Designed for the new OCR Classical Civilisation GCSE unit: 1.4 Myth and the City Ideally spread over 2 teaching hours, this lesson is designed to give students an understanding of how important both Aeneas and Romulus are in the story of Rome’s foundation. It begins with a slide that can be printed off as a worksheet studying the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite to determine the significance of Aeneas’ birth. It then moves on to the fall of Troy and students are invited to evaluate how heroic Aeneas was in the episode of his life. This is followed by a brief look at his wanderings and arrival in Lavinium through a summary of Book 2 of Virgil’s Aeneid (included) with some analysis. These two can be printed off and there are accompanying think/written response questions that students can complete. Finally, the lesson looks at Livy’s account of how Aeneas’ son, Ascanius, founds Alba Longa and spawns the line of kings leading to Romulus. Throughout the lesson are links to videos (all freely available on Youtube) which consolidate the learning going on at that point in the lesson.

The lesson starts with a task aimed at getting students to recall what they already know about Theseus through the study of his labours. Next the lesson focuses on the three versions of the Ariadne myth with a set of questions designed to look at the myth from their own perspective, but also through the eyes of an ancient Athenian. After this students are introduced to Theseus’ significance as king of Athens and then are presented with an extract from Plutarch’s Life of Theseus and asked 5 questions (can be printed as a handout) designed to get students thinking more deeply about primary sources in Classical Civilisation. Finally they need to consider why Plutarch decided to parallel Theseus to Romulus, even though their roles in terms of founding their respective cities are different. Students then read through the relevant parts of Euripides’ Heracles (included) and are asked 3 questions to answer for each part. Students can be assigned a different character and the relevant part of the play for students is split into six- From when Heracles learns he has murdered his wife and children, to the end of the play. This allows the play to be accessible and a chance for the teacher to address any misunderstandings or misconceptions. Obviously there is a focus on Theseus despite the name of the play, since it is Theseus who proves the greater man at the end of the play. 1 and 2 mark questions then follow based on their learning in the unit so far and finally there is an 8 mark comparative exam question. Students can recall their prior knowledge of Heracles’ association with Olympia from earlier in the course, and compare it to Theseus’ association with Athens. There is an extension task added on which involves students imagining they are at Theseus’ public funeral and writing an appropriate eulogy for him. This is designed for students to summarise their knowledge of Theseus’ life and demonstrate their ability to highlight the most significant moments.

The lesson starts by asking students what the lesson might be about based on a set of abstract images. It assumes some prior knowledge about the basics of Theseus’s life e.g. How he was born and who he was. Included in the powerpoint which can be printed A3 or A4 is a worksheet which students can fill in with information about each of Theseus’ labours as you go through them on the board. Students are introduced to the kylix depicting the labours of Theseus housed in the British Museum. As a prescribed source for the GCSE, it is crucial that students know which labour is depicted where on the kylix itself. This powerpoint provides rotated and enlarged versions of each depiction at the appropriate points in the lesson. This ensures that students are constantly thinking not only about Theseus’ labours, but also how they are depicted on the kylix at all times. All the information students need to know about each of Theseus’ labours for the new Classical Civilisation OCR 9-1 GCSE is included. Having already studied Heracles earlier on in the course. There are questions to prompt comparisons with Theseus’ contemporary hero – in particular in the labours that they undertake and the way in which they go about doing them. This comparative thinking will help with the exam question at the end of the lesson. There is a link to a short animation (appropriate for all ages) included to his final labour: the defeat of the Minotaur which students can use to enhance their understanding of this story. The kylix is then referred back to as students are asked to contemplate how appropriate each depiction on the kylix is based on what they know about their labour, followed by a ranking and justification task. Finally, an 8 mark comparison question is included. It is designed to take them 8 minutes as per the timings on the paper at GSCE, and as a support there are sentence starters and helpful tips available to those that might need it. An extension task is also included which encourages the comparison with Heracles.

Designed with the new OCR Classical Civilisation 9-1 GCSE in mind. Students are introduced to Ancient religion in general and the concepts of Hiera & Religio and the contractual nature of worship in the ancient world. In addition to this there is an exercise for students that is designed to compare ancient worship to modern worship and draw out the similarities and differences. There is a wealth of information contained within. The presentation goes through first the Greek gods and then their Roman equivalents. Each of the god's/goddess' areas of patronage are outlined, as are details about their associated mythologies, stories of origin and iconography. An A3 sheet is included to print and photocopy for students to record details about each deity, first for Greece and then for Rome. Primary Sources and GCSE practice questions are included as are model answers which students can use to improve their own answers. A final assessment task is also included which has GCSE rigour and can be used to get an accurate understanding of student's understanding of the topic to GCSE standard. Throughout, all technical terms are explained in 'glossary boxes' and students are encouraged to make a note of these as the lessons progress to build up their own glossary of key terms. The lesson could be easily differentiated for KS3 pupils by cutting out the GCSE style questions and focusing instead on the stories of each god/goddess.

This lesson gives an introduction to Alexander the Great, his background and early life. It begins with a map of his empire to give students an idea of the scale of his later conquest and leads with a comprehension on the story of his taming of Bucephalus according to Plutarch (adapted so secondary students can understand it). It is then useful to show the scene from Alexander (2004) a link to which is attached and compare the interpretations of the event. Another scene from Alexander the Great (1956) is linked to and a discussion and explanation of the influence of Aristotle on his life can then ensue. Students are then introduced to his character at the beginning of his campaign (Plutarch again!) with the idea being that they need to understand that he was literate and intelligent. Students leave with an understanding that, like his hero Achilles, he died young. A 'challenge' article on his life from the Telegraph (adapted) is also included.

This lesson takes students through the basic differences between Doric, Ionic and Corinthian Greek Temples. HD examples are included of a variety of temples from each ‘order’ of Greek Architecture. Blank templates are included so students can have a go at drawing their own columns for each order. A differentiated homework task is included at the end of the lesson to encourage further research and thinking. This lesson would be ideally suited to KS4+5 students who are studying Greek architecture for whatever reason for the first time.

This resource spans two lessons and is designed to give students the understanding they need to answer a 'Who do you admire more...' 8 mark exam question at the end of it (Student friendly mark scheme and guidance provided) for the new OCR Classical Civilisation GCSE. Students are introduced to 'ethical dilemmas' and encouraged to define what 'philosophy' is. They are then introduced to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle through fact files and use this information to answer their exam question, using sources (included) as a starting point. The final video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyIKayNXTPY&t=148s

This lesson is designed to be the first lesson for students who have no prior knowledge of Classics/Classical Civilisation/ The Classical world. It will work well as the first lesson for students who are studying Classical Civilisation at GCSE. it is designed to give students a real sense of period so that they can contextualise their learning in subsequent lessons. All worksheets referred to below are included as whole slides in the .pptx file and are located at the specific point in the lesson when they are designed to be used. The lesson begins with a discussion surrounding what ‘civilisation’ means. This is followed by a worksheet to be printed A5 size (pictured) which introduces students to the Geography of the area. It is deliberately more visual than ‘wordy’ in nature as students can stick it in and refer back to it when they need to know where Italy/Greece are in relation to the UK. A discussion surrounding BC/BCE and AD/CE then follows in terms of interpreting dates. A timeline with empty boxes is then included for students to fill in in their books. On this timeline is already printed some famous events in history that students will probably have some prior knowledge of. The point of this excercise is to see how BC/BCE dates work (backwards) and to show the Greeks and Romans existed a long time before anything else they will have studied in History lessons. It also allows students to see that the Greeks preceded the Romans at their peak. Another gap-fill exercise follows (with answers) which introduces students to basic information about Ancient Greece (There is no further information on Rome in this lesson as it is assumed students will progress onto a thematic study of Ancient Greece following this lesson). A video link explaining democracy is also included as a final thought for the lesson with student coming up with their own definition of democracy at the end. This will help them analyse Athens’ democracy in later lessons.