Activities

best suited to
grade 5 to
year 8

GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Kids News Digital Inquiry Kit
Introduction

This education kit on Greek Mythology is designed to The activities in this workbook are designed to
suit students from year 5 to year 8. It gives students an complement the featured articles on Greek Mythology,
opportunity to gain an insight into the Ancient Greek housed on kidsnews.com.au/eduction-kits. Most
culture by learning about the mythology of the time. The of the information students will need, to enable them
tasks in this digital kit and the reading material available to complete tasks, can be gained from these articles.
on the Kid News website, will allow students to gain an However, having access to information from a range of
understanding of the values and beliefs of this civilisation sources will benefit the students. Printed or digital copies
through learning about their religion. From this, students of some stories from Greek Mythology will be needed for
will be encouraged to draw conclusions about the way some activities. There are some links to online versions
of life of Ancient Greek citizens. The activities allow of particular myths in the Teachers’ Notes. Be aware
students to make comparisons between Ancient beliefs when selecting stories, as myths were passed down About the author
and current understandings of the natural world, and verbally, there may be different versions of the same Danielle Antoniou has been a primary school teacher for 20 years.
analyse similarities and differences between Ancient myth. Also, be aware Ancient Greek Mythology could She has worked at a number of schools in the Southern region
Greece and today. They also explore how the Ancient be violent and some myths included topics more suited of Victoria. Danielle has taught across a range of year levels and
Greek culture has influenced our current lives. to an older audience. There are links to a number of also as a music, dance and drama specialist. Passionate about
websites specifically for children and young adolescents the teaching of literacy at all levels of primary school, she has
The activities in this kit allow students to work included in the Teachers’ Notes that you may find useful. previously held the role of literacy co-ordinator and undertaken
independently, in pairs or small groups although they Where additional information or research is required, extensive professional development in this area. Fostering a love
can be adapted to suit the dynamics of your classroom this has been mentioned in the Teachers’ Notes on page of literature in students and developing literary skills that allow
and availability of resources. The variety of tasks involve 32-34 and some student friendly sites are suggested. students to engage with reading material for enjoyment and
students using their problem-solving skills and creativity. The tasks in this book can be completed in isolation or as for learning brings a sense of achievement. She enjoys seeing
Students are asked to draw on prior knowledge and a complete unit. A list of the resources required for each students critically analysing information and adjusting their
analyse new information to draw conclusions about activity is included in the Teachers’ Notes section as well understanding of their world based on new information.
the Ancient Greek culture. All activities are linked to as suggestions as to how some of the activities may be
the Australian Curriculum. They specifically relate to extended or adapted to your students’ needs. Danielle is currently on family leave from Somerville Primary
Humanities and Social Science – History. However, they School in Victoria and looks after her three young children.
have connections to a range of other Learning Areas A strong believer in allowing students to learn about and
and General Capabilities – these are detailed in the understand the world they live in, she writes classroom
Curriculum Links table on page 3-4. activities for kidsnews.com.au

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 2
  BACK
ACTIVITIES

1. What is Mythology?

4: Zeus - King of the Gods

5: Hera - Queen of the Gods

6: God and Goddess for War

7: Hades - God of the Underworld

3. How did people worship the Gods?
2. How was Greek Mythology shared?

CONTENTS
NEXT u
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English

Mathematics

Science

GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019
X
X
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Humanities and Social Sciences (F-6/7)

HASS - Civics & Citizenship (7-10)

HASS - Economics & Business (7-10)

HASS - Geography (7-10)

Australian Curriculum

X
X
X
X
X
X
X HASS - History (7-10)

The Arts/Dance

The Arts/Drama
LEARNING AREAS

The Arts/Media Arts

The Arts/Music

X
X
X

The Arts/Visual Arts

Technologies/Design & Technologies

Technologies/Digital Technologies

Health & Physical Education

Languages
X
X
X
X
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Literacy

Numeracy

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability

X
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Critical and Creative Thinking

CAPABILITIES

Ethical Understanding
X
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Intercultural Understanding
X

Personal & Social Capability

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia

CROSS-

PRIORITIES
CURRICULUM

Sustainability
3
Australian Curriculum
8: Dionysis - God of Theatre X X X X X X X X X

9: Demeter - Goddess of Agriculture X X X X X X

10. Symbols of the Gods X X X X X X

11. Map of the Gods X X X X X

12. Competition between the Gods X X X X X X X

13. A God for Today X X X X X X X

14. The 12 Labours of Heracles X X X X X

15. Jason and the Argonauts X X X X X X X

16. Myths that teach X X X X X X

17. Words from Mythology still used today X X X X X X

18. Mythical creatures X X X X X X

19. The Olympics 1 X X X X X X X X

20. The Olympics 2 X X X X X X X

21. Temples X X X X X X

22. Greek architecture X X X X X X

23. Where in Ancient Greece was that? X X X X X

24. Ancient Greek Mythology in modern times X X X X X

25. What have you learnt? X X X X X X

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 4
Contents
Click boxes to navigate:

1. What is Mythology?

2. How was Greek Mythology shared? 10. Symbols of the Gods 18. Mythical creatures

3. How did people worship the Gods? 11. Map of the Gods 19. Olympics Games 1

4. Zeus: King of the Gods 12. Competition between the Gods 20. Olympic Games 2

5. Hera: Queen of the Gods 13. A God for today 21. Temples

6. God and Goddess for War 14. 12 labours of Heracles 22. Greek Architecture

7. Hades: God of the Underworld 15. Jason and the Argonauts 23. Where in Ancient Greece was that?

8. Dionysus: God of Theatre 16. Myths that teach 24. Ancient Greek Mythology in modern times

9. Demeter: Goddess of Agriculture 17. Words from Mythology still used today 25. What have you learnt?

INTRODUCTION CURRICULUM TEACHERS’ NOTES

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 5
What is Mythology?
Write your own definition of Mythology. Do you know any cultures from around the world that have a strong mythology?

List them here

What do you know about the Ancient Greek culture and the mythology of the time? List any facts,
names or stories about Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology here.

Ancient Greece Ancient Greek Mythology

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 6
Activity 2
How was Greek Mythology shared?

Draw the ways that Greek Mythology was passed down to future generations.

Stories from Greek Mythology are widely available today but sometimes different versions of the same story exist.
Given the way that their mythology was passed down why do you think the details are not Why do you think Greek Mythology was so important to the people of ancient Greece?
exactly the same in each story?

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 7
Activity 3
How did people worship the Gods?

Religion was such an important part of life for Ancient Greeks. They believed that by worshipping the Gods, it would make their lives better while they were living and they
would be looked after when they died.
Draw pictures to show the different ways that Ancient Greeks worshipped their Gods.

Held
Prayed at home religious festivals

Visite
d sacred sites

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 8
Activity 3
How did people worship the Gods?

Draw pictures to show the different ways that Ancient Greeks worshipped their Gods.

ro e
u pl
s
B

gh m
t g if te
ts a si t es/
nd of Held
f erings to sacred sporting events

V is ay
i te d
temple t o pr
s regularly

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 9
Activity 4
Zeus: King of the Gods

Like most societies, the Ancient Greeks shared their history and mythology through epic In Ancient Greek mythology
poetry. They wrote poems that told of the deeds of their Gods, Goddesses and heroes. The Iliad Zeus ruled on high
and Odyssey are two such epic poems written by a Greek named Homer about 3000 years ago. He defeated his father, Cronus
After reading about Zeus: King of the Gods, on kidsnews.com.au, write a list of key words Then he controlled the sky.
about his family, character traits and events in his life.
Use this list to help create a rhyming quatrain poem with at least 4 verses (4 lines per verse)
about Zeus. You can choose the rhyming pattern for your poem. For example; in each verse line
1 & 3 and 2 & 4 rhyme or line 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 or another pattern of your choice. An example of
how to begin your poem has been done for you (see right), you may choose to continue this or
begin your own poem.

Words about Zeus

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 10
Activity 5
Hera: Queen of the Gods

Another way that stories of Greek Mythology were shared and passed down was through paintings on pot-
tery. Gods and Goddesses and their stories were sometimes depicted in these paintings. Pottery often had
images from stories the Gods appeared in, their symbols or something they ruled over.
Pottery was very important to Greek people. It was used to store anything from wheat to wine, as well as for
cooking and crockery. The Greeks were very talented painters, which is evident by the intricate designs on
much of their pottery.
Read about Hera in the article on the kidsnews.com.au, then design a piece of pottery to honour the God-
dess Hera. You can use this outline to plan your design and use some of the icons shown below to inspire you.
Then draw an outline of a piece of pottery on a large (A3) piece of orange card. Use black paint for your design
on this pot. When it is dry cut out the pot and display it proudly.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 11
Activity 6
God and Goddess for War

War was a common part of Ancient Greek life.

As each city was a separate city-state or ‘Polis’, Athena Ares
not under one government, there were often
feuds and battles between them. There were
also battles with other nations.
The Ancient Greeks worshipped two different
Gods for help and favour in times of war: Ares
(God of War) and Athena (Goddess of Wisdom
and Defence). Both played a part in many
wars but were very different in their
character and approach.
Read about both Athena and Ares in the
articles found on kidsnews.com.au
Write a list of character traits that would
describe them in the following chart. Think of
at least four words for each person.

If you were an Ancient Greek, which of these Gods would you prefer to have on your side in war? Give reasons for your answer.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 12
Activity 7
Hades: God of the Underworld

Death and the afterlife are important to many religions. Ancient Greek Mythology was no exception.
Draw a visual representation of what you
When the Gods divided up the universe, Hades was given the ‘Underworld’. He ruled over what people believed was the afterlife.
imagine this journey to the Underworld
Read through this passage about Ancient Greek beliefs and burial practices and fill in the gaps with words from the box. would look like.

The Ancient believed that if they led a good life the Gods would look after them when they
dressing

. When people died their families followed specific funeral rituals which they believed would keep Tartarus
eyes
them in with the Gods and allow the deceased a smooth transition to the .
afterlife

They began by , and the body at home. were oiling

Hades
placed in their mouth or on their . Then there was a funeral procession to the grave. Family and
Coins
friends would praise the dead and make of warm milk and small bottles of consecrated (blessed) Food and drink
favour
blood. were put into the grave for the dead and honey cakes as a tasty treat for ,
passed away
Hades’ three-headed guard dog, on their way to the afterlife. coin
Hemes
The Greeks believed that the soul was taken by the God . As the Messenger God, it was his job to
Greeks
take the soul to the , where they met the ferryman Charon. For the cost of a River Styx
washing
he would row them across to the Underworld, where and Cerberus waited. The God of the
Elysian Fields
Underworld sent heroes and exceptional citizens to , the average citizens to Cerberus
Hades
which was a dismal, sad place filled with the dead wandering without hope. If a person had lived a wicked life, he sent them
offerings
to , which was a pit of despair with punishments for individuals for eternity.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 13
Activity 8
Dionysus: God of Theatre

The theatre was a favourite form of entertainment for Ancient Greeks. It originally began as part of a festival to Dionysus, the God of Wine and Celebrations, but became an important part
of Greek culture. Plays were performed in large theatres, some of which could house up to 10,000 people. Actors used masks to play various characters, acting out comedies, tragedies
and stories about their Gods. Only males could be actors and they dressed as women when they played female roles.
In a small group (approximately 4), choose a story about one of the Gods or a legend that appeals to you. Turn this story into a play that you can perform to your class.

Follow the steps involved to create your play.

1. Read the story together.

2. Rewrite the story as a script.
3. Decide who will play each role and how it will be performed.
Decide if you need to make props and how you can do this.
4. Create masks for characters in your play.
5. Rehearse your play.
6. When you are happy with it perform it to your class.

To make a mask:
Cut out a circle from cardboard.
Paper plates are a good size.
Draw eyes and a mouth on the mask.
Cut these out. Decorate the mask
with hair, eyebrows, nose and
other features.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 14
Activity 9
Demeter: Goddess of Agriculture

Some myths were used to explain why natural events occurred.

What naturally occurring event would this explain?
Demeter was the Goddess of Agriculture and Grain. Most Write your answer with reference to the events What is the scientific explanation of this natural event?
Greeks were farmers and thanked Demeter with gifts at and characters in Greek Mythology.
harvest festivals. In Greek Mythology, Demeter’s daughter,
Persephone was taken by Hades (God of the Underworld)
to be his wife in the Underworld, which made Demeter grieve.
While she was grieving, she allowed the Earth to go barren
and nothing would grow. Zeus, realising that humankind
would starve, struck a deal with Hades that Persephone
could remain with Demeter most of the year but had to
return to the Underworld with Hades
for four months of the year.
During this time Demeter grieved
and the fields were bare, when
Persephone returned green
shoots burst through the
ground again.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 15
Activity 10
Symbols of the Gods

Greek Gods and Goddesses had symbols ZEUS HERA APHRODITE HERMES DEMETER
associated with them. These symbols
were often used to represent them in
drawings and paintings.
The symbols related to their skills or
what they ruled over.
Draw a symbol that represent the
following Gods and Goddesses. Some
Gods have more than one symbol.
Choose the one you feel represents them
the closest. You can use information on
kidsnews.com.au to help you. APOLLO ARES ARTEMIS ATHENA DIONYSUS

HEPHAISTOS POSEIDON HADES HESTI EROS

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 16
Activity 11
Map of the Gods

The Gods and Goddesses on Mount Olympus are part of the same
extended family.
Create a mind map of the Greek Gods and Goddesses showing how
Zeus Eros Hera
they are related.
Cut out the names of the Gods and paste Zeus in the centre of an A3 page
and the other 14 Gods and Goddesses around the outside. Draw arrows to
show how the Gods are related to Zeus and to each other.

Artemis Dionysus Apollo

Hera Hades
Godess of Women God of the
and Marriage Underworld

Sister of and Brother of

married to

Zeus
King of the Gods
Demeter Hades Poseidon
God of Sky

Athena Aphrodite Ares

Hermes Hestia Hephaistos

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 17
Activity 12
Competition between the Gods

According to legend, when Athens was first settled, it did not

have a patron God. The Gods of Olympus knew it would be
a great city and had arguments over who would get it. Both
Poseidon and Athena wanted it. Poseidon was always on the
lookout for coastal villages to claim and Athena (as Goddess of
Civilisation) was keen to be the patron of this great city. They Who will be ‘Patron God’ of your Class?
were asked by Zeus to present the best new gift for humanity.
Whoever could create the best gift could have the city. Hold a competition in your classroom with everyone vying for position as the ‘Patron God’ of your
Read the article on kidsnews.com.au if you want to know class. The person who can offer the best gift to humanity gets the honour. Decide on what the
who won this battle. ‘honour’ of being the ‘Patron God’ will be. (Could this person decide on a fun activity for the class? Or
be exempt from homework for the week?)

Think of the best gift you could give humanity. As you are pretending to be ‘Gods’ the gift can be
something currently impossible for mortal humans. (For example: a sceptre that could eliminate
plastic waste without any negative impact on the environment, or an animal that eats plastic so we can
reduce plastic waste.)

Write down your gift idea on a piece of paper. Add two or three reasons why your idea would be the
best gift for humanity. Make sure the gift idea is written in large bold font so that it can be read easily.

As a class hold a forum, where each person can share their idea and reasons for it. Then place your idea
on display.

Now it’s time to vote. As the Ancient Greeks invented democracy, it’s only fitting that the ‘winner’ of
‘Patron God’ of your class be decided by vote.

With the 5 counters your teachers give you, walk around the classroom voting for the idea/ideas you
like best. Place one counter on each of the 5 ideas you like the best.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 18
Activity 13
A God for today

Each Ancient Greek God had a distinct personality and

ruled over different areas of life. The people sought
assistance from different Gods depending on what KEY FACTS Draw a picture of this God and their symbol
they needed. In war they would ask for help from Ares
and Athena, for love they would seek guidance from
Aphrodite and to help them grow crops they would
Title:
worship Demeter.
Life has changed significantly from when Ancient Greek
civilisations existed and there would be new areas of our
current lives that would not be ‘ruled over’ by one of the
Ancient Gods of Olympus?
Choose an area of modern-day life and create a God or
Goddess to rule over it. Draw a picture of this God and Rules over:
their symbol. Write a brief profile for him/her. Include the
following information …

Symbols:

Sacred Animals:

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 19
Activity 14
12 labours of Heracles

Heracles was a hero in Greek Mythology.

He wasthe son of Zeus and Alcmene,
1
Queen of Thebes.
As punishment for a crime he committed,
2 12
he was made to serve a mean king named
Eurystheus.
This king made him serve 12 labours after
which he was free.
Complete the following map to show the
12 labours Heracles completed. Write a 3 11
brief description of each one.

4 Heracles’ 10

12 labours
5 9

Extension:
Choose one of these labours
and write a narrative story
6 8
about how you imagine it
might have been completed.

7
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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 20
Activity 15
Jason and the Argonauts

The Ancient Greek civilisations were located along the South Eastern coast
of Europe along the Aegean Sea. The geography of the land was 80%
mountainous which meant people used the sea to travel between cities-
states. They needed boats to do this. They also needed boats for war.
In the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Jason had a seemingly
impossible task of travelling to the island of Kolchis to find and bring back
the Golden Fleece. Jason was a favourite of the Goddess Athena. She had a
craftsman named Argo make him a boat for his journey. The boat, Argo, was
named after this craftsman. According to legend, this was the first Greek long
boat (or Triremes).
This boat was fast and strong, and had room for 50 oarsmen. Look at the
story on kidsnews.com.au about Jason to find images and descriptions of
Greek long boats. What features do they have?
Make a model of a boat used in Ancient Greece.
In the box to your right, draw a sketch of what your Greek longboat will look
like. On your sketch, label the main features of this boat and note down what
construction materials you will use for each section.

Examples of construction
materials you could use include:
• cardboard
• skewers
• craft sticks
• pieces of material
• paper mâché
• recycled containers

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 21
Activity 16
Myths that teach

Many stories in Greek Mythology were

used to teach the importance of desirable Message
character traits (for example: honesty or
being humble).
Read about the following characters from
Greek Mythology. King Midas
What message do these stories have? and the
Golden Touch

Aranche
and Athena

Narcissus

Pandora’s Box

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 22
Activity 17
Words from Mythology still used today

We have adopted many words and phrases

that relate to stories and characters from Word/Phrase Meaning
Greek Mythology.
After reading about these stories what do you “That is his/her
think the following words or phrases mean?
Achilles heel”

“He/She has
the Midas touch.”

“You’ll be opening
Pandora’s box!”

“Arachnid”

Can you find any more words/phrases you use today that have links to Greek Mythology?

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 23
Activity 18
Mythical creatures

Greek Mythology is full of mythical creatures including monsters, animals and hybrids (creatures that had both animal and human features).

Choose one of the mythical creatures described and draw your interpretation of it. Draw your own mythical creature inspired by the ones in Greek Mythology.

Extension: Name your creature and write a brief description of it and what it does. Does it guard something like the three-headed watchdog Cerberus?
Or help explain a natural phenomenon, like Scylla and Charybdis?

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 24
Activity 19
Olympics Games 1

In Ancient Greece there were lots of religious festivals. Some festivals were Imagine you are a young athlete participating in the Olympic Games in 152BCE
athletic carnivals, the most famous being The Olympic Games. (Before Common Era). Use your thoughts from the Y chart to write a diary entry
about your time at the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games were a religious festival held every four years at the
sacred site of Olympia, in honour of Zeus. It involved young men participating Include details about arriving at Olympia, your age, the event you are participating
in various sports. The Games were held in such high regard that often wars in, the training you did beforehand, what it meant to you
were stopped or truces called to allow men to participate. The honour of to participate etc.
winning was highly sought after. The festival went for five days and involved
religious ceremonies, sporting events, oxen sacrificed in honour of Zeus,
grand feasts and processions of the winners.
Complete a Y chart to help describe what you imagine the sights, sounds and
feelings were like for an athlete in the stadium on the first day.

SOUNDS

SIGHTS FEELINGS

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 25
Activity 20
Olympic Games 2

After reading about the Ancient Olympic Games and from what you know of the Modern Olympic Games, complete a Venn Diagram. Place facts that are different about each in the
appropriate circle and facts that are common to each in the overlapping section of the circles.

Ancient Olympics Modern Olympics

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 26
Activity 21
Temples

Ancient Greeks believed that the Gods and Goddesses

watched over them and controlled events on Earth. People Draw the Parthenon
built temples to honour the Gods and went there to pray to
them, taking gifts of money, flowers, food or wine.
Each temple was built to honour only one God. They
were usually built on a hill or high point of the city. The
architecture of temples was fairly simple. It usually
included large columns around the outside, a decorative
frieze and statues of the Gods they were built for.
The Parthenon is one such temple, the ruins of which are
still visible today in Greece. It was built on the Acropolis in
Athens in honour of the Goddess Athena.
Find out more about the Parthenon on kidsnews.com.au
and draw a picture of the temple (or the ruins)
and write a paragraph about it.
Your paragraph should include:
• Where/when and by who was it built
• Why was it built
• What it looks like

Write a paragraph about the Parthenon

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 27
Activity 22
Greek Architecture

The Ancient Greeks built structures for a variety of

purposes including theatres, gymnasiums, courthouses
and temples. Their architecture is known for tall columns
and symmetry. Their buildings demonstrated harmony
and balance and often had intricate details on columns
and in friezes. Greek architecture has inspired many
buildings that are still being used now, particularly
government buildings.
Which current buildings do you know, that contain
similarities to Ancient Greek architecture? Use the
internet to search for buildings that were inspired by
Greek architecture.
Draw or print and paste a picture of current buildings
inspired by Greek architecture in the following boxes.
Label it with the name of the building, where it is located
and what it is used for. Identify aspects of the buildings
that have similarities to Greek architecture.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 28
Activity 23
Where in Ancient Greece was that?

Many places mentioned in Ancient Greek

Mythology can be located today. Some cities and
landmarks still boast the names from ancient times
and the ruins of stadiums, temples and theatres
give clues about the life of the Ancient Greeks.
Use an atlas to locate and plot these places on
the following map. Attach the fact about, or Athens
mythological event that was supposed to have
occurred there, to each location.
Mt Olympus
The most famous Oracle, who it was said spoke
directly with Apollo, was here.

Delphi
The Ancient Olympics took place here.

City where King Minos kept the Minotaur Knossos

in a Labyrinth.

Where Dionysus and Ariadne (King Minos’ Aegean Sea

daughter) met.

The 12 main Gods and Goddesses were said to

have lived here. Olympia

City where the Parthenon was built in honour

of the city’s patron Goddess. Naxos
The sea that was named after King Aegeus of
Athens. He was Theseus’ father.

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 29
Activity 24
Ancient Greek Mythology in modern times

The Ancient Greek culture still has significance to many names we hear today. These can be the names of people, cars, sports teams, astronomy and companies.
Use the following table to list names you have heard that have a connection to Greek Mythology.

Car names People names Sports names Astronomy Company names

Why do you think names from Ancient Greek Mythology are so popular?

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 30
Activity 25
What have you learnt?

After reading articles about Greek Mythology and completing the activities what conclusions can you make about the Ancient Greek culture?
Think of something that may fit under each of the following headings.

Family life
Values
ANCIENT
GREEKS

Architecture Religion

Common occupations

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 31
Teachers’ Notes
WORKSHEET Duration Resources required Extra information
(no. of
lessons)

1. What is Mythology? 1

2. How was Greek Mythology shared? 1

3. How did people worship the Gods? 1 Further research may be required.

4. Zeus: King of the Gods 1

Extension: If time and resources permit, this activity could be extended by having
5. Hera: Queen of the Gods 1-2 Orange A3 card. Black paint and painting utensils. students make a paper mâché or clay replica of a piece of pottery and painting
it in honour of Hera.

6. God and Goddess of War 1

7. Hades: God of the Underworld 1

Students will need knowledge of a story from Greek Mythology.

Some that might be suitable include: Note: Group sizing is approximate and can be adjusted as required.
• Athena and Arachne Students will need a number of sessions to prepare, rehearse and perform a play.
• King Midas Simple, student-friendly versions of some Greek Myths can be found at these sites.
• Hades & the King of Corinth Athena & Arachne –
• Persephone & Demeter. http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/myth-stories/arachne.htm
8. Dionysus: God of Theatre 3-4 You may come across others that spark interest in your students. Persephone & Demeter –
Masks https://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/demeter.html
Cardboard for face (paper plates) King Midas – https://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/kingmidas.html
Coloured construction paper Hades & the King of Corinth –
Thick card or rulers for handle https://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/king-of-corinth.html
Glue, scissors.

Students will need some prior knowledge of the scientific explanation for the seasons.
9. Demeter: Goddess of Agriculture 1 This is an online text of the Story of Demeter and Persephone.
https://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/demeter.html

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Teachers’ Notes
10. Symbols of the Gods 1

Extension: Students can keep this as a working document and add other connections
11. Map of the Gods 1 and other Gods and Demi Gods to the map as they learn about them.

Instead of completing this task individually, this could become a class task with a
target number of alternative uses (100 is challenging but achieveable). Print or draw a
Paper.
12. Competition between the Gods 1-2 5 counters per student.
large copy of the jam jar for display and allow students to add new ideas as they think
of them until the target is reached. You could also take it a step further and actually
use a jar for each of the suggested uses and set this up as a display.

Students will need to source an item that they no longer want or need
Extension: Students could write a story that includes their new God demonstrating
13. A God for today 1 in its current form along with any materials required to turn it into
their skill, or teaching a lesson.
something new and useful.

Extension: Choose one of Heracles ‘labours’ and write a narrative story about how you
14. The 12 labours of Heracles 1 imagine it might have been completed.

Construction materials such as cardboard, skewers, craft sticks

15. Jason and the Argonauts 2-3 pieces of material, paper mâché recycled containers.

Extension: Students could create a list of other stories, not necessarily from Greek
16. Myths that teach 1 Mythology, that have a message or moral.

17. Words from Mythology, still used today 1

Extension: Students could name their creature and write a brief description of it and
18. Mythical creatures 1 what it does. Students could also recreate their design using another medium, such as
paint, paper mosaic, or paper mâché model.

The following sites may be useful for further reading about the Ancient Olympic
Games;
https://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games
19. Olympic Games 1 1 https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z36j7ty
http://www.historyforkids.net/ancient-greek-olympics.html
This short clip features a comical overview of the History of the Olympic Games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ0UB__I9j4

20. Olympic Games 2 1

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GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS KIDS NEWS DIGITAL INQUIRY KIT 2019 33
Teachers’ Notes

Further information about the Parthenon can be found through an internet search.
These two sites have simple descriptions and interesting facts.
https://kids.kiddle.co/Parthenon
21. Temples 1 May require further information about the Parthenon. http://www.historyforkids.net/acropolis.html
This short video gives a brief overview of the Parthenon.
http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1479349/the-parthenon-master-
piece-of-ancient-greece

22. Architecture 1 Access to internet to search for buildings with Ancient Greek influence.

23. Where in Ancient Greece was that? 1 Atlas or access to online maps such as Google Maps.

24. A
 ncient Greek Mythology in modern times 1 May require access to internet to search for examples.

25. What have you learnt? 1

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