Materials

• A copy for each student of the list of possible projects identified in #4 below
• A map of the world
• Overhead projector
• Teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or activity

Instructional Activities

NOTE: The following Web resource may be helpful in teaching this session:

• World Factbook. <https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html>.

1. Explain that students will examine ancient Greece and its impact on Western Civilization. Instruct students to write 20 facts they know about Greece. Ask students to share their lists. Record their responses on an overhead transparency.
   
   
2. Point out Greece on a world map.
   
   
3. Provide current information on Greece. For assistance, see the World Factbook Web site listed above.
   
   
4. Assign a project on Greece for students to complete over the next few weeks. Students should select from the following activities.
   • Prepare a report on the comparison of the governments of Athens and Sparta.
   • Create a poster that reflects an event from the Persian or Peloponnesian Wars.
   • Prepare models of the three types of Greek columns.
   • Prepare an electronic presentation on the contributions of Euclid and/or Pythagoras. The presentation should include examples of mathematics.
   • Prepare and present a 5-minute speech that expresses the teachings of Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle.
   • Act out a scene from Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey in class (no notes permitted during the acting). • Precede the performance with a brief biography of Homer and a brief explanation of the context of your selected scene.
   • Prepare a series of maps that illustrate the growth of the empire of Alexander the Great. The final map should illustrate the present-day countries whose territory was contained within Alexander’s empire at its most expansive point.
   • Develop a student-selected project approved by the teacher that encompasses the Standards of Learning for WHI.5 a-g.
   
   
5. Provide students with guidance on selection of topic, dates reserved for research in the media center or computer lab, and a due date.
   
   
6. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.