Lesson Summary
This post provides an activity for introducing gifted and talented students to ancient Greek culture. This lesson is adapted from a ten-lesson Duke TIP unit on Greek mythology and culture for gifted elementary and middle school students, and can be used with older students as well. This lesson helps students explore ancient Greek life and values and compare these to modern American values as they find creative solutions to dilemmas ancient Greek teens would face in their families. See the entire curriculum for Growing Up Heroic: Adventures in Greek Mythology here, and the syllabus here.
How do we get students to “walk in the shoes of” another culture, especially one that’s ancient? Sometimes beginning from a place of self-interest is a great place to start. With this survey and role-play activity, students find common ground with an ancient culture that has a huge impact on culture today. Questions students will explore include
- Is your personality suited to living in ancient Greece?
- Do you practice the values and beliefs of the ancient Greeks?
- What would happen if you landed in the shoes of an ancient Greek teen?
Do you have ideas that worked for introducing gifted students to a different culture? Share with us below!
Lesson Content:
- Time: 160 minutes
- Supplies: writing utensils or one-to-one devices (optional)
- Duke TIP Greek Myth Dilemma of Time Traveling Teen Lesson Plan
- Duke TIP Guide to Ancient Greek Life and Values (handout)
- Annotation Sheet: Ancient Greek Guide (handout)
- Duke TIP Greek Myth Time Traveling Teen Survey (handout)
- Duke TIP Greek Myth Time Traveling Teen Prompts and Rubric (handout)
[…] The eInvestigators courses at Duke TIP provide an excellent example for this type of curriculum. Also check out my role-playing activities at “How (Ancient) Greek Are You? Time-Traveling Role Plays.” […]