Upper Key Stage 2 Ancient Greece
Timeline

Find out about the four main time periods of the Greek Empire. Learn key information from each era and wow invited guests as you teach them everything you have learned about the chronology of the Ancient Greeks.

Session 1 Up to 1000 BCE - The Greek Dark Ages Part 1

Objectives

History

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Britain, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Gain and deploy a historically-grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilization’.
  • Understand Ancient Greece, Greek life, their achievements and influence on the western world.

Design and Technology

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose.

Art

  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques.
  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.

Lesson Planning

Research information about the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations; make a clay pot and decorate it with the designs of that time; use your pot to store your key facts.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To research and understand more about the Minoan and Mycenaean civilization, including some of the mysteries surrounding them and their eventual decline.
  • To make a clay pot and decorate using design of the times.
  • To include on the pot designs such as simple shapes, upright triangular points and geometric patterns.

Children will:

  • Have an awareness of the life and decline of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.
  • Make a clay pot and decorate using design of the times.
  • Include on the pot designs such as simple shapes, upright triangular points and geometric patterns.

You Will Need

  • Cakes: Triangular cake or chocolate, Battenberg cake, Black Forest Gateaux, Red Velvet cake
  • Picnic rugs
  • Drinks and cups
  • Picnic foods
  • Strips of paper
  • Clay and clay tools
  • White paint & brushes

Session 2 1000-800 BCE - The Greek Dark Ages Part 2

Objectives

History

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Britain, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Gain and deploy a historically-grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilization’.
  • Understand Ancient Greece, Greek life, their achievements and influence on the western world.

Design and Technology

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose.

Art

  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques.
  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.

Lesson Planning

Find out about the Greeks from 1000-800 BCE including the establishment of city-states; make clay pot, decorate it with the bold linear designs of this era and use it to store key information about this period of time.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To research and understand more about the Greek people during this period, particularly the establishment of city-states. Collate information about this period of time to store in the clay jar of this period.
  • Make a clay pot and decorate using design of the times.
  • To include on the pot designs such as the Maeander and Proto-geometric design (bold linear lines in the rectangular space of the vase).

Children will:

  • Gain an understanding of the Greek people between 1000-800BCE, particularly the establishment of city-states.
  • Make a clay pot and decorate using design of the times.
  • Design a pot to include the Maeander and Proto-geometric design.

You Will Need

  • Air drying clay
  • Clay tools
  • Paint and brushes
  • Internet access
  • Small strips of paper

Session 3 800-500 BCE - The Archaic Period

Objectives

History

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Britain, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Gain and deploy a historically-grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilization’.
  • Understand Ancient Greece, Greek life, their achievements and influence on the western world.

Design and Technology

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose.

Art

  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques.
  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.

Lesson Planning

Discover how the Greek empire expanded during the Archaic Period; make a pot and decorate it with images of black stylised figures.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To research and understand more about the ruling and expansion of the city-states during 800-500BCE.
  • To make a clay pot or fragment and decorate using design of the times.
  • To include on the pot, or fragment, images such as black stylized figures in positions of movement and with pictures telling a narrative.

Children will:

  • Gain an understanding of the rule and expansion of the city-states during 800-500BCE.
  • Make a clay pot or fragment and decorate using design of the times - black stylized figures in positions of movement and with pictures telling a narrative.

You Will Need

  • Air drying clay
  • Clay tools
  • Paint and brushes
  • Internet access

Session 4 500-300 BCE - The Classical Period

Objectives

History

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Britain, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Gain and deploy a historically-grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilization’.
  • Understand Ancient Greece, Greek life, their achievements and influence on the western world.

Design and Technology

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose.

Art

  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques.
  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.

Lesson Planning

Learn about the unification of the city-states during the Classical Period; make a clay pot and decorate it with human figures in the Persian wars.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To research and understand more about the culture of this period, and the unification of the city-states against the Persian Empire.
  • To make a clay pot or fragment and decorate using design of the times.
  • To include on the pot, or fragment, images of human figures in the Persian wars.

Children will:

  • Gain an understanding of the culture of Greece in 500-300BCE, including the unification of the city-states against the Persian Empire.
  • Make a tile fragment and decorate using design of the times, including images of human figures in the Persian wars, outlined in black against the terracotta clay and thus creating red figure shapes.

You Will Need

  • Air drying clay
  • Clay tools
  • Paint and brushes
  • Internet access
  • Tag rugby or PE team bands

Session 5 300-30 BCE - The Hellenistic Period

Objectives

History

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Britain, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Gain and deploy a historically-grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilization’.
  • Understand Ancient Greece, Greek life, their achievements and influence on the western world.

Lesson Planning

Understand about the end of the Greek Empire; create a 3D ‘timeline’ of artefacts which is made of pots and includes information from each time period; invite other children to view the timeline.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To research and understand more about the experiences of the Greeks during the period from 300-30BCE, particularly the death of Alexander the Great and the emergence of the Roman Empire.
  • To collate and display clay pots together, creating a 3D ‘timeline’ of ‘artefacts’, including information from each time period.
  • Act as curators and experts, hosting guests to view the artefacts.

Children will:

  • Understand more about the experiences of the Greeks during the period from 300-30BCE, particularly the death of Alexander the Great and the emergence of the Roman Empire.
  • Understand how Greek pottery can form a 3D ‘timeline’ of ‘artefacts’ and can talk about each time period as curators and experts.

You Will Need

  • Triangular cake or chocolate
  • Battenberg cake
  • Black Forest Gateaux
  • Red Velvet cake
  • Drinks and cups
  • Other picnic foods