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The following are two lessons planned as part of a unit of work dealing with Ancient Civilizations in the English Language classroom. They were designed using the "Warmer, Web, What's next" model suggested by Dudeney & Hockly (2007).
It is important to highlight that these sample lessons were thought as a way of practising language functions such as asking about, describing and comparing ancient civilizations. In previous lessons, students should have worked in language focus sessions that present the grammar structures for these functions of language in an inductive manner.
Ancient Civilizations: from the Media to the Internet - a Lesson Plan
Theme: Ancient Civilizations
Age group & language level: 15-year-old, B1-level students, state-run school
Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Find and summarize key aspects of an ancient civilization such as location in space and time, leaders, achievements and lifestyle.
Ask about key aspects of a civilization
Describe key aspects of a civilisation in the past.
Materials:
Interactive board
Traditional blackboard
Computer room (at least one computer every two students)
Tasksheet
Warmer:
The teacher asks students if they have watched films or TV shows set in ancient times. The students might answer with films like “Pompey”, “300”, “Troy”, “The Prince of Egypt”, “Apocalypto”, etc. Then, the teacher asks if they know what civilizations these films and shows portray (possible answers: Roman Empire, ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, Mayan or Aztec civilization, etc.), and the teacher writes the answers on the board.
After that, the teacher shows the following pictures (created using Pixlr Image Generator) in the interactive screen and asks students if they can identify what ancient civilization written on the board those pictures correspond to:
Then, the teacher checks if students guessed (first picture: Rome, second picture: Greece, third picture: Aztecs/Mayans).
Web:
The students get in pairs and are given the following tasksheet (created using Google Docs), whose use the teacher will explain in the computer room:
Then, in the computer room, students are provided with two web pages: BBC’s Introduction to Ancient Greece and Ducksters’ The Babylonian Empire. One student in each pair chooses one web page and the other student picks the other one. Then, they are told to complete task 1, in which they have to explore the chosen web page and complete the chart with the information requested.
Then, back in the classroom, they are told to complete task 2 (still in pairs), in which they have to play a “detective game”, asking their partner questions to complete chart 2 with the information their partner gathered. Once they finish, they check if they completed the chart correctly by comparing to what their partner wrote in task 1.
What’s next:
As homework, students ask their friends and relatives about other films and TV shows set in ancient times, and then, they look up what civilization those media portray and information about that civilization to complete a similar chart and share it with their classmates in the following class.
Ancient Civilizations: Comparing Civilizations - a Lesson Plan
Theme: Ancient Civilizations
Age group & language level: 15-year-old, B1-level students, state-run school
Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Find and summarize key aspects of an ancient civilization such as location in space and time, leaders, achievements and lifestyle.
Compare aspects of two civilizations using comparative structures.
Materials:
Interactive board
Traditional blackboard
Computer room (at least one computer every two students)
Tasksheet
Warmer:
The teacher tells students they are going to see two famous buildings and they have to decide which one is better. The teacher shows the following pictures in the interactive screen:
Then, the teacher says: "Raise your hand if you think that the first building is better because it is bigger than the second building". The students raise their hands and then, the teacher says "Raise your hand if you think that the second building is better because it is more beautiful than the first one". Students raise their hands.
After that, the teacher tells students they are going to learn about the people that built those structures.
Web:
In the computer room, students are provided with two YouTube videos: National Geographic's Ancient Rome 101 and Happy Learning English's Ancient Egypt. Students get to watch the videos and then complete the following Wordwall activity in which they have to order the words to form sentences comparing characteristics of those two civilizations:
Then, back in the classroom, the teacher elicits from students the characteristics in which both civilizations are compared, and writes them on the board (age, size, wealth, famous buildings, language, religion).
What's next:
The teacher tells students they are to get in pairs and pick any of the civilizations featured in the videos. Then, they have to compare the chosen one with the country they live in and write on their notebooks their conclusions. The teacher may give an example to start the activity (e.g. "Our country is smaller than the Roman Empire). Once students are ready, the teacher will tell them to volunteer and read their comparisons and then ask the rest of the class whether they agree or not with their classmates.
REFERENCES
BBC (n.d). Introduction to Ancient Greece. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z87tn39/articles/z9swdp3#zrgmxbk
Ducksters (2025). Ancient Mesopotamia: the Babylonian Empire. https://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/babylonian_empire.php
Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2007). How to Teach English with Technology. Pearson.
Happy Learning English (2019). Ancient Egypt: The Pharaoh Civilisation [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Tbv7anqXk
National Geographic (2018). Ancient Rome 101 [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoEpNjgKzg
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