KS2 History: Ancient Greeks Teaching Resource
Mr Dilly’s KS2 ANCIENT GREEKS free history teaching resource
Discover the world of gods and men, Olympians and Spartans, wisdom and war! Learn about Greek gods Zeus, Hades and Poseidon; meet a Greek actor rehearsing in ancient Athens; join an Olympian athlete under the foot of Mount Olympus and more! Mr Dilly’s Key Stage 2 Ancient Greece educational video resource presents a range of historical detail, events and characters from Ancient Greek times and can be used in teaching to introduce the topic of Ancient Greece to children,reinforce their learning and celebrate topic work. A fun, fact-packed introduction to a fascinating period of history. Run time: 20 mins.
KS2 Ancient Greece - Discover more about:
Zeus – talking about of his father Cronos and his powers, his wife Hera and his many children; Mount Olympus and the Olympic Games dedicated to him
A Hoplite soldier - fighting against the Persians about the Battle of Thermopylae 480BC; then against the Athenians; and life growing up in Sparta
Poseidon – god of the sea, who speaks about his home, his brothers and how he is worshipped
A Greek Actor - at the Theatre of Dionysus in 450BC; talks about the origins of plays and drama, the arts and festivals in Athens
Hades – ruler of the underworld; speaks about his dog Cerberus; how to enter theunderworld; and the different parts of the afterlife
An Olympic Athlete – about to compete in the Olympic Games; speaks about how he became anathlete, the pentathlon and the prizes awarded for winning
Narrative throughout adds further content including an overview of the most important city-states inAncient Greece and their common Persian enemy; the Greek Hoplite soldiers – their weapons andfighting style; temples, their purpose, and the Parthenon and the goddess Athena; Greek playwrightssuch as Aristophanes and Greek thinkers and philosophers –such as Socrates, Plato and Archimedeswho they were and what they did; democracy and what this meant; and a brief overview of some ofthe most famous myths and legends.
How to use Mr Dilly’s KS2 Ancient Greeks Video:
Mr Dilly’s KS2 Ancient Greece video would work well as part of a whole year group or class topic introductionand for general lesson enrichment, or as an end-of-topic celebration. We suggest you watch the video before sharing it with children so you can see what content links you could make with lessonplans. Once you have viewed the video, we would suggest children watch it through initially forenjoyment and enrichment and then following this, watch it again and complete Mr Dilly’s Ancient Greeks Quiz to reinforce their knowledge. You might like to introduce a fun, competitive element andinvite children to work in pairs to answer the quiz questions, with prizes for the winners.The video can then be used to support ongoing topic work, using sections as required as a reminder orto focus on particular aspects of Ancient Greece. Children can then build on knowledge gained withfurther research.
KS2 Greeks - Video Chapters:
(video chapter links will play on YouTube)
0:33 Why did Zeus blast his own father Cronos with a thunderbolt?
1:10 What were Greek City States?
1:33 Who were the Ancient Greeks biggest enemy?
1:44 What did Pheidippides do at the Battle of Marathon?
2:10 Learn more about Greek soldiers and their weapons
3:14 Meet Poseidon Ruler of the Sea!
5:07 Temples, the Parthenon and Athena
5:48 What was Zeus afraid of?
6:28 What was the City Dionysia in Athens?
7:41 Who were the most famoust Ancient Greek playwrights?
8:27 What are the parts of a Greek theatre?
9:25 Tell me the name of some of Greek's most famouts thinkers and philosophers
10:07 Welcome to Hades and the underworld
12:00 Why wasn't the world's first democracy that democratic?
12:42 Who was the Olympic Games held in honour of?
13:37 Meet an Olympian athlete!
14:09 Why did the athletes compete naked?
14:40 Were women allowed to compete in the Olympic Games?
15:05 What is the Pentathlon? (forgive the video spelling error!😁)
15:16 What does an Olympian get as a prize?
15:45 Tell me more about some of Greeks most famous myths?
17:05 The rivalry and wars of Athens versus Sparta
17:16 How were Spartan boys brought up?
18:20 Who won the war between Athens and Sparta?
18:53 How did Ancient Greece decline?
