Ancient Greek Girl Athlete

Background

The olympic games were typically a male event. However, girls were encouraged to compete in Sparta. There was also a separate collection of games from the Olympics that were held in honor of the goddess Hera that girls were also allowed to compete in.

Writing Prompts

Imagine you are an Olympian in ancient Greece. What games would you compete in? How would the events be different from events that are held today?

What similarities and differences do you see between competition today and competition in ancient Greece?

Lesson Idea

Content Objective: Students will create a sculpture based on the Ancient Greek Girl Athlete.

Language Objective: Students will discuss with their peers the sculpture Ancient Greek Girl Athlete.

Key Vocabulary: athlete, Olympics, Hera

TEKS: (4.3) - Historical/Cultural Heritage. The student demonstrates and understanding of art history and culture as records of human achievement. The student is expected to:

(a) identify simple main ideas expressed in art.

National Standard: 4. Content Standard: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Achievement Standard: The Student:

a. know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures

Procedure: Have students brainstorm different things that they've done that made them feel proud of themselves. Using clay, or model magic, have students create a sculpture of themselves doing something that they are proud of. Have students think about the feeling that they had of being proud of themselves. The sculpture that they make is supposed to be about that moment. It isn't important for the sculpture to be realistic, it is more important to get across what was happening in the moment the student chose. If they were playing a sport, maybe a prop would be appropriate (ball, bat, etc.). Or, if they helped out a friend, they could make two sculptures.

References

Unknonwn. Ancient Greek Girl Athlete. 520-500. Wikimedia Commons. 28 December 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_figure_of_a_running_girl,_Greek,_about_520-500_BC,_Found_at_Prizren,_Serbia,_Winning_at_the_ancient_Games,_British_Museum_(7667206370).jpg

http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_figure_of_a_girl.aspx