Download Ancient Greek theatre

Unit 14 KS2
28/11/06
Year 5/6
12:54 PM
Unit 14
Page 230
Who were the ancient Greeks?
Lesson 8
Ancient Greek theatre
The purpose of
this lesson is:
to investigate the ancient Greek theatre.
Learning objectives
Learning outcomes
Children should learn:
Children should be able to:
• to deduce information about an aspect of the Greek
way of life from pictures of buildings and texts;
• to combine information from several sources;
• about the role of the theatre in the way of life of the
Greeks;
• to structure work in the form of a play.
• recognize the main features of a Greek theatre;
• understand the religious connections between
theatre and religious festivals;
• find out the sorts of plays the Greeks liked and who
wrote them;
• contribute to the preparation and performance of a
play that demonstrates the key features of Greek
drama.
Class objective:
• to investigate ancient Greek theatre and what
happened there.
Programme of study
Cross-curricular links
1a place events, people and changes into correct
periods of time;
2a characteristic features of periods and societies
studied, including the ideas, beliefs, attitudes
and experiences of men, women and children
in the past;
2b social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of
societies;
5c communicate knowledge and understanding of
history in a variety of ways.
• Literacy Framework: Yr 5/6 Fiction and poetry: play
scripts
Differentiation
Some less able children will need help from an adult
when completing Activity sheet AS8.1 : Ancient
Greek theatres.
Assessment opportunities
Prior learning
Each child’s understanding of this lesson can be
assessed through an analysis of his/her completed
activity sheet.
This lesson will build on children’s knowledge of
plays and the theatre.
Advance preparation
Vocabulary
altar, Aristophanes, audience, auditorium, chitin,
chorus, Epidauros, orchestra, parades, peplos, proedri,
skene, Sophocles, theatre, theatron
Resources
•
•
•
•
•
Activity sheet AS8.1 : Ancient Greek theatres
Activity sheet AS8.2 : Play script – useful tips
Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume
Activity sheet AS8.4 : Masks in ancient Greek theatre
Flipbook page 12: The ancient Greek theatre
If you wish to include costume in the drama activity
in Lesson 9, give the children Activity sheet AS8.3 :
Ancient Greek costume to take home. There may be
situations where it is not appropriate for these to be
sent home. It may be necessary for the school to
provide costumes. Place the children in two or three
mixed-ability groups to work on their play scripts.
The children will require masks for the presentation
of their plays. Time has not been allowed for the
making of masks within this unit. These will need to
be completed within other curriculum time or, where
appropriate, set as a homework exercise: Activity
sheet AS8.4 : Masks in ancient Greek theatre.
Introduction
• Begin the lesson by sharing the class objective: to investigate ancient Greek theatre and what happened
there. Remind the children of their homework task and ask them what information they have discovered about
230
LCP
History Resource Files KS2
© Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.
Unit 14 KS2
28/11/06
Year 5/6
12:54 PM
Unit 14
Page 231
Who were the ancient Greeks?
Lesson 8
the Greek theatre. Choose children to share this information with the class. Write any relevant information on the
board.
• You may wish to provide some or all of the following information:
• Drama formed part of religious festivals.
• The Greek theatre was held outside, first in the market place, then in large open-air stadiums or theatres.
• Important people had stone seats reserved for them at the front of the theatre.
• A visit to the theatre was a religious event.
• It was one of the few public events to be attended by both men and women. There was a small entrance fee,
but anyone who could not afford it was allowed in for free.
• Plays were put on once a month and lasted a day.
• The plays were often about well-known stories, like myths and legends.
• The members of the audience showed their enjoyment by whistling and stamping their feet. If an actor made a
mistake, or if the members of the audience did not like him, they would boo and sometimes throw stones at
him.
• All the actors were men.
• They wore masks to show the audience whether their characters were young or old, ugly or beautiful and male
or female.
• The masks were simple and the faces very exaggerated, so that they could be seen right at the back of the
theatre. They had large open mouths to make the voices of the actors seem louder.
• The chorus was an important part of a Greek play. It was made up of a group of actors who, throughout the
play, moved and spoke together and were dressed the same way. They talked to the audience and explained
what was going on in the play and how they felt about it.
• Serious plays were called tragedies; funny plays were called comedies. Tragic actors always moved slowly; when
they were speaking they stood still and did not move. Sophocles was a writer of tragic plays; Aristophanes was
a writer of comic plays.
• The main story of the play was acted on a raised stage; the actors playing the chorus were in an area called the
orchestra at ground level.
Activity 1 What did a Greek theatre look like?
• Show the children Flipbook page12: The ancient
Greek theatre. Point out the banks of seats, the
circular orchestra for the chorus, the raised scene
area for the actors and the stone seats at the front for
the VIPs. There is also a stone sculpture of a mask on
this page.
• Give out Activity sheet AS8.1 : Ancient Greek
theatres. Explain to the children that their task is to
consider the photograph and plans carefully and
then answer the questions on the sheet. Check that
all children have understood the task set.
Activity 2 Storyboard to play
• Explain to the children that they will be working in
three groups to present a Greek-style play on the
myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Give the children
Activity sheet AS8.2 : Play script – useful tips and the
completed storyboards from Lesson 7. Tell them that
in their groups they must use their storyboards to
help them write the script for an ancient Greek-style
play. Remind them that the chorus is a group of
actors who tell the main story, and that they are an
important part of the play.
Plenary
• Five minutes before the end of the lesson gather the children together. Explain that next lesson they are going
to complete their scripts and practise and present their play. Tell the children that you would like them to do this
in costume. Where appropriate, give out Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume and read through it with
the children.
Homework
• Ask the children if they can think of additional lines or dialogue for the play.
• Where appropriate, give the children a copy of Activity sheet AS8.3 : Ancient Greek costume and Activity sheet
AS8.4 : Masks in ancient Greek theatre to take home.
LCP
History Resource Files KS2
© Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.
231
Unit 14 KS2
28/11/06
Year 5/6
Unit 14
1:36 PM
Page 232
Lesson 8
Who were the ancient Greeks?
AS8.1
Ancient Greek
theatres
Name:
Activity sheet 8.1
GreatBuildings.com
Photo © Howard Davis
Label the diagram of the theatre using the word box to help you.
altar: placed in the middle
of the orchestra
orchestra: the circle-shaped
area where the chorus
performed
proedri: the front seats for
important people
scene: the raised platform
for the actors (which also
had the entrances for the
actors)
theatron: the auditorium
where the members of the
audience sat
Look carefully at the photograph and the plan of the Greek theatre.
Why do you think that this would be a good design for a theatre?
232
LCP
History Resource Files KS2
© Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.
Unit 14 KS2
28/11/06
Year 5/6
12:54 PM
Unit 14
Page 233
Lesson 8
Who were the ancient Greeks?
AS8.2
Play script –
useful tips
Names:
Activity sheet 8.2
Working in your group, choose a storyboard from Lesson 7 and write a play
script for it.
Your play should last no longer than ten minutes.
You will need to:
• make a list of the main characters and decide who is going to play them;
• remember that everyone else will be the chorus;
• remember that the chorus will tell most of the story;
• remember that the chorus can give their opinion of what is going on in the
play.
LCP
History Resource Files KS2
© Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.
233
Unit 14 KS2
28/11/06
Year 5/6
12:54 PM
Unit 14
Page 234
Lesson 8
Who were the ancient Greeks?
AS8.3
Ancient Greek
costume
Name:
Activity sheet 8.3
Greek clothes were usually made from a single rectangular piece of material.
FASTENED
SEWN TOGETHER
The chiton
(pronounced ky-ton)
The chiton was a garment
worn by men and women.
It varied in length from mid
thigh to full length.
BELT
How to make the chiton
1. Fold a rectangle of fabric in half.
2. Sew or pin the side which is opposite the fold.
3. The person then steps inside the ‘tube’.
4. Make sure that there is room for the arms to
move; then pin the two sides of the fabric
together across the shoulders.
5. Gather the fabric at the waist with a belt or cord.
FASTENED
The peplos
The peplos was worn
only by women.
BELT
How to make the peplos
1. Lay a piece of material flat and then fold the top third over.
2. Fold the material in half with the folded part showing.
3. Sew or pin the side.
4. The person then steps inside the ’tube’.
5. Make sure that there is room for the arms to move, then
pin the two sides of the fabric together across the shoulders.
6.Gather the fabric at the waist with a belt or cord.
NB For this garment the fold-over piece can be made longer,
and the belt placed over it, instead of under it.
234
LCP
History Resource Files KS2
© Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.
Unit 14 KS2
28/11/06
Year 5/6
12:54 PM
Unit 14
Page 235
Lesson 8
Who were the ancient Greeks?
AS8.4
Masks in ancient
Greek theatre
Name:
Activity sheet 8.4
In ancient Greek drama, all the actors were men. They wore masks to indicate
the character that they were playing (e.g. woman, old man) or the emotion that
they were showing (e.g. anger, sadness, joy). Actors in Greek plays often played
several different parts and would put on a different mask for each part that they
played. The members of the chorus wore masks that were usually similar to each
other, but completely different from those of the leading actors.
The masks were often brightly coloured with exaggerated features e.g. large
eyes, large nose and mouth. This allowed the faces to be seen by all the people
in the theatre, even those sitting in the back rows. Usually the masks were made
of a lightweight material: e.g. linen, leather, cork or carved wood. To create the
shape of the mask, the artist moulded the material around a marble or stone
face (like papier-mâché). Human or animal hair was used for the hair.
How to make your own Greek-style mask
• Stand in front of the mirror and try to make the following expressions on your
face: sad, happy, angry, scared.
• Look carefully at your face and think about the shapes that your face is making,
especially your eyes and mouth.
• Make the expression that is best for the character that you are playing.
• Draw this expression on a piece of paper, making sure that the size matches
your face. (You might need someone to help you with this.)
• Exaggerate your expression, so that it will be easy to work out what it is if you
are looking at it from a distance.
• Stick your drawing onto thick card. Remember to cut out the holes for the eyes
and the mouth. (Ask someone to help you do this safely.)
• Cut holes in the sides and thread elastic, string or ribbon through them, so that
the mask can be tied on your head.
LCP
History Resource Files KS2
© Copyright 2002 Language Centre Publications Ltd. Copies may be made for use within the purchasing institution only.
235