Come and discover one of the world's oldest and most exciting stories: The Iliad. 

‘The Iliad’ tells the story of the Trojan War, when an enormous Greek army fought against the city of Troy. We still talk about this tale because really, it is about what makes us human - it is a story of war, love, prophecy, family, life and death. By the end, we will all be able to tell this awe-inspiring tale, and bring it to life with our deep questions and readings.

Maybe you have heard of some of our characters, perhaps from Percy Jackson or other books about myths? We’ve got Zeus, Aphrodite, Athena, Ares, Chiron and Poseidon and Hephaestus. Our story focuses also on some names you may not know - the mighty young Achilles, his mysterious mother Thetis and the brutal leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon.

This will probably be the most complicated story you’ve ever discovered! It will have the most characters and some of the most unbelievable twists and turns. What a delightful challenge for us! 

In this class, we will bring history and myth to life in a lively and exciting way - with storytelling, painting, humour, music and drama, as well as lots of questions and philosophical talk. It is interactive - whilst I have a lot of storytelling to do, in a way that will entertain as well as educate, there is lots of time in each session for children to share their ideas, read extracts, make predictions and ask questions of their own.

Every member of my class is unique, and your child will be able to engage in our group storytelling in a way that works best for them - nobody will be 'forced' out of their comfort zone, and instead, we will work together to tell the story in a way that draws on all of our skills and interests, building us all up gradually. I am experienced at supporting all children to feel comfortable, supported, challenged and happy - my teaching style is light and funny, but intellectually ambitious. Kids can handle great stories with great questions!

Lesson 1 - How did an apple start a war? Who was Achilles?
Lesson 2 - Why did everyone want to marry Helen? How did war begin?
Lesson 3 - Who was Agamemnon? How did the Gods interfere in battle? When is pride a bad thing?
Lesson 4 - How did the battle end? Who survived? Who was to blame for what happened?
Lesson 5 - Our reflections and creative responses to the story - the history of Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey? Is it all a lie?

I love teaching this topic and every group of children I have done it with have enjoyed and obsessed over different elements of it.