Day 1: Intro to ancient Greek theater

Activation: (5 minutes)
Ask students if they like movies and plays (dramas)
Ask students if they know how movies and plays of today came to be
Hand out fill in the blank worksheet to the students
Acquire: (35 minutes)
Explain the fill in the blank and tell the students how it will be marked.
Students will watch the three movies that describe how ancient Greek theater began as a ritual and
slowly evolved to how modern theater works to this day.
The students will fill in the blanks as the movies are playing (at the end of each movie either question
them on what was being said in the movie and/or what they think about the origins of theater).
Apply: (5 minutes)
Have the students write on a piece of paper what are three things they learned and two things they
would like to learn more about ancient Greek theater.
Closure: (5 minutes)
Have the students right down that they need to bring scissors, glue and paint/markers for the next class.
Have the students clean their desks and floor, then have them line up to go to the next class.
Day 2: Theater Masks
Activation: (5-10 minutes)
Recap what the students learnt the previous day. Ask them about the development of theater and how
the architecture of theaters developed through the ages.
Ask the students what they remember about actors wearing masks.
Tell the students to take out their art supplies, handout the assignment and the rubric (making actors
masks).
Acquire: (30 minutes)
Go over the assignment and due date with the students and get them to repeat back what the
instructions are.
Show the students your example of what is expected and then have the students mark your work based
on the rubric. Once the class has come to some understanding ask the students if they feel they are
being marked fairly.
Closure: (10 minutes)
Have the students start cleaning up their desks and floor. Get the students to put their work on the back
shelf by the teacher’s desk and do one more sweep of the floor and desks.
Day 3: Theater Masks (continued)
Activation: (10 minutes)
Show the students the Youtube movie:
Why did ancient Greeks wear acting masks? (5:18 minutes)

Get the students to grab their masks off the shelf and get out all the art supplies they need to finish up
their masks. (5 minutes)

Acquire: (30 minutes)

Go over the rubric and expectations one more time (have the students tell you). Ask the students what
music they would like to listen to and let them get to work on their masks.

Closure: (10 minutes)

Get the students to clean up their desks and floor, along with putting away the art supplies. Tell the
students that they will have to finish their masks at home if they did not finish it in class and that it is
due on (?).

Day 4: Introduction to ancient Greek tragedy

Activation: (10 minutes)

Show the students the Youtube movies:

An Introduction to Greek Theatre (6:53 minutes)
The Playwrights of Ancient Greece (2:15 minutes)

Handout the play booklet (Electra)

Acquire: (30 minutes)

Explain to the kids that they are going to be introduced to Sophocles and his tragedy called Electra.
Ask if any students would volunteer to take a character to read. If no one volunteers use the name cards
to select students or assign students to read small sections as you go along.
With 10 minutes left, stop reading and ask the students to think about any connections they can make
to ancient Greek culture. Give the example of libations and funeral practices described in the play and
how that is how things were done.

Apply: (5 minutes)

Have the students write down any connections they can make on a piece of paper.

Closure: (5 minutes)

Get the students to pack up and clean their desks.

Day 5: Introduction to ancient Greek comedy

Activation: (10 minutes)

Show the students the Youtube movie:

Plays of the Ancient Greeks: Tragedies and Comedies - The Basics (w/Mr. P.) (8:20 minutes)

Acquire: (30 minutes)

Introduce Aristophanes and the world of ancient Greek comedy. Explain that as theater evolved and so
to did the types of plays that were written and performed. Talk about Archilochus (7th century BCE) and
Hipponax (6th century BCE).

Handout the booklet for the play (comedy)

As a class we will read the play out loud, taking turns on reading the parts.

Apply: (5 minutes)

Have the students write about which style of play do they like most, tragedy or comedy, and why they
prefer that style.

Closure: (5 minutes)

Have the students clean up their desk and the floor.

Day 6: Big project

Activation: (10 minutes)

Introduce the ancient Greek theater project and go over the rubric.

Acquire: (35 minutes)

Get the students to get into three groups and have them begin to write their groups play and decide on
what props they would like to use.

Closure: (5 minutes)
Have the students clean their desk and the floor.

Day 7-10: Big project (continued)

Activation: (5 minutes)
Review expectations and the rubrics.

Acquire: (40 minutes)

Let the students work on creating their play.
Closure: (5 minutes)
Clean up.

Day 11: Play Day!

(3 x 10 = 30 minutes)
Students will preform their plays to the class
(10 minutes)
We will all judge on who was the winning play.
Name: ____________________

8 ___

4 3 2 1 N/D /17

Ancient Greek Theatre

Learning Goal:
You will be learning about how the Ancient Greeks gave us the foundations of modern Western
theatre. Students will also learn about how theatre began with religion and rituals and its
development into what theatre is now.
As the movies are playing, you are to be following along and filling in the blanks. All questions
are in sequence of the movies.

History of Theatre 4 - From Greek to Roman Theater Architecture:

A copy of this marvellous monument, with a ____________ on top, can be seen in Berlin.
In the 440’s BCE, adjacent to the Theatre of Dionysus, one of the _________ permanent roofed
European theatres was built: The Odeion of Pericles.
Alexander the Great, took over the reign of all city-states in Greece, plays were
___________________ performed exclusively at Dionysion Festivals.
Probable the most important Hellenistic innovation was the _________________ or “Logeion”
(speaking place).
In 146 BCE mainland Greece became a _____________ province.
Theatre was deemed a threat to Roman morality. In Greece, it was a symbol of
_________________, but the Roman Republic was aristocratic (noble, upper-class, high-born,
elite).
A huge linen or ________________ (velum or velarium) was stretched over the whole of the
auditorium, to protect the spectators from the sun and rain.
These are the remains were it all begun: The Dionysus Theatre in __________, with its Greco-
Roman orchestra.

History of Theatre 1 - From Ritual to Theatre:

Or an alter was placed, and it is thought that the celebration started with the sacrificing of a
___________ called “Tragos”.
impersonated the characters of the song. He used __________ to distinguish between different
characters.
Thespis’ pupil, Phyrnicus, was credited with introducing into drama ___________ characters,
played by men wearing female masks.
Typically, there was ____ or ____ doors into the skene that led out to the orchestra.
Aeschylus has written about eighty plays, only ____ have survived.
In Aeschylus’ times the actors played in the open air, with ______________ of spectators.

History of Theatre 2 - Development of Classical Greek Tragedy:

Sophocles the second playwright, is credited with introduction of a ________ speaking actor.
(After the scene from Oedipus Rex) Euripides was the last playwright from the fifth century BCE,
from whom ___ complete tragedies have survived.
(After the scene from Medea) the City of Dionysia Festival was held each year in ___________,
and started by the announcement of the three selected playwrights.