Ancient Greek School Assembly

Ancient Greek Assembly – Unit 14

A cast of 30 plus (quite a bit of doubling up)

Duration: Around 15 minutes reading time but performance easily doubled in length by the inclusion of music suggestions and ‘extended version’ – addition to script in form of Ancient Myths (Inclusion optional)Marvel at the braininess of the greatest philosophers of all time and gaze in wonder at those Olympian sportsmen limbering up ..in their birthday suits!This assembly covers everything from Unit 14 (Who were the Ancient Greeks) (and more!): It gives information at the beginning about geography and history (Timeline), identifies differences between learned Athenians and warlike Spartans; then there’s the Gods and the Olympic Games, Life in the Spartan Army; then the philosophers/educational elite and finally a couple of brief Ancient Myth samples – Theseus and the Minotaur and Hercules and his 12 tasks. This has a lot of information in it – probably too much!, but I  offer a slimmed down version, at no additional cost. I also send the word file so you can take out bits yourself, depending on how long you want the assembly to be.The other assembly I have written on the Ancient Greeks is based on Unit 15 (How do we use ancient Greek ideas today?) and covers different material – including the origins of our alphabet.(Also available for this unit, set of 5 guided reading play scripts (Readers Theater) plus quizzes- The Gods, The Olympics – Ancient and Modern, The Arts, War, and Greek Theater – See Guided Reading Play Scripts Section)

SAMPLE TEXT 

Ancient Greek Assembly – Unit 14

1. Zorba the Greek music

(children walking in time to music, speeding up as music does – rush for seats at the end).

Narrator:

Good morning and welcome to our Class Assembly on … (looks at cast) the Gawky Geeks (coughs) …I’m sorry, I mean the Ancient Greeks.  Now, you might be thinking  they were all the same – looked the same, behaved the same….(both ‘sides’ – Athenians and Spartans – stand up, turn, look each other up and down, shake their heads, sit down again) …Well, think again! They might have all lived in Greece

2. Grease ‘You’re the One that I want’

(all cast providing backing vocals and cheerleader dance actions)

Narrator (shouting):

Cut! Cut! What’re you lot playing at? You’re all in the wrong place at the wrong time. This isn’t Hollywood, you know .. (mutters) in my dreams…Our school budget doesn’t quite stretch to Hollywood productions.  And even if it did, can I remind you all, this isn’t supposed to be GREASE.

3. Grease Lightning

(Narrator  plus boys in cast standing up singing/doing actions).

Narrator:

No! No! How many more times! Not (spelling out by letter) G.R.E.A.S.E.  No! This is about  Ancient Greece – (spells out again) G.R.E.E.C.E.  Got it?

Right – Now perhaps we can get on with the serious stuff.  This is meant to be educational, remember…not entertaining!

So, now for a bit of geography (points to map). Here we have Greece (said with great emphasis, glaring at cast, one of whom bobs up with pom poms, but thinks better of it and sits down again, promptly) – this mainland here, plus all these islands – 170 inhabited and around 2,000 others, all set in the Ionian, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Most of this lot (pointing to cast) lived along the coast, near the sea, because 80% of the countryside is bare, rocky mountains.  So farming can only be done on the fertile coastal plain.

Spartan 1:

Wow!

He sure knows his stuff! He wasn’t joking when he said this was going to be educational, not entertaining

(All Spartans yawning, and falling asleep).

Narrator:

Nonsense! Knowledge and learning – that’s what … (looks at Athenians who nod politely, whilst Spartans shake their heads, scowling) you lot were famous for.

Athenian 1:

Yes, indeed.  Thank you, my friend. If I may offer a little more of this much appreciated (Athenians nodding, Spartans shaking their heads) knowledge.  We lived around about 2 and a half thousand years ago.

(Children with dates on cards, stand up, forming a time-line).

Athenian 1:

776BC – 1st Olympic Games

Athenian 2:

 740BC – 1st Greek writing emerges

Athenian 3:

 735BC – Ist Greek colonies in Sicily

Athenian 4:

 650BC – Earliest written laws created

Athenian 5:

 600BC – Coins first used in Greece

Athenian 6:

 508BC – Democracy begins in Athens

10. Unit 14 Ancient Greek Assembly

      (i)             Where?

(ii)             When? Timeline: 776 BC – 146 BC

(iii)            Homer: Iliad and Odyssey

(iv)            Gods/Goddesses

(v)             Olympic Games

(vi)            ‘Democracy’

(vii)            Army – Athenian and Spartan

(viii)           How men saw themselves (and women)

(ix)              Famous Greeks

–                        –  Archimedes

       –  Aristotle, Plato and Socrates

       –  Pythagoras

(x)               Theseus

(xi)              Hercules and 12 tasks

MUSIC

• 1. . Zorba the Greek
• 2. Grease – You’re the one that I want
• 3. Grease – Grease Lightning
• 4. Simpsons Theme Tune
• 5. Can’t Get You Outta My Head – Kylie Minogue
• 6. (Nellie – It’s Getting Hot in Here, So Take off all your Clothes)
• 7. Chariots of Fire theme tune
• 8.(I’m Too Sexy For my Shorts – Right Said Fred)
• 9.(Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate)
• 10. Hero – David Bowie

I have put Tracks 6, 8 and 9 in brackets as they may not be considered appropriate. It is of course up to each teacher whether to leave in or take out such tracks – their omission makes little difference to the flow of the assembly – and there are always plenty of alternatives.

For performance rights, please select from options below. Please note that these are in addition to the price of the play (12.99). For extra certificates (additional performances) and any queries re: performance rights please email me on sue@oldsite.plays-r-ussell.com