaties. The simulation finishes with students completing a debriefing discussion and writing activity to compare the simulation to the history. By the end of the simulation, students have a deep understanding of why the Peloponnesian War was fought, who the main players were, and what the main issues were. Interestingly, the outcome of the student simulation is almost always the same as the historical reality! You'll be amazed at how intense your students get in this simulation, all the while soaking in the complexities of detailed historical interactions. 11 pages.

7. Athens and the Peloponnesian War: Lesson, PowerPoint, and Worksheets

Students study the background, methods , and results of the Peloponnesian War in this complete lesson, especially focusing on Athens' involvement in the Peloponnesian War. They examine maps and images, take concise notes from a PowerPoint, and analyze excerpts from Thucydides' famous "Melian Dialogue" and Pericles' "Funeral Oration." Students compare and contrast Spartan and Athenian strategies in the Peloponnesian War and examine Pericles' plan to save Athens. The lesson additionally teaches the concept of imperialism to students by examining case studies of Athenian imperialistic actions and has students compare Athenian foreign policy to its democratic ideals. 16 pages.

8. Greek Philosophers Lesson: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

In this action-packed and engaging lesson students learn the key philosophical ideas and impact of three important philosophers in Ancient Greece: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Students will analyze and answer questions on a two page summative reading as well as primary source excerpts from Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, including Plato's "Republic" and Socrates' famous "Meno's Square" proof (which students have a blast showing off trying to prove mathematically!). Students learn about the Socratic Method and debate Plato's ideals of "philosopher kings" versus Athenian direct democracy. The lesson plan includes notes and context for students on the historical situations in Ancient Greece during which the philosophers lived (the Peloponnesian War, the execution of Socrates, Aristotle's role as tutor to Alexander the Great) and asks them to examine how those events may have impacted these philosophers' ideas. The lesson concludes with students linking and analyzing the influence of classical Greek philosophy on Western culture, government, and media. A vocabulary-definition matching worksheet is included, as is a fun "Agora Dialogue" activity, in which students construct fictional conversations between Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. 10 pages.

9. Ancient Greek Art and Literature: Lesson and Worksheets

In this 4 page packet, students examine images, read notes sections, and analyze primary sources to determine how classical Greek art and literature reflected the values of its society. Students determine the main characteristics of Greek art by examining selected famous examples, then compare and contrast its goals and functions with Ancient Egyptian art and modern examples. They learn and write about Aristotle's concept of "pathos" in the arts, and finish by examining how an excerpt from Sophocles' play "Antigone" portrays the concepts, goals, and values they have seen in other examples of classical Greek art. A complete teacher answer key is included with this product. 6 pages.

10. Alexander the Great: Worksheet, DBQ, and Writing Lesson

Students learn about the impact of Alexander the Great as they complete a three page worksheet, examine 5 primary and secondary source documents, complete a graphic organizer, and complete a mini-writing lesson. Students review historical context of Ancient Greece and learn geography of the Macedonian Empire using a timeline and map. Then they analyze images to learn about Alexander's military tactics and the Hellenistic culture that was spread throughout his empire. Students then read primary and secondary source documents to find evidence to answer the lesson's overall question "How "great" was Alexander the Great?", using a chart to organize their information. I often run a class debate using this activity, as well. Finally, students write a full introductory paragraph with a thesis answering the lesson's question. A handout provides structure and breaks down this process for them and provides example paragraphs responding to the same question. Complete teacher answer key included. 10 pages.