The Birth of the Ancient Olympic Games
In this one-time class, students will learn about the origins of the Olympic Games, the tradition of athletic competition in ancient Greece and the site of Olympia.
Josee Dimson
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(57)
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
In this one-time lesson, we will learn about the origins of the Olympic Games in Greece in 776 B.C. We will investigate the site at Olympia in the Peloponnese through the archaeological accounts of old and modern excavations, ancient literary evidence, and artefacts. We will take a look at the sports that the athletes practiced, and learn about the people who attended the events. We will ask the following questions: - Did girls and women participate? - What prizes did the athletes win? - Were there amateur and professional athletes in the Greek world? - What did it mean to be an athlete? - When did the modern Olympic games begin and who revived this tradition? We will look at all these topics with the use of visuals from archaeological excavations and museum collections in a PowerPoint presentation. A few minutes at the end of the presentation will be reserved for the learners to ask any questions that they may have. I teach in an open lecture style, where I go through engaging slides, stories, ancient texts, and information. I also include the latest archaeological information and theories when possible. Students are asked open-ended questions throughout the lesson and are encouraged to ask questions of me at any time. The informal tone of the class invites the learners to participate as they feel comfortable.
Learning Goals
Students will learn about the ancient site at Olympia and how the tradition of the games began.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Greek art often involves nudity, but every attempt will be made not to use visuals of pottery and sculpture that may be considered inappropriate.
Supply List
No supplies are required
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined August, 2022
4.9
57reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Queen's University, Ontario, Canada
I am a trained archaeologist, and I excavated at sites such as Mytilene and Kommos in Greece for many field seasons. I have travelled extensively through Europe, and I have taught Greek and Roman art, archaeology and mythology at Concordia University, Montréal. I held a position at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, where I created and led tours for children on the topics of Greek, Roman and Egyptian archaeology, the Medieval period, dinosaurs and natural history. More recently, I have taught labs on water science and solar energy to Kindergarten and Grade 1 students through Scientists in School. Since July 2021, I have had the pleasure of teaching many archaeology and ancient civilizations classes on Outschool. Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$14
per classMeets once
55 min
Completed by 3 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-9 learners per class
