y5/6 teachers - what is your topic for next term?

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

I have just started a job share in a large mixed-age y5/6 class. This term we had a great topic - Pakistan - which allowed for loads of learning about Islam, lots of geography, art, cultural awareness, etc.
Next term we will be doing Ancient Greece. I cannot think of a topic that would motivate me less. My jobshare has said that he would consider any other good topic if I could come up with an idea.
So what do you do???

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

No, what's that??

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Nice topics, Hoodoo, but they did Tudors in y4 and Victorians last year (mixed 5/6 class).

[hoodoo12345]

My yr5 DS has done Tudors and Victorians so far.

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Yes, we could be on to something!

[mrz]

English words that have Greek roots
phob - fear
phot -light
phon-sound
metr - measure
kil-thousand

Pythagoras the father of numbers?

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Yes ... Greek prefixes .... scenarios in Greece ... I have found some problems linked to Archemides ... my L6 mathematicians might even solve the Greek currency crisis!

Am slowly seeing possibilities.

[hardboiled]

Sorry probably not very helpful but change problem solving currency from pounds to drachmas, or set the scenarios of the problems in Ancient Greece...as in how many spartans in the battle, etc? For grammar, link it to writing Greek myths. Speling link vocab to topic, adjectives describing/comparing the life of ancient greek rich child to that of a slave, vocab linked to architecture?

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

I am beginning to see possibilities ... great website, mrz - I have just spent the last half hour reading through various ideas.

Now, in my jobshare, I do problem solving in maths (range in class 2A - 6B), grammar and spelling for literacy and PSCHE. Yes, everything that the class teacher doesn't like doing. I also do French and RE, but I love those!

Has anyone any ideas for problem solving and grammar and spelling games/activities linked to Greeks?

[mrz]

www.teachprimary.com/learning_resources/view/pie-corbetts-non-fiction-unicorns

I based work on mythical beasts on the Pie Corbett idea

[heggiehog]

Marcia Williams does a good book on Greek myths.

You can also link myths to learning about modern day stories, e.g. Narnia and Harry Potter. Especially mythical creatures.

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

[Even deeper sigh]

Might try and work up enthusiasm by reading Percy Jackson for myself.

[Makingchanges]

I taught Greeks last year to a year 4/5 mixed class they loved it. Girls enjoyed gods and goddesses, boys enjoyed spartans versus Athens. We linked to olympics and did our own sports events, pottery, Greek food tasting etc

[mrz]

How about reading Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief - lots of Greek gods and monsters

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Topics I would love to do:

The Hobbit
Chocolate
And, most of all ....

.... Life in the 28th Century. That really would give us scope for interesting ideas.

I have really enjoyed teaching Romans, Ancient Egypt, the Solar System and the Tudors in the past.

[sigh]

Off to research Greece, I suppose.

[lljkk]

DD (y6, loves history) would love Ancient Greece. Food, fables, morals (Aesop, kids could write their own Aesop tales!), math, Gods, drama, political contributions, language contribution, influence on the Romans, influence in all of ancient world, all good.

They're doing solar system & Tudors this term.

[ByTheWay1]

My DDs both did Chocolate and Fairtrade in Y5 before moving on to WW2 as first term of Y6 - and my youngest is going to be doing India for the rest of Y6 after Christmas.

[madasamarchhare]

My ds done chocolate as a topic last year. Fab it was. Really engaged the children.

[hardboiled]

Ditto all the above!

[anice]

Any child who has read Percy jackson will not find this topic boring! Even I can see that the Greek Gods are the best soap opera ever!

[deXavia]

My son would sell his own grandmother and probably even me to do this as a topic. Go google some Groovy Greeks from horrible histories as a funny way to start your research. You could even recreate the Olympics which the kids would get given the modern day ones just happened.

[hanahsaunt]

KS2 did Ancient Greeks last term - fabulous topic and covered the spectrum of curriculum. Ds2 really enjoyed it. They did some great creative writing, their only homework for the term was to produce something related to the topic ... very vague but they let rip in terms of their individual personalities to express themselves which I was surprised and delighted by - everything from cake architecture to quizzes; ds2 learned how to use prezi and did a v good romp through the battle of Troy. Brilliant topic. This term they are doing The Hobbit (mainly it would seem so that the PTA will fund a whole KS2 trip to the cinema and for the teachers to dress up for a LoTR style party at the end of term - all sounds great!).

[mimbleandlittlemy]

My ds loved this topic when they did it in Y4. They all went in dressed in sheets togas one day and ate Greek dips, they made vases, they did lots of stuff on Greek myth and modern retellings such as Percy Jackson, they did Greek maths (get a doll, get a bucket, have Archimedes jumping out of the bath and explain what his Eureka moment was), they did a thing about the Olympics as it was slowly approaching, and the end of term project was to do a model/a display about an Ancient Greek house (much help in our house from the British Museum's brilliant KS2 website).

Don't skip it - as Euphemia says, since he did the topic he has understood references to all sorts of Greek myth and rediscovered bits he didn't altogether get first time round in Harry Potter and it also made him like olives and tzatziki .