Ancient Games Uncovered

Lesson Overview

Subject: Year 7 History (Australian Curriculum)
Depth Study: Ancient Greece – Olympic Games
Duration: 50 minutes
Class Size: 42 students
Curriculum Link: ACDSEH003 – The significant beliefs, values and practices of ancient civilisations, with a focus on one of the following: Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China.

Key Inquiry Question:
How did ancient Greek sport shape our modern Olympic Games?

This lesson builds historical understanding through the analysis of primary sources, active role-play, and personal and collaborative reflection, adhering closely to the NSW History K–10 Syllabus and the Australian Curriculum.

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Learning Intentions

Students will:

• Investigate representations of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece through artefacts.
• Understand how physical competition reflected societal values in Ancient Greece.
• Compare ancient and modern Olympic elements through experiential learning.
• Reflect on the continuity of sport as a cultural practice and value system.

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Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, students can:

• Make informed observations from historical sources.
• Explain an Ancient Greek value reflected in a specific sport.
• Engage in collaborative analysis and discussion of ancient beliefs and practices.
• Connect aspects of ancient sport to contemporary Olympic traditions.

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Required Materials

• Printed artefact source pack (vase paintings, mosaics, sculpture fragments) – Provided below.
• Olympic Event Cards (modified for classroom use)
• Printed worksheet for source analysis
• Whiteboard or digital smartboard
• A4 Exit Ticket slips
• Stopwatch or timer
• Space indoors or outdoor quadrangle marked with cones
• Blu-tack or magnets for visual reference
• Optional: Togas or props for thematic engagement

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Lesson Body Details

1. Source Analysis Activity (10 minutes)

Activity: Students will work in table groups (6 per group x 7 groups) to examine a Primary Source Artefact Pack including images of:

• A red-figure vase showing discus throwing
• A black-figure amphora depicting chariot racing
• A terracotta sculpture of wrestlers
• An inscription describing prize-giving at Olympia

Each group will complete a ‘What can you see? What do you wonder? What can you infer?’ source analysis chart.

Each group will appoint a presenter to share one finding or question with the class (rapid-fire format).

Resource Provided:
Create a Primary Source Pack (A3 printed images with captions, sourced from legitimate museum/public domain collections like the British Museum and Getty). Include a scaffolded table worksheet with three columns: Evidence, Meaning, and Modern Connection.

Learning Indicators:

• Describes features of primary artefacts.
• Identifies inferred values (e.g. strength, honour, glory).
• Makes cross-temporal connections between artefacts and modern sporting culture.

Quality Teaching Elements:

• Intellectual Quality: Deep knowledge and metalanguage use (terms like amphora, agon).
• Significance: Connection to contemporary experiences.
• Engagement: Challenging and interesting resources to decode.

Assessment:

• Formative: Observational, student worksheet completion, group feedback.

Differentiation:

• Gifted Students: Introduced to the concept of 'panhellenism' and asked to identify how shared sport may have reinforced Greek identity across city-states.
• EAL/D Student: Provided with visual glossary (images + keywords) and sentence starters for the source worksheet.

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2. Group Challenge: Mini-Olympics (15 minutes)

Activity: In small groups (4–5 students), teams rotate between three activity stations inspired by Olympic events:

Station 1: Discus (Paper Plate Toss)
Students must throw decorated ‘discus’ plates through standing hoops.

Station 2: Chariot Race (Two-legs-tied Relay)
Pair students with one leg tied together in a tag-team race (symbolic of team chariot control).

Station 3: Wrestling Balance
Two students face each other and must gently try to make the other step outside a marked ring using only balance techniques (safety rules in place).

Each station includes a mini briefing, and scorecards signed by a student 'judge'.

Learning Indicators:

• Understands connections between cultural values and physical skill.
• Demonstrates teamwork and ancient competition elements (e.g. non-monetary reward, glory for city/tribe).
• Reflects on fairness, endurance, and prestige in historical sport as lived experience.

Quality Teaching Elements:

• Engagement: Hands-on and active learning.
• Connectedness: Real-world parallel to sports day/class team structure.
• Social Support: All students actively support each participant.

Teaching Strategy Used:

• Role-play and experiential learning.
• Cooperative learning (jigsaw-style rotation).

Assessment:

• Informal self-assessment: Scorecards include a short reflection question: “What skill did this event test? Did it reflect Greek values?”

Differentiation:

• Gifted Students: Assigned as 'Olympic Historians' documenting observations – e.g. sportsmanship, techniques, team strategies – and later share in reflection.
• EAL/D Student: Partnered with a peer tutor and given visual instruction cards with step-by-step images for each task.

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3. Group Discussion: Olympic Values (5 minutes)

Activity: Whole class comes together while seated to reflect quickly on the question:

"What do these games tell us about Ancient Greek values?"

Teacher scribes student responses on whiteboard under headings such as:

• Competition
• Honour
• Excellence (Arete)
• Religion (Link to Zeus and the Temple at Olympia)
• Loyalty/City glory

Encourage students to use sentence stems like:
"I noticed…", "This makes me think…", "In modern sport we also…"

Learning Indicators:

• Verbalises abstract concepts using historical context.
• Connects sport to broader Ancient Greek worldview.

Quality Teaching Elements:

• Higher-order Thinking: Analysing, inferring values from evidence and experience.
• Substantive Communication: Student-led discussion, teacher as facilitator.

Assessment:

• Formative: Teacher observation of contributions, quality of ideas.

Differentiation:

• Gifted Students: Asked to contribute connections between Greek political values (city-state rivalry) and current nation-state Olympic fandom.
• EAL/D Student: Given written sentence stems and value word cards for participation support.

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Conclusion (10 minutes total)

4. Think-Pair-Share Reflection (5 minutes)

Activity:

Students individually consider:
"How did the Ancient Greek Olympics shape the way we think about sport today?"

Then turn to a partner and share for 1 minute each.

Class sharing optional based on time.

Teaching Strategy Used: Cooperative learning; reflection

Learning Indicators:

• Expresses personal interpretation of historical impact.
• Develops historical empathy and contemporary relevance.

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5. Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Students complete a small A4 slip:

✏️ Name one ancient Olympic sport you explored today. Now, name one Greek value it represented.
(E.g. "Wrestling – discipline")

Collected by teacher at door.

Assessment:

• Summative (exit ticket): Used to check individual understanding of history-sport-value connection.

Differentiation:

• EAL/D Student: Provided a sentence frame:

"I learned about ______. It shows ______ because ______."

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Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• What values did students most commonly identify?
• Did students differentiate between ancient and modern conceptions of ‘winning’?
• Were students able to interpret artefacts and link themes across tasks?

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Bonus Extension Activity for Gifted Students (Homework or Optional)

Creative Task:
Design your own Ancient Olympic event that reflects an important value in today’s society.
Include a drawing and a 150-word explanation of what this sport involves, who would compete, and what values are being demonstrated.

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Final Notes

This lesson balances cognitive demand with high engagement, includes differentiation and upholds the NSW Quality Teaching model, all within a coherent historical framework. The blend of inquiry, kinesthetic activity, cultural context and reflection supports all learners in exploring the ongoing legacy of the Ancient Greek Olympics.

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🧠 Big Idea:
Through the lense of sport, students uncover ancient values that still underpin modern competition today — a lasting tribute to the Olympic spirit.