Greek Philosophers Lesson Plans

Students discover the famous Greek Philosophers. In this Greek lesson, students find the contributions of Ancient Greece and their philosophers. This lesson includes brief bios on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Ninth graders participate in theoretical discussions and movement explorations. They analyze spatial relationships embedded in fundamental solid geometry theory describing the five Platonic solids- tetrahedron, octahedron, cube, dodecahedron and icosahedron-studied extensively by the Greek philosopher Plato.

Students conduct research about: Empedocles, a Greek philosopher, was among the first to make sense of the seemingly infinite forms of matter. The most familiar forms of matter of course are solids, liquids, gases, and fire.

Students compare the treatment of men and women in Athens and Sparta. In this gender roles lesson, students research daily life in the Greek cities and create charts that compare the lives of women and men in both of the cities.

Learners analyze the Polykleitan God depicted in art and create their own ideal form of sculpture. In this sculpture and art lesson, students read about Greek art of the human form. Learners analyze the art of Polykleitos and then create their own sculpture using the same ideals.

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!

Learners research a historic leader and analyze how a philosopher's writings influenced the ruler in an essay. In this philosophy of government lesson plan, students view a video and participate in a class discussion on how great thinkers influence great leaders. Pairs research the influence of a philosopher on a leader by researching on the Internet. Learners write a 500-700 word essay based on their findings.

Sixth graders read about ancient Greece and its many contributions to modern societies. They read and summarize myths, highlighting the morals of the story. They compare and contrast Athenians and Spartans using a Venn diagram.

Students explore the concept of proving the Pythagorean Theorem. In this Pythagorean Theorem lesson, students research proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem. Students create posters of proofs. Students research Greek mathematicians.

Eighth graders describe, analyze and evaluate the history of ancient Greece from 2000 to 300 B.C. They explore the influence of geography on Greek economical, social, and political development.