Lesson Plan
The Ancient Olympics
Introduce your students to the fascinating world of Ancient Greece by studying the Olympic Games, then and now.
- Grade:Grades 3–5, Grades 6–8
- Subject:Reading
Building Background
Ancient Greece, such as http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Greeklife.html. Then have the members of each group agree upon a behavior that will distinguish it as a city-state during your classroom Olympics, and let the competition begin! Host tic-tac-toe, trivia, or jacks events. Once the victorious city-state has been declared, discuss why the groups acted the ways they did.


Olympic NewsInvite your students to imagine that it is 500 BC and they are citizens of Olympia. It is their responsibility to create a newspaper for those coming to the games! To begin, discuss the important sections of a newspaper, such as news, weather, and sports. Then challenge teams of students to cover one of these sections for your Olympic newspaper. News writers can report on special preparations, sports writers can interview star athletes, and style writers can cover what's hot at the celebration banquets. Encourage your newspaper staff to do research so that their stories are as accurate as possible. When finished, kids can compile the stories and print enough issues for all to read.
“At the sound of the bronze trumpet off they started, all shouting to their horses and urging them on. The clatter of the rattling chariots filled the whole arena, and the dust flew up as they sped along in a dense mass. Each driver goaded his team to draw clear of the rival panting steeds, whose steaming breath and sweat drenched every flying wheel and bending back together.”
After discussing any unfamiliar words, invite students to imagine that they are a chariot driver in this race and write a first-person account of what happens next. Who wins?
Olympic Mythology



