Year 5/6

Unit 14

Lesson 8

Who were the ancient Greeks?

Ancient Greek theatre

The purpose of this lesson is:

to investigate the ancient Greek theatre.

Learning objectives
Children should learn:
to deduce information about an aspect of the Greek way of life from pictures of buildings and texts; to combine information from several sources; about the role of the theatre in the way of life of the Greeks; to structure work in the form of a play.

Learning outcomes
Children should be able to:
recognize the main features of a Greek theatre; understand the religious connections between theatre and religious festivals; find out the sorts of plays the Greeks liked and who wrote them; contribute to the preparation and performance of a play that demonstrates the key features of Greek drama.

Class objective:
to investigate ancient Greek theatre and what happened there.

Programme of study
1a place events, people and changes into correct periods of time; 2a characteristic features of periods and societies studied, including the ideas, beliefs, attitudes and experiences of men, women and children in the past; 2b social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of societies; 5c communicate knowledge and understanding of history in a variety of ways.

Cross-curricular links
Literacy Framework: Yr 5/6 Fiction and poetry: play scripts

Differentiation
Some less able children will need help from an adult when completing Activity sheet AS8.1 : Ancient Greek theatres.

Assessment opportunities
Each childs understanding of this lesson can be assessed through an analysis of his/her completed activity sheet.

Prior learning
This lesson will build on childrens knowledge of plays and the theatre.

Advance preparation
If you wish to include costume in the drama activity in Lesson 9, give the children Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume to take home. There may be situations where it is not appropriate for these to be sent home. It may be necessary for the school to provide costumes. Place the children in two or three mixed-ability groups to work on their play scripts. The children will require masks for the presentation of their plays. Time has not been allowed for the making of masks within this unit. These will need to be completed within other curriculum time or, where appropriate, set as a homework exercise: Activity sheet AS8.4 : Masks in ancient Greek theatre.

Vocabulary
altar, Aristophanes, audience, auditorium, chitin, chorus, Epidauros, orchestra, parades, peplos, proedri, skene, Sophocles, theatre, theatron

Resources
Activity sheet AS8.1 : Ancient Greek theatres Activity sheet AS8.2 : Play script useful tips Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume Activity sheet AS8.4 : Masks in ancient Greek theatre Flipbook page 12: The ancient Greek theatre

Introduction
Begin the lesson by sharing the class objective: to investigate ancient Greek theatre and what happened there. Remind the children of their homework task and ask them what information they have discovered about
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Year 5/6

Unit 14

Lesson 8

Who were the ancient Greeks?

the Greek theatre. Choose children to share this information with the class. Write any relevant information on the board. You may wish to provide some or all of the following information: Drama formed part of religious festivals. The Greek theatre was held outside, first in the market place, then in large open-air stadiums or theatres. Important people had stone seats reserved for them at the front of the theatre. A visit to the theatre was a religious event. It was one of the few public events to be attended by both men and women. There was a small entrance fee, but anyone who could not afford it was allowed in for free. Plays were put on once a month and lasted a day. The plays were often about well-known stories, like myths and legends. The members of the audience showed their enjoyment by whistling and stamping their feet. If an actor made a mistake, or if the members of the audience did not like him, they would boo and sometimes throw stones at him. All the actors were men. They wore masks to show the audience whether their characters were young or old, ugly or beautiful and male or female. The masks were simple and the faces very exaggerated, so that they could be seen right at the back of the theatre. They had large open mouths to make the voices of the actors seem louder. The chorus was an important part of a Greek play. It was made up of a group of actors who, throughout the play, moved and spoke together and were dressed the same way. They talked to the audience and explained what was going on in the play and how they felt about it. Serious plays were called tragedies; funny plays were called comedies. Tragic actors always moved slowly; when they were speaking they stood still and did not move. Sophocles was a writer of tragic plays; Aristophanes was a writer of comic plays. The main story of the play was acted on a raised stage; the actors playing the chorus were in an area called the orchestra at ground level.

Activity 1 What did a Greek theatre look like?

Show the children Flipbook page12: The ancient Greek theatre. Point out the banks of seats, the circular orchestra for the chorus, the raised scene area for the actors and the stone seats at the front for the VIPs. There is also a stone sculpture of a mask on this page. Give out Activity sheet AS8.1 : Ancient Greek theatres. Explain to the children that their task is to consider the photograph and plans carefully and then answer the questions on the sheet. Check that all children have understood the task set.

Activity 2 Storyboard to play

Explain to the children that they will be working in three groups to present a Greek-style play on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Give the children Activity sheet AS8.2 : Play script useful tips and the completed storyboards from Lesson 7. Tell them that in their groups they must use their storyboards to help them write the script for an ancient Greek-style play. Remind them that the chorus is a group of actors who tell the main story, and that they are an important part of the play.

Plenary
Five minutes before the end of the lesson gather the children together. Explain that next lesson they are going to complete their scripts and practise and present their play. Tell the children that you would like them to do this in costume. Where appropriate, give out Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume and read through it with the children.

Homework
Ask the children if they can think of additional lines or dialogue for the play. Where appropriate, give the children a copy of Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume and Activity sheet AS8.4 : Masks in ancient Greek theatre to take home.
LCP

History Resource Files KS2

Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.

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Year 5/6

Unit 14

Lesson 8

AS8.1

Who were the ancient Greeks?

Ancient Greek theatres

Activity sheet 8.1

Name:

Label the diagram of the theatre using the word box to help you.
altar: placed in the middle of the orchestra orchestra: the circle-shaped area where the chorus performed proedri: the front seats for important people scene: the raised platform for the actors (which also had the entrances for the actors) theatron: the auditorium where the members of the audience sat

Look carefully at the photograph and the plan of the Greek theatre. Why do you think that this would be a good design for a theatre?

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Photo Howard Davis

Year 5/6

Unit 14

Lesson 8

AS8.2 Names:

Who were the ancient Greeks?

Play script useful tips

Activity sheet 8.2

Working in your group, choose a storyboard from Lesson 7 and write a play script for it. Your play should last no longer than ten minutes. You will need to: make a list of the main characters and decide who is going to play them; remember that everyone else will be the chorus; remember that the chorus will tell most of the story; remember that the chorus can give their opinion of what is going on in the play.

LCP

History Resource Files KS2

Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.

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Year 5/6

Unit 14

Lesson 8

AS8.3

Who were the ancient Greeks?

Ancient Greek costume

Activity sheet 8.3
SEWN TOGETHER FASTENED

Name:

Greek clothes were usually made from a single rectangular piece of material.

The chiton
(pronounced ky-ton)
BELT

The chiton was a garment worn by men and women. It varied in length from mid thigh to full length. How to make the chiton
1. Fold a rectangle of fabric in half. 2. Sew or pin the side which is opposite the fold. 3. The person then steps inside the tube. 4. Make sure that there is room for the arms to move; then pin the two sides of the fabric together across the shoulders. 5. Gather the fabric at the waist with a belt or cord.

FASTENED

The peplos
The peplos was worn only by women.
BELT

How to make the peplos

1. Lay a piece of material flat and then fold the top third over. 2. Fold the material in half with the folded part showing. 3. Sew or pin the side. 4. The person then steps inside the tube. 5. Make sure that there is room for the arms to move, then pin the two sides of the fabric together across the shoulders. 6.Gather the fabric at the waist with a belt or cord. NB For this garment the fold-over piece can be made longer, and the belt placed over it, instead of under it.

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LCP

History Resource Files KS2

Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.

Year 5/6

Unit 14

Lesson 8

AS8.4

Who were the ancient Greeks?

Masks in ancient Greek theatre

Activity sheet 8.4

Name:

In ancient Greek drama, all the actors were men. They wore masks to indicate the character that they were playing (e.g. woman, old man) or the emotion that they were showing (e.g. anger, sadness, joy). Actors in Greek plays often played several different parts and would put on a different mask for each part that they played. The members of the chorus wore masks that were usually similar to each other, but completely different from those of the leading actors. The masks were often brightly coloured with exaggerated features e.g. large eyes, large nose and mouth. This allowed the faces to be seen by all the people in the theatre, even those sitting in the back rows. Usually the masks were made of a lightweight material: e.g. linen, leather, cork or carved wood. To create the shape of the mask, the artist moulded the material around a marble or stone face (like papier-mch). Human or animal hair was used for the hair.

How to make your own Greek-style mask Stand in front of the mirror and try to make the following expressions on your face: sad, happy, angry, scared. Look carefully at your face and think about the shapes that your face is making, especially your eyes and mouth. Make the expression that is best for the character that you are playing. Draw this expression on a piece of paper, making sure that the size matches your face. (You might need someone to help you with this.) Exaggerate your expression, so that it will be easy to work out what it is if you are looking at it from a distance. Stick your drawing onto thick card. Remember to cut out the holes for the eyes and the mouth. (Ask someone to help you do this safely.) Cut holes in the sides and thread elastic, string or ribbon through them, so that the mask can be tied on your head.
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History Resource Files KS2

Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.

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