In Topic this half term, year 4 have been learning all about Ancient Greece.
This has without doubt been one of their favourite topics so far! The children began by creating a timeline of the Ancient Greek civilisation which began in 2200BC and ended in 146BC. They were able to use these dates to calculate how long ago they lived in Greece, and for how long their empire lasted. They then took a closer look at what life was like in Ancient Greece by comparing the lives of children in the city states of Athens and Sparta.
The children shared so many fantastic ideas and opinions about some quite controversial issues, such as girls not being considered important enough to go to school in Athens, and boys being forced into military training and service in Sparta. The children took part in an excellent debate about which lifestyle they though was the best. The highlight of the topic was an online workshop with Durham University who provided real artefacts from Ancient Greece for them to look at. The children had a go at being archaeologists by studying the artefacts and looking for clues about what they were and who might have used them.
The session ended by the children performing a famous Greek tragedy about Medea and Jason. The actors threw themselves whole-heartedly into their dramatic roles and the audience responded brilliantly with their boos and cheers. The death scenes were by far the most entertaining part of the play!
Year 4 already knew a lot about many of the Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses, made famous by films they have seen and books they have read. They thoroughly enjoyed making Top Trump cards about some of their favourite characters and playing a game with their partner by comparing their qualities and powers.
