Lesson Plan #4

Greece
Introduction:
Greece is one of the most historic and interesting places on our Earth. It is extremely important
that we become familiar with its rich culture and geography to understand how it has shaped our
world.

Objectives:
Content/Knowledge:
1. Students will be able to compare and contrast the Greece National Anthem to the United States
National Anthem
2. Students will be able to explain the origin and historic importance of city-states
3. Students will be able to identify different languages and alphabets
4. Students will be able to identify the cultural aspects of Greece
Process/Skills:
1. Students will be able to list and pronounce the letters of the Greek Alphabet
2. Students will be able to use kinesthetic movements to participate in and evaluate a mock-Olympic
games
3. Students will be able to dissect a world atlas and almanac to find information on Greece
Values/Dispositions:
1. Students will be able to reflect on team mates and learning stations
2. Students will be able to make connections to other areas of the world

Standards:
State Illinois Learning Standards
16.A.3b Make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other
historical sources.
17.A.4b Use maps and other geographic instruments and technologies to analyze spatial patterns
and distributions on earth.
17.A.3b Explain how to make and use geo-graphic representations to provide and enhance spatial
information including maps, graphs, charts, models, aerial photographs, satellite images.
18.A.4 Analyze the influence of cultural factors including customs, traditions, language, media,
art and architecture in developing pluralistic societies.
18.B.4 Analyze various forms of insti-tutions (e.g., educational, military, charitable,
governmental).

National National Council for the Social Studies Standards

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I.A Explore and describe similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures
address similar human needs and concerns;
I.C describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as
expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture;
II. D identify and use various sources for reconstructing the past, such as documents, letters,
diaries, maps,textbooks, photos, and others;
III.A construct and use mental maps of locales, regions, and the world that demonstrate
understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape;
III. C use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools such as atlases, data bases, grid
systems, charts, graphs, and maps to generate, manipulate, and interpret information;

National National Standards for Geography

1.

How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial
thinking to understand and communicate information.

2.
3.

1.

2.

3.

How to apply geography to interpret the past.

How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions

Musical/ Rhythmic
a. Teacher Instructions
1. Instructor will hand out Bell Ringer Half-Sheet (Document 1-1)
2. Instructor will play Greek National Anthem YouTube Video (Document 1-2)
b. Resource
1. Document 1-1: Bell- Ringer
2. Document 1-2: Greek National Anthem YouTube Video
c. Student Activity
1. Students will answer questions on Bell-Ringer half-sheet (1-1)while watching the Greek
National Anthem YouTube video(1-2).
Interpersonal
a. Teacher Instructions
1. The Instructor will play the first 1:16 of the YouTube video clip to introduce the region.
(2-1)
2. After the video has been played the instructor will project the Learning Station
Instructions and thoroughly explain each station. (2-2)
3. The instructor will then project the teams (city-states) that the students will be working
with to complete the station (2-3)
4. The number beside the team name correlates with what station each group starts at.
5. Once the students have gotten into their city-state teams the instructor will hand out
information to each group on their city-state. (Document2-4)
6. Instructor will dismiss each group one at a time to go to their stations
7. The Physical Education teacher will escort and return each city-state group to the gym
for the Olympics station
b. Resource
1. Document 2-1; YouTube Video Introducing Greece (Beginning until 1:16)
2. Document 2-2: Learning Stations instructions
3. Document 2-3: Team Information
4. Document 2-4:Information on each city-state
c. Student Activity
1. Students will watch YouTube video
2. Students will listen to Learning Station Instructions
3. Students will get together with city-state teams around the classroom
4. Students will popcorn read information about their city-states
5. Students will move to assigned starting learning station and begin.
Station 1: Logical/ Mathematical
a. Teacher Instructions
1. At the station the instructor will have provided a set of Junior Scholastics (3-1)
2. At this station the instructor will also have printed out charts for each student. (3-2)

b.

c.

Resource
1. Document 3-1: Junior Scholastic
2. Document 3-2: Chart
Student Activity
1. Using their Junior Scholastic 2015 World Affairs Atlas and Almanac, each student will
be dissecting the nation of Greece using the char hand-out.
2. They will also be answering a reflective question about the standard of living in Greece

4.

Station 2: Verbal/Linguistic
a. Teacher Instructions
1. The instructor will have provided an instruction hand-out at the station
2. There will be a laptop at this station with two internet tabs open
3. The instructor will have provided the Greek alphabet hand-out where they will write their
names using the Greek alphabet
b. Resource
1. Document 4-2: Instructions
2. Document 4-2: Greek Alphabet YouTube video
3. Document 4-3: Greek Alphabet dissection
4. Document 4-4- Greek Alphabet names hand-out
c. Student Activity
1. The students will read the directions for the station (4-1)
2. The students will first watch the Greek Alphabet YouTube Video (4-2)
3. The students will then open the second tab
4. The second tab will give the students information on each letter of the Greek alphabet
and sound each letter out for the students. (Document 4-3)
5. Students will then complete the Greek Alphabet name hand-out where students will write
their full names using the Greek Alphabet (Document 4-4)
6. The leader of the group will collect the hand-out and turn it into the instructor,

5.

Station 3:Naturalist
a. Teacher Instructions
1. This station will have two laptops with one tab open on each
2. The instructor will have also provided an instruction hand-out
b. Resource
1. Document 5-1: Instructions for stations
2. Document 5-2: Panorama of Historic Greece
c. Student Activity
1. Students will follow the step-by-step instructions provided by the instructor while
navigation the 3D panorama of the Acropolis and surrounding historical Greek sites.
Station 4: Bodily/ Kinesthetica. Teacher Instructions
3. Instructor will provide Physical Education teacher with laptop and instructions
4. Physical Education Teacher will play YouTube video on first Olympics.
5. Physical Education Teacher will give instructions and explain activities for students
6. Physical Education Teacher will stretch with students before participation
7. The Physical Education Teacher will demonstrate each event to help the students
understand it.
b. Resource
3. Document 6-1: Instructions and Activities
4. Document 6-2 YouTube Video
5. Gym: Frisbee and High Jumping station
c. Student Activity
2. Students will watch YouTube video
3. Students will listen to activities instructions and purpose

6.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Students will participate in three ancient Olympic style event: Running, Discus, and
Jumping with modifications
Students will first run a 100 meter sprint
Students will then compete in a Frisbee throwing completion
Students will finish Olympic games with a High Jumping Contest
Students will be awarded with paper Medals for their effort

7.

Station 5:Visual/Spatial
a. Teacher Instructions
1. The instructor will have an instruction guide for the station
2. The instructor will have information packets on; music, food, religion, and traditions of
Greece placed at the station
3. The instructor will also have graphic organizers placed at the
b. Resource
1. Document 7-1Instructions
2. Document 7-2 Packets
3. Document 7-3- Graphic Organizer
c. Student Activity
1. Students will first read the instructions as a group
2. Each member will chose a packet to read
3. While reading the student will write down the most important information into his or her
chart
4. When each group member is done reading it is time to present and write down the
information for the other three sections of the chart
5. The leader of the group will collect charts and turn them into the instructor

8.

Intrapersonal
a. Teacher Instructions
1. As students return from learning stations the instructor will hand-out the reflections
guide which the students will complete individually for a homework assignment. (8-1)
b. Resource
1. Document 8-1
c. Student Activity
1. The students will complete a reflection guide which asks three questions regarding their
prior knowledge of the content covered, opinions of the stations and if they felt their
group worked well together to complete the tasks in each station. (8-1)
2. Students will turn in completed reflection guide at the end of class or the next day.

Document 1-1
Greek National Anthem Link

Document 1-2
Name: _____________________________________________________
1. What words in the Greek National Anthem can you also find in the U.S anthem?

2. What phrase or phrases in the anthem did you find the most interesting or confusing?

Document 2-1
Introduction Video

Instructions for Greece Learning Stations

1. There are five different stations

2. Each stations has a different activity with

specific instructions for each stations
3. You will have 15 minutes at each station
4. Before starting any station, as a team, make sure
each member understands the directions.
5. If there are any questions at any time please
raise your hand.
6. Each city-state team will need to nominate a
leader
7. When the 15 minutes is up the leader will bring
all completed hand-outs (if any) to the
instructor.

Document 2-3

City-States

city-state noun
Political system consisting of an independent city with sovereignty over a fixed surrounding area
for which it served as leader of religious, political, economic, and cultural life. The term was
coined in the 19th century to describe ancient Greek and Phoenician settlements that differed

from tribal or national systems in size, exclusivity, patriotism, and ability to resist incorporation
by other communities.

Athens(1)
Ben
Samantha
Carlos
Abby

Sparta(4)
Luke
Tanya
Phillip
Rachel

(2)Corinth
Lexie
Paul
Megan
Joe

Megara(5)
Courtney
Jason
Melissa
Travis
(3)Argos
Rose
Cheyenne
Evan
Ethan

Document 2-4
Athens:
Athenians thought of themselves as the best city-state in all of ancient Greece. They recognized that other city-states
had value and were Greek, but they were the best. Ask any ancient Athenian and they would tell you that Athens had
the best literature, the best poetry, the best drama, the best schools - and truly, they were a leading city-state.
Many other city-states compared themselves to Athens. You'd hear people from other city-states say things like,
"Our schools are good as those in Athens." Athens was the measuring stick. There was one exception - the city-state
of Sparta. No other city-state in ancient Greece was like Sparta. Whereas Athens was famous for their arts and
sciences, Sparta was famous for their military strength.
The ancient Greeks believed that each city-state had one or two gods keeping a special eye on that city-state. The
god in charge of Athens was Athena, goddess of wisdom.
Education was very important in Athens. From their mothers, girls learned how to cook and sew and run a home,
and how to be a good wife and mother.

Boys went to school. They memorized poetry and learned to play a musical instrument, usually the lyre. They
studied public speaking and drama and reading and writing. Sons of nobles went to high school - four more years of
learning about the sciences and the arts and politics and government.
Each city-state in ancient Greece had their own form of government. Most city-states were ruled by kings. Some
were ruled by councils, a small group of people. But in Athens, for about 100 years, Athens was ruled by direct
democracy! It was an experiment. It didn't last long, but a form of democracy was invented in Athens, one more gift
we received from the ancient Greeks.

Sparta
Sparta was ruled by a small group of retired warriors. This type of government is called an oligarchy. The Spartans
spoke Greek. They thought of themselves as Greeks. But Sparta was very different from the other Greek city-states.
All citizens in ancient Greece were warriors. But the Spartans were the best warriors in all of Greece. There was no
argument about that. The city-state of Sparta was basically a well-trained army. In other city-states, children entered
military school at age 18. In Sparta, they entered at age 6. The girls were taught how to fight as well. Their school
was separate from the boys' school. It was not as brutal, perhaps. But still, the girls learned how to fight and steal
and lie and kill - skills that could save their lives in times of war.
The Spartans were tough.
Men and male children, from the age of 6, lived in the soldiers' barracks until they retired from military service. The
men were often off fighting. The women were left behind to guard their homes. Perhaps because of this, women in
ancient Sparta had a great deal of freedom. They ran businesses. They were free to move around and visit neighbors
without asking their husbands permission.
The other Greek city-states had no desire to be Spartans. Many thought they were military fanatics, but they admired
their strength. Most wanted Sparta on their side. No incredible works of art were created in Sparta as they were in
other Greek city-states. But Spartans were good friends to have in times of war.

Corinth
Corinth was a powerful city-state. It was located on the coast and was ruled by a king. The Corinthians were
problem solvers, possibly the best problem solvers in ancient Greece.
For a while, they had a huge problem with unemployment. Their city grew faster than the job market. Some citystates would have ignored this situation. But not Corinth. They solved this problem by creating public works
projects. One of the public works projects was to build new aqueducts, the huge pipes that brought fresh water into
the city. This put people to work, and solved another problem - the need for enough safe drinking water to provide to
their growing population.
One of their most clever solutions was to create their own coinage. Argos did that as well. But Corinth took it one
step further. They opened places where people could trade their money for Corinthian money so they could pay for
goods. This was not a free service. There was a charge for this. Corinth was one of the largest centers of trade in
ancient Greece. So the city made a great deal of money from their money exchange program.
Corinth felt their schools were as good as those in Athens. They were not as fancy perhaps, but the level of
education in Corinth was outstanding. All boys went to military school for at least two years after high school.

Corinth worked at being a leader in the ancient Greek world, and they were highly respected by other Greek citystates. The people of Corinth were very proud of their city-state.

Megara
Megara was a coastal city-state. Megara was highly respected in the ancient Greek world. Megara was similar to
Corinth. They people were ruled by a king. They had their own coinage. They had public work programs to keep
people employed. Megara had beautiful statues and open air arenas for plays. Their boys went to school. Their girls
learned at home.
Like Corinth, there was a great deal of freedom in Megara. You could move there from another city-state and rent a
home, or even buy one.
Like all the Greek city-states, Megarians loved to establish new towns. They were great sailors. They sailed around
the Mediterranean, trading with other Greek city-states, and looking for places to establish new outposts. One of the
town they founded was on the coast of Turkey. They named it Byzantium. After a while, Byzantium changed its
name to Constantinople. Constantinople was renamed Istanbul, which is a very famous city in modern day Turkey.
Megarians, like all the Greeks, were trained warriors. Spartans might be the best warriors, but all Greek citizens
knew how to fight. Megarians would fight if they had to, but they would much rather trade or negotiate. In the
ancient Greek world, Megara was famous for its textiles. Everybody wanted their richly colored and beautifully
designed fabrics. Sometimes they could talk their way out of trouble simply by trading their glorious textiles.

Argos
There was a harbor near the city-state of Argos, but Argos itself was built on a plain. It was very hot in the summer
and cold in the winter. The soil was poor. The people of the city-state of Argos had trouble growing crops. So, they
became leaders in trade. Because they traded with other Greek city-states, they invented their own coinage. This
invention made trading a lot easier.
Like all the Greek city-states (except for Sparta), the people of the city-state of Argos built sculptures of athletes
with perfect bodies and huge muscles. They wrote plays. They wrote poetry. Their musicians performed in the open
air arenas. They loved the arts. They were very good at them.
Each city-state in ancient Greece had its own form of government. Some, like Athens, experimented with
democracy. Some, like Sparta, were ruled by a small group of leaders. Most Greek city-states, like Argos, were
ruled by a king.

Document 3-1

Document 3-2
Name: ___________________________________________________
Using your Junior Scholastic 2015 World Affairs Atlas and Almanac, as a city-state team you
will be dissecting the nation of Greece using the chart below. Each group member needs to fill
out a chart. Do not forget to answer the question following the chart.

Compared to the other nations of Europe what conclusions can your draw about the standard of
living in Greece?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Document: 4-1
Greek Alphabet Station Instructions:
1. There are two tabs open on the station laptop
2. Please watch the YouTube video on the first tab

3. The click the next tab

4. As a group please navigate your way through each Letter in the Greek Alphabet and read
the information about each letter.
5. When those two tasks are complete, the leader will pass out the Greek Alphabet Name
hand-out.
6. You will first write you fill English name on the line and then using the Greek alphabet
you will write your full name.
7. When the station time is up the leader will give the completed hand-outs to the instructor.

Document 4-2
Greek Alphabet Song

Document 4-3
Pronunciation of each Greek Letter and Information on each letter

Document 4-4

Using the Greek Alphabet please write your name out on the line below.

English Alphabet Name: _________________________________________________________

Greek Alphabet Name: __________________________________________________________

Document: 5-1

Panorama Greece Station Instructions

o On the Panorama Greece Tab click the full screen button on the
interactive map
o Take turns navigating through the different view-points
o Click the second tab on the slides to the right
o You will see several question marks and helicopters in the sky
o Click on each question mark and helicopter and read on the different
historic landmarks

Document 5-2

Acropolis Panorama

Document 6-1

Miss Readekers Olympic Games

Make sure you take time to stretch before participation in games!
1st Event: 100 Meter Dash
Students will run across the gym as fast as they can
2ns Event: Discuss
Students will try and throw their Frisbees as far as they can
3rd Event: Jumping
Students will jump over the high jump bar until it is too high for all group members
Document 6-2
The Ancient Olympics Video

Information from Olympics.org

Document 7-1

Greek Culture Station Instructions

o Each city-state member will chose one culture packet to read.
o While reading you will write down the most important information on your chart
o After all members of group are done reading their sections each member will share his or
her findings with rest of group
o While each group member is presenting their information, you will be writing down their
information

Document: 7-2

Greece

Music

Religion

Food

Traditions and Customs

Document 7-3

Greek Music

Music in Greece is of unbelievable diversity due to the creative Greek assimilation of different
influences of the Eastern and Western cultures of Asia and Europe. Music is an important aspect
of the daily Greek culture. It has a long history dating from the Antiquity, during which poetry,
dancing and music were inseparable and played an important part in the ancient Greek's
everyday life. The Greek tragedy used music as one of its component elements. Then, with the
fall of Ancient Greece and the evolution of the Byzantine Empire, Greece music got a more
ecclesiastical approach. In the 400 years of Ottoman domination, it was influenced by the eastern
sounds. It got reborn only in the 19th century with the opera compositions of Nikolaos
Mantzaros (1795-1872) and Spyros Samaras (1861-1917). From that moment on, Greece
produced many talented artists, including great composers to fabulous interprets. Music in
Greece became an expression and a testimony of the slavery years, a weapon of opposition
against the colonel authority and a way to express love, death, human fears, that accompanied the
Greeks in their everyday life Source: www.greeka.com
Music Types
Folk Songs (Dimotiko Tragoudi) Greek folk song sees its origins coming from the time of
ancient Greek poetry and music. It can be divided into two musical movements: the akritic and
the klephtic. The akritic style dates from the 9th century AD and it was created to express the life
and struggles of the frontier guards of the Byzantine Empire, the "akrites".
The klephtic style was born between the end of the Byzantine period and the beginning of the
Greek Revolution that led to the Greek Independence in 1821. This style was created by the
"kleftes", the heroes who left to live in the mountains, leading a revolutionary action against the
Ottoman tyranny. The klephtic musical style is monophonic, with second voices repeating a
given rhythmical formula, without any harmonic accompaniment. It is composed by love songs,
wedding songs, songs of exile, songs of freedom, death and sorrows. It expresses an important,

bloody part of the history and the life of the Greeks. Musical instruments used in Greek folk
songs are the lira and laouto (lute), the tambouras and gaida (bagpipe), the zournas (shawm), the
daouli (drum), the dachares (tambourine), the ziyia (paired groups) and the violi (violin).
Kantada Originated from Kefalonia island and created at the beginning of the 19th century, it is a
style of romantic serenade music, sung with three male voices in chorus, accompanied by guitar
or mandolin. This style had been influenced by the Italian music and soon gained all the Ionian
Islands and the rest of Greece. In Athens, the cantadha is a little different, accompanied with a
compania composed of violin, clarinet and laouto. Nisiotika This kind of popular songs was
born in the Greek islands. Every island has its own nissiotiko style and its own way of dancing it.
Violin, lira, clarinet and guitar accompany the high-pitched women voices or the low voice of a
single man.
Nissiotika are still easy to listen in every festival on any Greek island, during which a huge group
of musicians play life music during the whole night. Rebetiko This particular and famous style
of music in Greece was born in the hashish dens and the tekedes, the Turkish style underground
cafes of the district of Piraeus and the city of Thessaloniki.
Rembetiko music was spread by the two million Greek refugees coming from Asia Minor in
1922, after the destruction of Smyrne by the Turks. Homesick and rejected by the Greek
population, those Greeks who had never lived in Greece and who had lost everything, sang about
their surroundings, poverty, pain, hunger, prison, police oppression, drug addiction, betrayal and
hashish. Rembetiko was the forbidden music of the outcast, the Greek urban blues. The
rembetiko slowly in the 1950s came out of the underground world and started to be played in the
nightclubs of Athens, were it became very popular, even if it was despised by the Greek people
because they saw it as an outcast music. The principal instruments of the rembetiko are the
bouzouki, an eight string oval-shape instrument, the baglama, which looks like a miniature
bouzouki, and the guitar as well as, for accompaniment, the ziyia and the ntefi, a leather small
tambourine with little metallic plates circling it. Some of the greatest and most famous players
and singers are Vassilis Tsitsanis, Markos Vamvakaris, Marika Ninou and Sotiria Bellou. During
the 1960s, the rembetiko became unpopular again. Young people preferred the new rock music
coming from the West and the oldest one started listening again to the candhades of the 1920s.
But this music styles is back in the trends and many taverns propose rebetika music bands during
week-ends.
Late 20th century music In the 1980s, modern artists like Dionyssis Savopoulos, Georgios
Ntalaras, Nikos Papazoglou, Stavros Xarhakos and Pavlos Sidiropoulos rehabilitated the
rembetiko music and mixed it with rock music, bringing to life a new, passionate and interesting
kind of music. Their lyrics were about personal or political freedom (Savopoulos, Ntallaras and
Sidiropoulos), or about aspects of everyday life, pain and sorrow (Papazoglou), and drugged
generation (Sidiropoulos).

Religion in Greece

The religion of Greek people is an important aspect of the Greek culture.

The Greek population in mainland Greece and the Greek islands is Christian Orthodox per 98%.
The religion of rest of the population is Muslims, Catholic and Jewish. Greece and Russia are the
only countries to have such a great proportion of Orthodox population. The Orthodox Church
forms the third largest branch of Christianity, after the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. You
will find bellow information about the history of Orthodox religion in Greece. About Orthodoxy,
the main religion in Greece Information about the founders of the orthodox church, the Schism,
the connection with the Greek nation, the separaration with the state and other religions in
Greece. The founders According to the history of Orthodoxy, the first who came in the Greek
territory to preach Christianity was Saint Paul in 49 AD. Although many people converted to
Christianity in the centuries that followed, this didn't become an official religion until the
Emperor Constantine the Great established Christianity as the official religion of the Byzantine
Empire. The Schism In 1054 AD, Christianity was divided in Eastern and Western Church, the
Orthodox and the Catholics. This division was called "The Schism" and was the result of long
disputes between the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople. The disputes referred to
the celibacy of the clergy (Catholic priests had to remain unmarried, whereas the orthodox
priests could marry before becoming ordained), receiving the Holy Communion and the wording
of the Creed: for the Orthodox the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, whereas Rome added
and the Son (filioque). However, the largest problem between the two Churches was the demand
of the Pope to have full control over the Eastern Patriarchs (of Constantinople, of Alexandreia
and of Antioche). Orthodox Church and the Greek Nation The Orthodox Church is strongly
connected to the Greek Nation since the Byzantine times, when the Patriarch of Constantinople
had a strong power over the national matters. During the Ottoman rule, from 1453 to 1821, the
Orthodox religion was an important element for the conservation and the definition of the Greek
Nationality. During the several occupations, the Orthodox Church made a great effort to preserve
the Greek language, culture, traditions and the Orthodox faith. They managed to preserve the
religious conscience and the feeling of affiliation. Separation State - Church Officially and like
in all European countries, the Greek State and the Orthodox Church are separated. This
separation is not written or regulated by the Constitution and the Greek Orthodox Church has a

great power in Greek society. Other religions in Greece As mentioned, 98% of the Greek
population is Christian Orthodox. A percentage of 1,3% are Greek citizens of Muslim religion,
mostly people living in Thrace who were not affected by the population exchange of 1922
between the Greeks of Asia Minor and the Turks of Greece. The rest 0,7% are Catholics, Jewish,
Jehovah's Witnesses and others. Most Catholics live on the island of Syros, a remain from the
Venetian occupation of Cyclades in the Medieval times.

Greek Food

Greek food and wine is an important aspect of the culture of Greece. The Greek food and wines
are famous for their good quality and amazing taste. Some dishes are common all around the
country, whereas some others are local culinary specialties and can be found only in a specific
region or Greek island. While you holiday, do not miss the chance to try the local Greek dishes
in the many restaurants of Greece and the Greek islands. There are such traditional taverns in
almost every corner of the country. If you want to prepare some Greek dishes at home, you can
also check our section about Greek recipes. Traditional food specialties and wines Information
about the greek food and gastronomical specialties (mezedes, salades, main dishes, soups), herbs
and spice and wines and alcohol beverages. Greek Mezedes The mezedes (single: mezes) are
appetizers, served before or with the main dishes, usually accompanied with ouzo or tsipouro.
They come in small plates. It is one of the basic elements of the Greek culture to share food and
wine with friends, in a joyful and unhurried environment. Tzatziki Greek yogurt with finely
chopped cucumber, garlic and olive oil. Ideal to eat with fresh Greek bread, fried potatoes or
fried meatballs. Saganaki Fried cheese. Different sorts of cheese can be found in saganaki.
Excellent with a zest of lemon. Keftedakia Fried meatballs of beef, garlic and bread. Excellent
dish. Spanakopitakia Small spinach pies with crushed feta cheese. Tiropitakia Small cheese pies,
usually made of feta or kasseri cheese. Horta Boiled wild greens with olive oil, salt and lemon.

Briam Mix of roast potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, tomato sauce and olive oil. Dolmadakia
Grape leaves filled with rice and onions and sometimes minced beef. Kalamarakia Small pieces
of fried squid with lemon juice. Htapodi Small pieces of octopus served either fried with lemon
juice or boiled, with olive oil, vinegar and oregano. Feta cheese The famous Greek cheese can
also be eaten alone, as a meze, with olive oil and oregano. Greek salades Of course, the most
famous is the Greek salad, or else Horiatiki (Village Salad), but there are also many other types
of salads and dip sauces. Horiatiki Salata or Greek salad Also know as "Greek salad", the
horiatiki is a mix of fresh tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onions, green pepper, feta cheese, olive oil
and oregano. Melitzanosalata An eggplant puree with finely chopped garlic and olive oil. It is
succulent with fresh bread. Taramosalata (tarama) Crushed fish eggs. Main dishes Greeks have
a lot of excellent main dishes and meat is their favourite ingredient. Moussaka This famous
Greek dish has a base made of potatoes topped with eggplants onions, minced beef and bechamel
creme. Pastitsio This is another well-known Greek dish reminding of the Italian Lasagnas. It
consists of spaggeti No 2 topped with minced beef, onions, tomato sauce and bechamel sauce.
Paidakia Grilled lamb's ribs served with lemon. Kokoretsi This is one of the favorite dishes of
Greeks. They mostly eat it during Easter. It consists of wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb,
served with lemon. Soups Greek soups are succulent and Greeks usually have soups in winter.
Kotossoupa Chicken soup usually with avgolemono (sauce made with eggs and lemon).
Psarossoupa Fish soup with parsley, potatoes and carrots. Fassolada White bean soup with
parsley and, sometimes, tomato sauce. Fakies Lentil soup with tomato sauce. Magiritsa Easter
soup made of the inside of lamb, dill and the avgolemono sauce (egg and lemon). Patsa Tripe
soup, considered by Greeks as a very good remedy to hangovers. Herbs and spices Greece is
famous for its unique herbs and spices which they use in every Greek dish to add an extra taste
and delight the senses. The excellent quality of spices and herbs is due to the long sunshine
periods, making the Greek flora particularly rich, producing an incredible variety of the best
herbs and spices in the world. Famous herbs of great quality and easy to find in Greece are the
chamomile, the mountain tea, sage, basil, mint, parsley, tilio (lime leaves used as an infusion)
and much more. Supreme Greek spices are the sesame (white sesame also), the cumin, the
machlepi and the valuable red saffron.

Traditions in Greece

ustoms and traditions in Greece and the Greek Islands one important aspect of the Greek culture.
There are either of a religious character or coming from paganism. Furthermore, most of the
traditions and festivals still celebrated today are religious. The Greeks are very superstitious and
believe a lot in religion but also in supernatural or paranormal phenomenon. Traditions and
superstitions vary from island to island, from villages to villages and from region to region. You
will find bellow the many Greek traditions still honoured in Greek modern culture, no matter
people's age, until today. After reading about the traditions, get also informed about the Greek
language. List of traditions and superstisions We provide bellow information about traditional
festivities (Name day celebration, Engagement, Carnival, Clean Monday, Easter, Greek
Independence Day, The Ohi Day) and Superstitions (the Evil Eye (Mati), Spiting, Black cat,
Hobgoblins, Tuesday the 13th, The expression Piase Kokkino) Traditional festivities Name day
celebration Most Greeks are named after a religious saint. A very important tradition is that
everyone who has a name coming from a saint celebrated by the church celebrates his name on a
given day of the year. On the "name day" of someone, his friends and family visit him without
invitation and offer wishes and small presents. The hostess of the house offers pastries, sweets
and hors d'oeuvres to the guests. In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.
Engagement It is a custom in Greece to get engaged before get married. The man has to ask for
the hand of the woman from her father and close family, while the two families give presents to
bride and groom. The couple exchanges wedding rings that are worn on the left hand. After the
wedding, these rings will be worn on the right hand. In Greece, the engagement period may last
for years and it is like a commitment to the families. This custom is still vivid in the Greek
mainland, while gradually it tends to disappear. Carnival In Greece, the Carnival is called
"Apokries". The festival consists of two weeks of feast, beginning from the Sunday of Meat Fare
and ends with the first day of the Lent, called Clean Monday (Kathari Deutera). Everyone is
costumed and parties take place in the streets and bars, throwing coloured confetti to each other.
The most famous Carnival Parade takes place in the city of Patra. In many towns around Greece
and in the islands, local customs revive. The Carnival is believed to come from paganism, and
more precisely from the old festivities worshiping Dionysus, the god of wine and feast. Clean

Monday Clean Monday or Lent Monday is the first day of the Lent (Saracosti) during which
families go for a picnic in the countryside and fly kites. Easter Easter is the most important
celebration for the Greeks, even more than Christmas. On Good Thursday or Good Saturday,
women dye eggs in red and bake buns. On Good Friday, the day of mourning, the Epitaphios, the
tomb of Christ with its icon, decorated with flowers, is taken out of the church and carried
around the village followed by a slow procession. After the procession returns to the church
where the believers kiss the image of the Christ. During the night of the Holy Saturday (Megalo
Savato), everybody dresses well and goes to the church where a ceremony is hold. Just before
midnight, all of the lights of the church are turned off, symbolizing the darkness and silent of the
tomb, while the priest lights a candle from the Eternal Flame, sings the psalm Christos Anesti
(meaning Christ has risen) and offers the flame to light the candles of the people. Everyone
passes the flame one to another. The bells ring continuously and people throw fireworks. The
Good Saturday Dinner takes place after midnight and consists of mayiritsa, tsoureki (Easter
cake) and red eggs. On Easter Sunday, the family roasts the lamb on the spit. Corfu island is the
most famous place for easter. Greek Independence Day The Greek Independence Day is
celebrating the declaration of the Independence War against the Ottomans on March 25th, 1821.
Apart from a national celebration, this day is also a religious celebration dedicated to the
Annunciation of Virgin Mary. The Ohi Day On October 28th, the Greeks celebrate the day when
the Greek dictator Metaxas refused to let the Italians invade the country during World War II. It
is the celebration of the heroic OXI (NO): most Greeks put a Greek flag on their windows and
balconies, while a parade takes place with the participation of school students and the army.
Superstitions Greek superstitions are coming either from religion or paganism. They vary from
region to region. The Evil Eye (Mati) Some Greeks, especially in villages, believe that someone
can catch the evil eye, or matiasma, from someone else's jealous compliment or envy. A person
who has caught the evil eye usually feels bad physically and psychologically. In this case, an
expert in xematiasma must tell a special pray to release the person in pain from the bad effects of
the evil eye. To avoid the matiasma, those who believe in it wear a charm, a little blue bead with
an eye painted on it. Blue is believed to be the colour that wards off the evil eye, but it is also
believed that people with blue eyes are most possible givers of the matiasma. Spiting It is
believed that spitting chases the devil and the misfortune away. That is why when someone talks
bad news (deaths, accidents, etc), the others slightly spit three times saying ftou, ftou, ftou.
Another example is that someone that compliments a baby, a child or even an adult for its
beauty, has also to spit three times on the complimented person so that he doesn't give him the
bad eye (mati). Black cat If someone sees black cat, this is supposed to be bad luck for the rest of
the day. Also if a glass or mirror breaks, it is believed to be bad luck for seven years. Hobgoblins
The hobgoblins are known as kallikantzari in Greek. According to the folk Christmas traditions,
the hobgoblins are short, ungly creatures with many deformities. All year round, they live
underground and saw the tree of the year. From Christmas until the Epiphany Day (January 6th),
they come up to the world and tease people with many pranks. On the Epiphany Day, the priest
of the village goes from house to house and sprinkles the rooms with blessed water so that the
hobgoblins return underground. Tuesday the 13th Unlike the western belief, in Greece the
unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th and not Friday the 13th. The expression Piase Kokkino When
two people say the same thing together at the same time, they immediately say piase kokkino
(touch red) one to another and both have to touch any red item they can find around them. This
happens because Greeks believe that saying the same thing is an omen and that the two persons
will get into a fight or an argument if they don't touch something red.

Document 8-1
Name: ___________________________________ City-State: ___________________________

Reflection Guide for Greece Learning Stations

1. How much did you know about these subjects before you began the learning stations?

2. What was your favorite and least favorite learning station? Please explain why.

3. Do you believe your city-state team worked well together to complete the tasks?