SS.6.CG.1.1

Analyze how democratic concepts developed in ancient Greece served as a foundation for the United States’ constitutional republic.

Clarifications:

Clarification 1: Students will identify and explain the democratic principles of government in ancient Greece.

Clarification 2: Students will compare and contrast the political systems of ancient Greece and modern-day United States.

Clarification 3: Students will recognize the influence of ancient Greece on the American political process.

Related Resources

23 resources

5 Original Student Tutorial

Greek and Latin Roots and Influences on U.S. Government

Grade(s): 6

Learn about the ancient Greek and Latin roots by separating them into their individual parts to determine meanings of words with this interactive tutorial. You'll also identify how some characteristics of the ancient Greek and Roman governments influenced the formation of the United States constitutional republic.

 
Original Student Tutorial

Pnyx Hill: Government in the Open Air

Grade(s): 6

Explore how weathering and erosion may have affected Pnyx Hill, the ancient Greek democratic meeting place which influenced our modern government with this interactive tutorial.

 
Original Student Tutorial

The Influence of Ancient Greece: Part 3

Grade(s): 6,7

Compare and contrast the political systems and democratic principles that developed in ancient Greece with those of the modern United States.

This is Part 3 in a 3-part interactive tutorial series. Click below to explore the other tutorials in the series.

 
Original Student Tutorial

The Influence of Ancient Greece: Part 2

Grade(s): 6,7

Compare and contrast the political systems and democratic principles that developed in ancient Greece with those of the modern United States.

This is Part 2 in a 3-part series. Click below to explore the other tutorials in the series.

 
Original Student Tutorial

The Influence of Ancient Greece: Part 1

Grade(s): 6,7

In Part 1 of this interactive tutorial series, you'll learn about direct democracy as it developed in ancient Athens, Greece. In Parts 2 and 3, you'll compare and contrast the political systems and democratic principles that developed in Greece with those of the modern United States.

This is Part 1 in a 3-part series. Click below to explore the other tutorials in the series.

 
Original Student Tutorial
2 Teaching Idea

Grade 6 Civics Family Guide: Standard 1

Grade(s): 6

This Grade 6 Civics Family Guide provides some ideas and activities to support civics education when at home, out and about, and in the community. The activities provided align to the civics learning benchmarks within Standard 1 at this grade level.

 
Teaching Idea

One Pager Assessment: Ancient Greece and the United States

Grade(s): 6,7

In this assessment idea, students create a One Pager that identifies similarities and differences between the political systems of Ancient Greece and the United States and explains the impact of Ancient Greece on the American political process. A rubric and prep sheet (with answer key) are included.

 
Teaching Idea
16 Lesson Plan

The Democratic Process: Introduction to Ancient Greek and Roman Influence on Democracy

Grade(s): 6

This is lesson #1 in the text unit series for the book The Democratic Process by Mark Friedman. Students will be introduced to the concept of democratic principles and how ancient Greece and Rome influenced the American political process. Students will preview content specific vocabulary and identify the meaning of these words through context clues. Additionally, students will conduct a close read to locate textual evidence indicating how ancient Greece and Rome influenced our current U.S. political system.

The unit will prepare students to understand Greek and Roman influences on democracy in the United States, identify individual rights and freedoms, determine the difference between protected and unprotected rights, examine the rule of law, and evaluate the relevance of modern-day government. The activities in the unit will allow students the opportunity to participate in close reading, annotate text, and collaborate on research projects to gain a deeper understanding of democracy, government, and the rule of law.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

 
Lesson Plan

The Democratic Process: People and the Government

Grade(s): 6

This is lesson 5 utilizing The Democratic Process by Mark Friedman. The unit will prepare students to understand Greek and Roman influences on democracy in the United States, identify individual rights and freedoms, determine the difference between protected and unprotected rights, examine the rule of law, and evaluate the relevance of modern-day government. The activities in the unit will allow students the opportunity to participate in close reading, annotate text, and collaborate on research projects to gain a deeper understanding of democracy, government, and the rule of law.

The unit will prepare students to understand Greek and Roman influences on democracy in the United States, identify individual rights and freedoms, determine the difference between protected and unprotected rights, examine the rule of law, and evaluate the relevance of modern-day government. The activities in the unit will allow students the opportunity to participate in close reading, annotate text, and collaborate on research projects to gain a deeper understanding of democracy, government, and the rule of law.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

 
Lesson Plan

Ancient Greece Accomplishments Impact Future Societies

Grade(s): 6

In this lesson plan, students will learn about major accomplishments of ancient Greece through a teacher guided lesson with a PowerPoint. Students will take notes during the presentation on a graphic organizer provided to them. With a partner, they will look at each accomplishment and discuss ways that this has impacted future societies, including the United States. Students will do an exit ticket that reflects what they think the greatest accomplishment was of ancient Greece, and why.

 
Lesson Plan

Pnyx Hill: The Crumbling Foundation of Democracy (Part 1)

Grade(s): 6

Students will be introduced to Pnyx Hill in Athens, Greece, a historic political meeting site. They will explore how weathering and erosion have likely changed its appearance over time using scientific and creative thinking with models based on archaeological and historical information. After learning that Pnyx was the site of early democratic meetings, students will conduct a visual and structural comparison to our current Congressional halls in this integrated lesson plan.

 
Lesson Plan

The Democratic Process: The Origins of Democracy and Republic

Grade(s): 6

This is lesson 4 for the text unit focused on The Democratic Process. Teachers can expect students to evaluate their understanding of democracy, the progression of individuals' freedoms and rights, along with the influence of the Founding Fathers. The point of this lesson is not just for students to collect textual evidence to support their original viewpoints. The unit will prepare students to understand Greek and Roman influences on democracy in the United States, identify individual rights and freedoms, determine the difference between protected and unprotected rights, examine the rule of law, and evaluate the relevance of modern-day government. The activities in the unit will allow students the opportunity to participate in close reading, annotate text, and collaborate on research projects to gain a deeper understanding of democracy, government, and the rule of law.

The unit will prepare students to understand Greek and Roman influences on democracy in the United States, identify individual rights and freedoms, determine the difference between protected and unprotected rights, examine the rule of law, and evaluate the relevance of modern-day government. The activities in the unit will allow students the opportunity to participate in close reading, annotate text, and collaborate on research projects to gain a deeper understanding of democracy, government, and the rule of law.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

 
Lesson Plan

Ancient Greek Government Part 1

Grade(s): 6

Students will research ancient Greece to learn about democratic principles of government in ancient Greece using informational texts, websites, and other resources. Students will each complete their own KWHL graphic organizer, then work with a group to paraphrase information gathered from the texts, and create a group poster containing important facts/information learned about the ancient Greek democratic principles of government. 

 
Lesson Plan

DEMOCRACY IN ANCIENT GREECE and THE U.S.

Grade(s): 6

Students will compare and contrast the government of the U.S. to that of Ancient Athens. They will be able to explain how Athens' political policies influenced the Founders when they were creating the U.S. government.

 
Lesson Plan

Civic Participation- As Seen in Greece & Rome

Grade(s): 6

In this lesson plan, students will use primary sources to examine the influence of the Ancient Greeks and Romans on civic participation in the United States.

 
Lesson Plan

The Rule of Law Today

Grade(s): 6

In this lesson, students will use their knowledge of the rule of law and texts regarding the rule of law to show an understanding of the democratic concept. After reviewing what they know, students will create a physical or digital one-pager to show understanding of the concept, its origins, and what it means.

 
Lesson Plan

Pnyx Hill: The Crumbling Foundation of Democracy (Part 2)

Grade(s): 6

Students will use information related to weather patterns and the climate of Greece to explore weathering and erosion as potential contributing factors to the change in appearance of Pnyx Hill over time. They will then consider how similar factors could impact stone structures at the U.S. Capitol in this integrated lesson plan.

 
Lesson Plan

What's the influence? Part 4

Grade(s): 6

Students will summarize and compare the contributions of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Pericles, Solon, and Cleisthenes to explain each person’s influence on civic participation and governance in the ancient world. Students will also explore how these leaders' ideas influenced modern day United States government.

This is part 4 of a 4 part series that integrates Civics with Computer Science and Coding.

 
 
Lesson Plan

What's the influence? Part 3

Grade(s): 6

Students will build, share, and revise an interactive program in Scratch to present information about ancient Roman and ancient Greek leaders' influence on civic participation and governance in the ancient world, in this lesson plan.

This is part 3 of a 4 part series that integrates Civics with Computer Science and Coding.

 
Lesson Plan

What's the influence? Part 2

Grade(s): 6

Students will use their research on significant leaders of ancient Greece and ancient Rome to plan out each step of a Scratch program, in this lesson plan.

This is part 2 of a 4 part series that integrates Civics with Computer Science and Coding.

 
Lesson Plan

What's the influence? Part 1

Grade(s): 6

Students will research significant leaders of ancient Greece and ancient Rome to explore their influence on civic participation and governance in the ancient world, in this lesson plan. 

This is part 1 of a 4 part series that integrates Civics with Computer Science and Coding.

 
Lesson Plan

Ancient Greek Government Part 2

Grade(s): 6

Once students have identified and explained the democratic principles of government in ancient Greece in Part 1, they are ready to identify the ways in which ancient Greece influenced the development of democratic principles of government in the American colonies.

In this lesson, students will analyze ways in which the democratic principles developed in ancient Greece served as a foundation for the United States constitutional republic. Students will compare the democratic principles identified in part 1 to democratic principles in modern-day American government. In groups, students will collect information from various resources, combining the information onto one poster paper, to explain the similarities and differences between the political systems of ancient Greece and the current United States government.

 
Lesson Plan

It's All Greek to Me

Grade(s): 6

In this lesson, students will analyze how democratic concepts developed in ancient Greece served as a foundation for the United States’ constitutional republic.

 

 
Lesson Plan
Grade(s): 6 Subject: Social Studies Standard: Demonstrate an understanding of the origins and purposes of government, law and the American political system. Strand: Civics and Government