Materials

• Blank transparency
• List of empires and nations (see # 3, below)
• Class notes (see bolded text in Instructional Activities below)
• Atlas
• Map of Europe
• Brief history of selected empires (see #3, below)
• Brief history of Macedonia
• Brief biography of Phillip II
• Almanac
• Overhead projector (optional)
• 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. Review content covered to this point in the unit.
   
   
2. Ask students to name the current most powerful countries in the world. Record them on an overhead transparency to guide discussion. Ask students to explain why identified countries are considered powerful and how long these countries have existed with their current form of government. (Have an almanac ready to provide assistance with this discussion.)
   
   
3. Put the following list of empires or nations on the board (add or delete items based on individual teacher’s preference).
   – Roman Empire
   – Austro Hungarian Empire
   – Great Britain
   – Germany
   – Egypt
   – Soviet Union
   – Spain
   – Ottoman Empire
   
   
4. Ask students if any of the countries listed were ever considered powerful nations. Provide a brief history of some of the empires or countries listed. (The World Factbook Web site above may be of assistance in preparing these histories.) Point out the location of these nations and empires on a map. Ask students to describe the current world status of these countries.
   
   
5. Encourage students to discuss why a nation may lose its world power status. Ask them how long the United States has been considered a world power, how it became a world power, and if they believe it is possible for the United States to lose that status. Explain that they are going to study about a country that, at one time, controlled a large portion of the known world at that time and now has no significant world power status.
   
   
6. Identify the location of Macedonia on a map. Provide current-day information on Macedonia. Include a brief history of Macedonia. (The World Factbook Web site above may be of assistance in preparing these histories.)
   
   
7. Put the following note on the board or overhead:
   
   Greek defenses were weakened following the conquest of Greece during the Peloponnesian
   Wars. This allowed Macedonia, under King Phillip II, to conquer most of Greece.
   
   
8. Provide a brief biography of Phillip II. Explain that the next session will examine the rule of his son, Alexander the Great.
   
   
9. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.