For Nonfiction Monday, I am revisiting one of my
favorite subjects: Ancient Greece. I spent months studying it with my own children
while homeschooling. I love teaching
about it in college World Literature courses.
If you plan to study it formally
or read about informally with your children, check out The Greek News: The Greatest Newspaper in Civilization. It was one of my favorite resources.
Summary of The
Greek News: The Greatest Newspaper
in Civilization
Authors
Anton Powell and Philip Steele present life in ancient Greece through the
medium of the newspaper. Articles are
broken into sections: The News (focusing on battles), Army
Life, Navy Life, Sparta: A Special
Report, Trade News, Sporting News, Building News, The Gods: A Special Report, and School Life as well as pages on Politics, Women, Theater, Housing, Heath, Philosophers, Food, Farming, and Fashion. Topics
are covered in a variety of ways from first person accounts, interviews, editorials,
and third-person reporting. Advertisements, maps, political cartoons, diagrams,
and colorful illustrations add another dimension for gaining insight into this ancient
culture. Some of the highlights are the coverage of the
Olympics, the theater, and living
conditions.
Evaluation:
The variety
of methods used to convey the historical information make this book highly engaging. Not only is
there the opportunity to discuss the facts, but also the methods used. Many articles are written in the first person
perspective, making them more personal and appealing. The layout has makes it easy to read in
small increments or to focus on particular areas of interest. The only downside is I found the discussion
of the battles a little confusing sometimes. The rise of democracy is covered, but the book would be strengthened
with a more detailed explanation. A
fascinating documentary on the topic is The Greeks: The Crucible of Civilization. A "special report" on Athens would have been a nice compliment to the one on Sparta.
Teaching Opportunities:
- Unit Study: Add to a unit or study of ancient Greece or ancient civilizations
- Writing: Discuss different types of writing--editorial, news reporting, interview, and so forth; allow students to practice them on academic or personal topics
- Art: Create a political cartoon or draw a picture of favorite aspect of Greek life
- Journalism: Create a newspaper about the family, school/class, or other topic; allow students to practice layout and editing skills
- Comparison: Choose one or more areas of Greek life and compare/contrast in chart or paragraph form
- Point of View: Identify and discuss the different point of views; teach how to identify which point of view is being used and the various advantages/disadvantages to each one
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What a wonderful way to present this topic - and thank you for the lesson plan ideas, as well. Is this part of a series of books?
ReplyDeleteYes, there are at least 2 others that I have seen following the same format. One on ancient Rome and the other on Egypt.
ReplyDeleteOh I always enjoy books like these! My daughter is a huge fan of Terry Deary whose historical facts/books are always presented in a fun and interesting format. I have a feeling she'd like this as well. Will try to search for this one in our libraries.
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