Yesterday I told the students about life in two contrasting Greek city states. I told them stories about the Spartans who would get up early in the morning to train, dedicating their lives to military training. I contrasted them with the Athenians who placed the highest value on art and beauty. They learned about how Athens was a society of learned men who worked together to create a highly evolved society.
At the end of yesterday’s lesson I had them pick a slip of paper out of a hat. Each paper was marked with an A or an S, assigning them each to a city state for one day. Today half of the students arrived wearing green for Athens while the other half wore red, for Sparta.
Right away I involved them in some competitive activities. I had them make up a cheer for their city state and then we began playing games and doing relays. Before long they all felt great loyalty for their city state — even the ones who had clearly been wishing to be a member of the other city state.
The day went on with writing activities that further solidified their connection to their city state. We all had a great time and the day ended with wishes that we could continue the game. I even heard one boy say that this was the best day of school ever!
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