This engaging bundle of five whole-class reading sessions develops children’s understanding of Ancient Greece, while strengthening their fluency and comprehension when reading non-fiction texts.

Each lesson includes an original, illustrated two-page reading text and an accompanying 12-slide PowerPoint, providing a varied sequence of activities with enough depth for approximately 60-90 minutes of learning.

The five lessons are:

1. Ancient Greece: A World of City-States
2. Athens and Sparta: Two Greek Worlds
3. Gods, Myths and Sacred Places
4. Ancient Olympics: Sport, Honour and Rivalry
5. Greek Ideas That Changed the World

Together, the lessons explore the communities, beliefs and ideas that shaped ancient Greek life. Children discover how geography influenced independent city-states, compare Athens and Sparta, and investigate how myths and religious practices connected people. They explore the ancient Olympic Games, considering participation, fair competition and the meaning of victory, before examining influential contributions to democracy, philosophy, theatre, medicine and mathematics. Carefully explained examples encourage children to question assumptions, weigh evidence and recognise both the achievements and inequalities of the ancient Greek world.

Each session includes a vocabulary check to clarify unfamiliar language, followed by activities developing retrieval, explanation, inference, comparison, evaluation, sequencing and summarising skills. Quick-check questions, solo thinking, partner discussions and deeper-thinking challenges encourage children to justify their answers with evidence.

Suggested answers, support prompts and teacher guidance are provided in the slide notes. All five Word reading texts and PowerPoint presentations are fully editable.

Best suited to upper KS2 (Years 5-6), the sessions can also be adapted for older learners. Ideal for linking purposeful reading comprehension with an Ancient Greece history unit.