GCSE Classical Civilisation

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GCSE Classical Civilisation
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GCSE Classical Civilisation

• Starting the course some things to think
  about
• Practical considerations
• Supporting pupils
• Resources
• The new GCSE 2009 onwards

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Choosing the topics for GCSE
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Factors to consider?

• Interest
• Teacher expertise
• Ability of pupils
• Resources?
• Difficulty?
• Greek v Roman topics?
• Literature v civilisation?
• Coursework?

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Present OCR specification - Civilisation topics

• Greek religion
• Home family in Athens
• Greek athletic theatrical festivals
• Greek art architecture
• Sparta and the Spartan system

• Roman religion
• Roman home family life
• Roman Sport and Leisure
• Pompeii
• Roman Britain

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Present OCR specification - Literature topics

• Odyssey
• Iliad
• Oedipus/Antigone
• Hippolytus/
• Alcestis
• Aristophanes

• Herodotus
• Aeneid
• Ovid
• Plinys letters (selection)
• Tacitus

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Balance between civilisation and literature?
Greek and Roman?

• Is literature more difficult than civilisation?
• Can school visits support some topics
  (eg.Hadrians Wall/ Bath/Chedworth/ Pompeii)?
• Is Classics offered at KS3?
• Do some pupils also do Latin?
• Is A level CC offered in the school?
• Will one of the topics be coursework?

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Eventual choice

• Roman Sport and Leisure
• Pompeii
• Roman Britain

• Odyssey (Iliad)
• Plinys letters

No coursework!
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Roman sport leisure

• Chariot racing
• Gladiators the amphitheatre
• Theatre
• Baths
• Hunting

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Pompeii

• Origin of Pompeii history development,
  layout, walls gates etc
• Specific houses/villas
• Forum
• Industry bakers, fulling,
• thermopolia
• Earthquake eruption
• of Vesuvius
• Excavation - Fiorelli

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Roman Britain

• Conquest
• Boudica
• Development government of towns
• Hadrians Wall
• Roman Army
• Forts
• Villas Lullingstone Chedworth

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Odyssey selections

• Books 9, 10, 21, 22, 23

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Plinys letters a selection

• Plinys uncle eruption of Vesuvius
• Family life Calpurnia
• Slaves, including the murder of Macedo
• Comum, his home town
• (The Bithynia letters)

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Resources

• Make your own!
• No overall text book some books for recommended
  reading are out of print
• Better resources including Pompeii Interactive
• Civilisation as much primary evidence as
  possible (vroma site)
• Literature needs a lot of support, especially for
  weaker pupils.

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A typical group?!

• Sara g t ( doing Latin off-timetable)
• Aaron g t, but lazy and sometimes disruptive.
• Tom, Jamie and Robbie bright, articulate but
  often do the minimum in written work

• Hattie severe spelling difficulties
• Jamie Aspergers - statemented
• Mark SEN and statemented
• Max SEN and statemented
• Plus nine others of varying abilities.

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• Every child matters

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As this is a GCSE subject, one of the aims is for
all pupils to have a neat and accurate set of
notes from which he/she can revise. In these
mixed ability groups, where all pupils are being
taught the same topics, differentiated resources
are essential.
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Differentiation of resources

• Starter activities
• Worksheets for tasks on a passage of (eg) the
  Odyssey or features of a house in Pompeii
• Audio (eg. War with Troy) and images
• Fill in the gap sheets to accompany a
  PowerPoint presentation.
• Duplicated notes for pupils to annotate or
  highlight
• Spidergrams, flow diagrams etc (via IWB)
• Computer programs/DVDs (Classics Resource
  centre)/Task Magic, CLC elearning resource.

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Differentiation of teaching methods

• Small groups with a mixture of abilities?
• LSA working with less able pupils
• Computer software especially Pompeii
  Interactive
• Individual tasks with support from teacher/LSA
• Teaching from the front

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Odyssey Book 21 lines 100-188 Make notes on
this section by answering the following
questions In what way did Telemachus think he
was behaving strangely? (Telemachus said he was
behaving in a strange way because he was
. .)
How did he describe Penelope? (He described
Penelope as
...) What
did he tell the Suitors to do? (He told the
Suitors to
...)
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(As the Suitors are trying to string the bow,
without success, Eumaeus and Philoetius slip
outside the house. Odysseus decides to follow
them and find out if they are on his
side.) Odysseus Hey, cowman and swineherd!
Shall I or keep silent?
No, I must . . What I need to know
is this if Odysseus ..

Philoetius O Zeus! Bring him home! If
Odysseus came home,
Eumaeus

..
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Villa of the Mysteries
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Particular features

• It was outside Pompeii (see map)
• It was built on an artificial platform to make
  the building level (the space underneath was used
  as a cellar)

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• The Villa of the Mysteries
• Particular features
• It is . Pompeii
  (see the plan of the town)
• It was built on an artificial platform to
  .... (the space below was
  used as a cellar)
• 1 2

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Outside view with platform The covered balcony
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Sends messengers to see how well Pliny is doing
in court
Learnt Plinys poems by heart and set some to
music
Sits behind a curtain during a poetry reading
Doesnt waste money thrifty
Calpurnia
Goes to Campania to recover from illness
Brought up by her aunt, Hispulla
Clever and quick-witted
Loves Pliny for his mind and what he stands for
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GCSE from 2009 onwards

• From September 2009 the GCSE is made up of 4
  mandatory units, A351, A352, A353 and A354. Units
  A351, A352 and A353 are externally assessed,
  whilst Unit A354 is controlled assessment.
• From September 2009 the GCSE (Short Course) is
  made up of 2 units one of which is controlled
  assessment and one of which is externally
  assessed. These form 50 of the corresponding
  GCSE (Full Course). The controlled assessment
  unit A354 is mandatory. In addition candidates
  must take any one from Units A351, A352 and A353.

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Unit A351 City Life in the Classical World
Option 1 Athens Option 2 Rome Unit A352
Epic and Myth Option 1 Homer The Odyssey
Option 2 Ovid Metamorphoses Unit A353
Community Life in the Classical World Option
1 Sparta Option 2 Pompeii Unit A354
Culture and Society in the Classical World
Option 1 Sophocles Antigone Option 2
Aristophanes Lysistrata Option 3 The Olympic
Games Option 4 Virgil The Aeneid Option 5
Pliny Letters Option 6 Roman Britain
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A Civilisation topic
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City life in the Classical World Option 2 Rome
The focus of this option is the everyday life
for an ancient Roman citizen in the capital of
the empire. Candidates should have a basic
understanding of Romes status as the ruler of a
vast empire. Candidates are required to have
knowledge and understanding of three main areas
of Roman life Religion its role and
importance in the lives of the Romans. The
family in Rome the roles and duties of its
individual members. Entertainment and recreation
in Rome the appeal of these leisure activities
in the context of Roman society and their value
to the emperor in the control of its people.
Candidates will be expected to respond to
sources and to draw conclusions about the values
and priorities of the citizens of Rome and the
image Rome portrayed to rest of her empire.
Specific Topics State Gods and goddesses
Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury, Mars, Pluto (Hades),
Apollo, Juno, Venus, Minerva, Diana, Vesta and
Ceres. Their responsibilities and symbols and how
they are typically represented in Roman art.
Temples Religious and other functions the
position of the altar, the cult statue, use by
worshippers. Sacrifice Its purpose,
surroundings, officials, animals, the ritual from
the selection of the animal to the disposal of
the remains.
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The Vestal VirginsTheir selection, duties and
privileges, their code of behaviour, daily
activities. The origin, importance and
significance of the sacred flame. The festival
of the Bona Dea. The Temple of Vesta in the
Roman Forum. Mystery Religions Mithras the
myth associated with the cult and its
significance, the different levels of initiation,
the cults appeal to its followers, the details
of a typical temple, a typical meeting of the
worshippers. Isis the myth associated with the
cult and its significance, the priests, the
cults appeal to its followers, the details of
the celebrations, the details of a typical
temple, a typical meeting of the worshippers.
The Role of the paterfamilias His rights over
family members and slaves, his involvement in the
education of his son, the supervisory duties
connected with religion, family finance, his
responsibilities towards his clients. Women
Status, rights and duties, daily activities,
spinning and weaving, the supervision of slaves,
the wife as mother. Marriage betrothal, a
typical wedding ceremony procession to and
arrival at the home. The Dinner Party
(cena)The organisation, guests, entertainment,
purposes
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Slaves Ways to become a slave, skilled and
unskilled slaves, purchase, duties inside and
outside the home for both male and female slaves,
opportunities for freedom. The Colosseum The
arena, size, access, seating, structure,
sub-structure, movement of fighters and animals
from cells to the arena, use of scenery. A
typical day at the Colosseum Animal shows types
of animal, the bestiarius, men versus animals,
performing animals, fights between animals,
hunts. Executions. Gladiator shows origins as
funerary honours, types of gladiator retarius,
secutors (samnite, myrmilo), armour, weaponry,
typical fights training (ludi gladiatorii),
oaths, status. Audience involvement. The
significance of the shows for both the Emperor
and his citizens. The Circus Maximus The
arena, its structure, size, the seating, the
track, the spina, the metae, the carceres. A
typical day at the races The days events. The
teams and colours, the dangers, the status of
charioteers and horses, public attitudes,
audience involvement, betting, the social
significance of such events
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An Epic and Myth topic
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• Option 1 Homer The Odyssey
• This option will require candidates to have a
  detailed knowledge of the set books, and to
  analyse, evaluate and respond to them in their
  cultural and literary context.
• Homer The Odyssey Books 5, 6, 7, 9 10 and 12.
• Candidates should be able to demonstrate
  knowledge and understanding of the following
• Odysseus as a hero
• The role and characterisation of Odysseus,
  Calypso, Nausicaa, Alcinous, Arete, Polyphemus,
  the Cyclopes, Circe and Athene
• The Presentation of the Sirens, Scylla and
  Charybdis
• The role of the gods
• The role of women (to include Calypso and Circe
  as well as the mortal women)
• Xenia (the guest-host relationship) in the
  Odyssey
• Civilisation and barbarism
• Homers narrative and descriptive techniques
• Homer as a story-teller and the idea of epic.

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Controlled assessment

• Unit A354 Culture and Society in the Classical
  World
• Option 1 Sophocles Antigone
• Option 2 Aristophanes Lysistrata
• Option 3 The Olympic Games
• Option 4 Virgil The Aeneid
• Option 5 Pliny Letters
• Option 6 Roman Britain