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Fully resourced lesson plan, PowerPoint and sorting activity | Ofsted-rated Outstanding

This Athens and Sparta lesson is perfect for teaching children in KS2 about the key differences between these two powerful city-states of Ancient Greece. Ideal for history units, formal observations, or interview lessons, this resource uses engaging visuals, discussion, and active learning to promote historical understanding and comparison skills.

Originally used as an Ofsted observation lesson, this pack is designed to be flexible, inclusive and memorable.

What’s included:
✔ Detailed lesson plan with clear learning objectives and plenary discussion prompts
✔ PowerPoint presentation with visuals and facts to hook and guide pupils
✔ Athens vs. Sparta sorting cards (standard and lower ability versions included)
✔ Clear differentiation built into the main activity
✔ Plenary reflection questions to assess understanding and encourage discussion

Lesson focus:

• To understand key differences between Athens and Sparta
• To compare and contrast lifestyles, values and priorities of each city-state
• To develop historical thinking and express personal viewpoints through discussion

Why it works well:
✔ Designed for observations, interviews or curriculum lessons
✔ Supports collaborative learning and class discussion
✔ Easy to differentiate with pre-prepared support materials
✔ Helps pupils form opinions based on historical evidence
✔ Links well with broader KS2 topics on Ancient Civilisations and Democracy

Perfect for:

• KS2 History lessons
• Year 4, Year 5 or Year 6 interview or observation
• Ancient Greece topic units
• Cross-curricular English links through discussion and persuasive argument
• Group tasks and mixed ability classwork

Also available:
Looking for a full topic sequence? Try the complete Ancient Greece Unit:
KS2 Ancient Greece Unit - 7 Outstanding Lessons

Search terms: Ancient Greece KS2 | Athens vs Sparta | KS2 history interview lesson | Ofsted history lesson | Year 5 history | city states Ancient Greece | comparison activity history | Ancient Greece for children | Ancient Civilisations KS2 | Sparta vs Athens