Greek Democracy Lesson Plans

Students explore early Greek democracy. In this government lesson, students compare and contrast the early Greek democracy to the democracy of the modern day United States. Students role play the segments of society (medics, servants, etc.)

Students describe which segments of society were included in the original Athenian democracy. They compare and contrast early Greek democracy to democracy as it is exercised in the United States today.

Fifth graders contrast and compare ancient Greece to the U.S.A.  For this Greek History lesson, 5th graders investigate the buildings and designs of ancient Greece, as well as their democracy and government.  Students answer questions from a worksheet about the direct influence Greece has had on the United States.

In this language lesson, 5th graders use Greek root meanings to determine the meaning of words. After being shown how Greek roots are used in many words, such as, "photosynthesis," student pairs are given two excellent black line masters embedded in the plan. The first highlights many of the Greek roots, the second is a worksheet that requires students to break each word into its Greek elements and define each word part. An answer key is also included. Outstanding lesson!

Students work together to gather information from the internet and print sources about the Ancient Greeks. They discover what everyday life was like in Ancient Greece. They develop a newspaper to share the information they gathered.

Third graders examine Greek architecture in Washington, DC. In this Greek architecture activity, 3rd graders view pictures from the Library of Congress and Google images. Students note the characteristics of the style find examples of it in other areas of our world. Students analyze the contributions of the Greek and how they influence our present day world.

What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary students examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are links for this lesson.

Learners explore the architecture of New England by identifying geometric shapes.  In this architectural instructional activity, students examine photographs of classic building architecture and use a transparency to trace geometric shapes they recognize on top.  Learners photograph or sketch buildings in their neighborhood and identify Greek influences.

Seventh graders study how geography affects the development of civilizations. They examine how geography affects settlement, how civilizations met and continue to meet their needs and the foundations of the democracy we enjoy in Canada today.

Students reflect on their knowledge of democracy. After reading an article, they examine current plans for the placement of a democracy in Iraq. In groups, they research past regime changes and democratization attempts and discuss the prospects for it being successful in Iraq. They write an essay arguing for or against a democracy as a standard for all countries to follow in the world.