Sam KubotaSO 566Boston UniversitySchool of EducationProfessor: Christopher Martell

LESSON PLANAncient Athens, Not so Democratic After All?

Grade/Course: 7-8, World HistoryNumber of Learners: 16Lesson Length: 65 minutes

I. TARGET ESSENTIAL QUESTION and SUBSIDIARY QUESTION(S) FOR THIS LESSON

How did different groups interact with Athenian “democracy?”

Who actually benefited from Athenian democracy? Whose history are we really learning - are all perspectives from the time period

documented and represented?

II. PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

By this point, they will be familiar with working with primary and secondary sources, and understand the basis of developing an argument based on evidence.

III. OPPORTUNITIES TO EMPHASIZE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Students will be analyzing the lack of equity in ancient Athens’ democracy, which is directly tied in to the marginalized status of women, slaves, and people of low social class standing. After the activity, parallels will be drawn between historical Athenian democracy and modern American democracy to showcase the lack of socio-political representation for populations that were historically discriminated against.

IV. RATIONALE

It’s important to understand history from multiple perspectives. We tend to glorify ancient Athens as being the “foundation of modern democracy” but it was far from a just, and equal society. It may have been a society that was democratic for the people (men of high social status) in power at the time, but it was hardly a democracy for people of marginalized backgrounds. The historical inquiry skills apply here, as analyzing whose story gets told is an important point to consider for any topic in history.

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V. LINK TO STANDARDS

1. Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework Learning Standards and/or Concepts and Skills

i. HSS-7.26.B. Explain why the government of ancient Athens is considered the beginning of democracy and explain the democratic political concepts developed in ancient Greece.

B. civic participation and voting rights ii. HSS-7.28. Describe the status of women and the functions of

slaves in ancient Athens

2. C3 Framework Dimensions i. D2.His.1.6-8 Classify series of historical events and developments

as examples of change and/or continuityii. D2.His.4.6-8 Analyze multiple factors that influenced the

perspectives of people during different historical eras.iii. D2.His.5.6-8 Explain how and why perspectives of people have

changed over time.

IX. GOALS

1. Students will be able to analyze sources about the Golden Age of Athens to form an argument on whether it was truly a “democratic society.”

2. Students will be able to understand the social hierarchies within Athenian structures and contextualize how different social classes interacted with political representation.

3. Students will also be able to compare the Athenian interpretation of democracy to contemporary definitions of democracy.

X. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES (TRANSFER)

1. Given Ancient Athens source materials (condition), the student will identify (performance) evidence points, expressing his/her opinion on whether ancient Athens was truly the democracy we remember it as. The Voting Ballot must contain an opinion (yes or no), supported by two pieces of evidence from the source packets (standard or criteria).

XI. MATERIALS

Snowball Slips (Appendix A)Power to the People (Appendix B)Vocabulary Terms Handout (Appendix C)

Adapted from sheg.standard.eduSource Packet (Appendix D)

Modified from Athenian Democracy Lesson Plan, sheg.stanford.edu.Voting Ballot (Appendix E)Exit Ticket (Appendix F)

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XII. PROCEDURE

A. INQUIRY QUESTION

Was ancient Athens truly democratic?

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B. OPENER

1. Introductions (5 min)a. Pass out name tent cardsb. Hi everyone, I’m Sam. I’m a student at Boston University and

I’m trying to become a teacher! Thank you for letting me be a part of your class today.

c. So by this point, you all probably know each other pretty well, but I don’t know your names yet. So we’re going to do a little name game.

d. First, write your name on this “name tent” I passed out.e. In a minute, we’re going to introduce ourselves to the class BUT

there’s a catch.f. You’re going to have to do a funny motion to help me remember

your name. So you’re going to show everyone your name tent, say your name, and then do a motion. *Sam demonstrates – “Hi, my name is Sam, and I’m Sam the Scuba Diver!”

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2. Do Now: Snowball Fight (10 min)a. When you think of Ancient Greece, what words come to mind?b. Take two minutes to write as many words as you can think of. c. ******If you want to list a word, but don’t know it in English, you

can list it in Spanish, and we’ll translate it together later on.d. When you are done, crumple your paper into a ball and wait for

instructions.e. Instructions for Facilitating a Snowball Fight –

i. Rules: Do NOT throw snowballs toward someone’s face – throw underhand!

ii. We are playing catchiii. Keep picking up snowballs until I say stop!iv. When I say stop, hold on to the snowball you have! If you

do not have one, grab one!f. Open up your snowball – what kinds of words did your

classmate think of? Circle the words you both listed.g. Pair Share - compare and contrast your snowball with your

neighbor’s. What similarities do you see? What differences?h. Share Out – what kinds of words did we expect to see? Was

there a word that surprised you?

3. Framing/Intro (5 min)a. Today we’re going to look at Ancient Greece – specifically

Athens. (Hopefully) one of the words some of us wrote down was “democracy.”

b. What is democracy? (a society controlled by majority rule, a form of government, power to the people!)

c. We generally think of Ancient Athens as the birthplace of democracy – this is an ancient civilization that “created” the idea of governing FOR the people, BY the people

d. But was Ancient Athens really democratic? We’re going to examine this question today.

C. DEVELOPMENT

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4. Power to the People picture reflection (5 min)a. Show: Power to the People picture

i. What do we notice about this picture of “democracy,” ii. Why do all of these people look the same? White, toga-

wearing men with laurel wreaths in their hair?iii. Who’s missing? (women, people of color, various social

standings, etc.)iv. Is this really “power to the people?”v. What can we interpret from this picture? Was Athens

really democratic?

5. Jigsaw Groups (30 min)a. Count students off into letter groupsb. Read timing slide – explain that there are two phases, Letter

Groups and Home Groupsi. Letter Groups – examine a single documentii. Return to Home Groups – explain document discussed

in the Letter Group to your Home Groupc. Letter Group phase –

i. Suggest students preview vocab at bottom of page firstii. SET 10 MIN TIMER, circulate, help students annotateiii. SET 5 MIN TIMER, listen to discussions of whether it

was really democraticd. Home Group phase – PASS OUT VOTING BALLOTS

IMMEDIATELYi. SET 2 MIN TIMER, listen to discussions of evidenceii. SET X MIN TIMER (subtract from 10:45 AM, assist

students in casting their votesCOLLECT VOTING BALLOTS

D. CLOSING (or CLOSURE)

6. Recap of Lesson (5 min)a. So, what did we find out today? (Athens REALLY wasn’t fair to

everyone)b. Why do you think we don’t always learn this side of history?

(History is told by the victors, or the people in charge)i. The different authors seemed to tell different stories –

some thought it WAS democratic, and others didn't. ii. Are there any guesses as to why certain authors felt

differently? (They were living in the time period, they were privileged to benefit from the societal framework)

iii. Just because we haven’t learned about other perspectives in history doesn’t meant they didn’t exist.

c. Why is it important to learn about those inequalities? (bc it’s still unequal today)

d. Let’s think really critically. We may be better off today, but are we really an equal society? (we live under an illusion of a just system

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that “represents all people,” but is this really the case? What about #BLM, segregated housing, the lack of political representation for certain demographics?)

7. Exit Ticket (5 min)a. If today’s democracy was exactly like it was in Athens… How

would your life be different? Hint: think of what rights you currently have – would you still have them?

b. Collect Exit Tickets

XIII. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT TASKS

I will determine whether students are meeting the goals and objectives based on the quality of their participation during in-class discussion, in-class group work, and individual assessments through Voting Ballots and Exit Tickets. The Voting Ballots must contain two pieces of evidence to support their “vote.” The Exit Ticket will help students understand the conditions of life in Athens and meet the goals of the lesson.

XIV. ACCOMMODATIONS

This classroom is part of a Spanish-bilingual school. I will provide a translation for the handouts and incorporate more interactive discussion-based activities with visual aids. During the Snowball Fight brainstorming, if students do not know the term for a word in English, they can write it in Spanish and we will translate it later.

XV. EXTENSION

Homework – Create a Venn diagram comparing the similarities between Athenian democracy and our modern democratic societies (American or elsewhere). Have changes occurred? Explain your answer using evidence-based statements!

XVI. APPENDIX

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Appendix A: Do Now, Snowball Fight! Activity

Snowball Fight!

When you think of Ancient Greece, what words come to mind? Take two minutes to list as many words as you can think of.

When you are finished with your list, crumple this paper up and await further instructions.

Snowball Fight!

When you think of Ancient Greece, what words come to mind? Take two minutes to list as many words as you can think of.

When you are finished with your list, crumple this paper up and await further instructions.

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Appendix B: Power to the People picture

*This picture will be inserted into a Powerpoint, along with the prompt, “What do you notice about this picture?”

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Appendix D: Sources Packet

Document A: Pericles (Modified)

The following excerpt is from a speech delivered by the Athenian general and politician Pericles in 431 BCE. Pericles was widely seen as the leader of Athens. He gave this speech during a funeral for Athenian soldiers that died in the first year of the brutal Peloponnesian War against Sparta, Athens’s chief rival. The Athenian historian Thucydides included the speech in his book the History of the Peloponnesian War. Historians are not sure when Thucydides wrote down the speech or how close his version was to the original.

Our constitution favors the many instead of the few. This is why it is called a democracy. If we look at the laws, they give equal justice to all. “Moving up” in public life depends on one’s reputation for good work. Social class is not allowed to interfere with someone’s merit, and poverty does not block the way. If a man is able to serve the state, the conditions of his status do not stop him.

The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life. There, we do not get angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes. But all this comfort in our private lives does not make us lawless as citizens. Fear is our chief protection against this, teaching us to obey the magistrates and the laws.

Source: Thucydides (c. 460-395 BCE), “Pericles’s Funeral Oration,” in The History of the Peloponnesian War.

Vocabulary

social class: someone’s position in society

merit: talent, skills, or qualifications

magistrates: government officials

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STANFORD HISTORY EDUCATION GROUP sheg.stanford.edu

Appendix D: Sources Packet (continued)

Document B: The Athenian Constitution (Modified)

The following excerpt comes from “The Athenian Constitution,” written by the Greek philosopher Aristotle between 330 and 322 BCE. Aristotle was the leading Greek philosopher of the time, and is credited with writing accounts of the constitutions of 170 different Greek states.

At the time that we are speaking, the people have secured their control of the state and established the constitution which exists at the present day. The democracy has made itself master of everything and administers everything by its votes in the Assembly and by the law-courts.

The present state of the constitution is as follows. The franchise is open to all men who are of citizen birth by both parents. They are enrolled as citizens at the age of eighteen. On the occasion of their enrollment, the current citizens give their votes first on whether the new candidates appear to be of the age set by the law. If the candidates are not of the right age, they are dismissed back into the ranks of the boys. Secondly, the current citizens give their votes on whether the candidate is free born, and has two citizen parents as the laws require. If they decide that he is not a free man, he can appeal to the law-courts. If the court decides that he has no right to be enrolled as a citizen, he is sold by Athens as a slave. If he wins his case, he has the right to be enrolled as a citizen without further question.

Source: Aristotle, “The Athenian Constitution,” 330-322 BCE.

Vocabulary

STANFORD HISTORY EDUCATION GROUP sheg.stanford.edu

franchise: right to vote and participate in government

free born: not born to a parent who is a slave

lot: random lottery

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Appendix D: Sources Packet (continued)

Document C: The Athenian Population

The data below comes from the book Wealthy Hellas, written by Professor Josiah Ober in 2010. Ober is a professor of Classical Civilization and Political Science at Stanford University.

Population Group Total Number of people

Percentage of the population

Ability to vote

Citizen men 29,900 12% YesCitizen women 29,900 12% NoChildren of citizens 74,750 31% No

Metics 25,775 11% NoSlaves 80,000 34% No

Total Population: 240,235 Percentage of Population Able to Vote: 12%

*Metics were foreigners or Greeks from other city-states that settled in Athens, normally for purposes of trade. They became a key part of the city- state’s economy, industry, and education system.

Source: Josiah Ober, Wealthy Hellas, 2010.

STANFORD HISTORY EDUCATION GROUP sheg.stanford.edu

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Appendix D: Sources Packet (continued)

Document D: Professor Hansen (modified)

Mogens Herman Hansen was a professor of philology and classics at the University of Copenhagen before retiring in 2010. He is considered a leading expert in the world on the subject of Athenian democracy. The following is an excerpt from an article he wrote in 1989.

The arguments regularly raised against Athenian democracy are twofold: first, democracy is the rule of the whole of the people, excluding minors and maniacs only. The Greek Demokratia was rule by male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners (metics) and slaves. Thus, by our standards it was oligarchy, not democracy.

Second, rule was exercised directly by the people. Democracy today means government by representatives of the people. Popular assemblies, where everyone gathers to make decisions, belong to the past. Today, direct democracy is impossible because of the size of modern countries.

Athenian demokratia is criticized for being both more democratic and less democratic than democracy. It is more democratic by being government by the people instead of government by those elected by the people. It is less democratic by narrowing down the concept of demos to mean the adult male citizens in assembly.

Source: Mogens Herman Hansen, “Was Athens a Democracy?”, 1989.

Vocabulary

demokratia: the Greek word for democracyoligarchy: a form of government in which a small group of people have power and control

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STANFORD HISTORY EDUCATION GROUP sheg.stanford.edu

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Appendix E: Voting Ballots

Name:

Voting Ballots

Based on what you and your group found… Was Athens truly a democratic society?

Yes No

The evidence that convinced me was “ .“ from Page in Document # .

Another piece of evidence that convinced me was “ .” from Page in Document # .

Name:

Voting Ballots

Based on what was said in the debate and what you discussed in your Jigsaw groups… Was Athens truly a democratic society?

Yes No

The evidence that convinced me was “

.“

from Page in Document # .

Another piece of evidence that convinced me was “ .” from Page in Document # .

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Appendix F: Exit Ticket Slips

Name:

Exit Ticket: Democracy, Then vs. Now

If today’s democracy was exactly like it was in Athens… How would your life be different? Hint: think of what rights you currently have – would you still have them?

Name:

Exit Ticket: Democracy, Then vs. Now

If today’s democracy was exactly like it was in Athens… How would your life be different? Hint: think of what rights you currently have – would you still have them?

Name:

Exit Ticket: Democracy, Then vs. Now

If today’s democracy was exactly like it was in Athens… How would your life be different? Hint: think of what rights you currently have – would you still have them?

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