This simple lesson on life for women in Ancient Greece, based around a PowerPoint presentation, makes an excellent contribution to literacy and also makes pupils aware of the nature of evidence and the need to be careful when making generalisations. The children draw conclusions from written and vase evidence before going on to look at simple library book descriptions. They evaluate these and then produce a description of their own. By way of preparation for this lesson, you can find an excellent 14 slides animated PowerPoint explaining the role of women at the British Museum site.
This complements the lesson perfectly. The lesson provides an excellent opportunity to move away from wars and male achievements to look at the role of Ancient Greek women. As Mrs Lintott said in Alan Bennett’s History Boys “Can you imagine how dispiriting it is to teach five centuries of masculine ineptitude? Have you never wondered why there aren’t more women historians on TV?… History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. What is history? History is women following behind. With a bucket”.
Learning objectives
- pupils can explain the typical life of an Ancient Greek woman
- they can distinguish between life
