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pericles & the golden age of athens

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: pericles & the golden age of athens

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about pericles & the golden age of athens. Then check against the key terms: key terms from pericles & the golden age of athens. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: key terms from pericles & the golden age of athens.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: pericles & the golden age of athens. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Ancient History because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: explain the key ideas of pericles & the golden age of athens

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about pericles & the golden age of athens.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: pericles & the golden age of athens

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on pericles & the golden age of athens. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Pericles dominated Athenian politics for over 30 years (c. 461-429 BC), elected strategos repeatedly
Key Fact: The Athenian building programme: Parthenon, Propylaea, Erechtheion on the Acropolis, funded by Delian League tribute
Key Fact: Pericles' Funeral Oration (431 BC, recorded by Thucydides) celebrated Athenian democracy, freedom and cultural superiority
Key Fact: The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) between Athens and Sparta devastated Greece and ended the Athenian Golden Age
Key Fact: The plague of Athens (430 BC) killed a third of the population, including Pericles himself in 429 BC
Key Fact: Thucydides is our main source: he wrote a contemporary history of the Peloponnesian War, valued for its accuracy and analysis

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: explain the key ideas of pericles & the golden age of athens

Answer:

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: pericles & the golden age of athens

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: key terms from pericles & the golden age of athens. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Work through the practice questions on the revision notes page for this topic.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: pericles & the golden age of athens

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Exam-Style Question

Attempt a past-paper style question on pericles & the golden age of athens from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.

Exam Tips: Pericles = strategos repeatedly elected, not a tyrant or king | Building programme = funded by tribute, controversial with allies | Funeral Oration = Thucydides' version, idealised, not a verbatim transcript | Peloponnesian War: Spartan fear of Athens + Athenian imperialism
Common Errors: ✗ Pericles was a king or tyrant ✓ Pericles was an elected strategos who dominated Athenian politics through persuasion in the assembly. He had no constitutional authority beyond any other general; his power came from his oratory, reputation and repeated election ✗ The Funeral Oration is Pericles' exact words ✓ Thucydides wrote the speech decades later and admitted he composed speeches that expressed what was appropriate for the occasion. It represents Thucydides' interpretation of Pericles' views and Athenian ideals, not a verbatim record ✗ The plague caused Athens to lose the Peloponnesian War ✓ The plague was devastating but Athens continued fighting for another 25 years after it. The war
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how pericles & the golden age of athens connects to another Ancient History topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of pericles & the golden age of athens
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in pericles & the golden age of athens?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)