From Anubis to Zeus
Egypt Day, Greek Olympics, and the Living History Showcase
If you happened to be at Potomac one day last May, you might have been startled to see the Greek god Zeus striding majestically across campus, long white hair and beard flowing behind him and thunderbolt in hand. He was headed for the Turf Field, where the fifth grade’s annual Greek Olympics were about to begin. Teams of students dressed in hand-decorated chitons paraded behind him, bearing the flags of ancient Greek city-states and eager to engage in some friendly competition under their deity’s watchful eye.
Given that it was Middle School Head John Mathews under that flowing hair and beard, it seems improbable that any miscreant would have been struck down by a thunderbolt; more likely, an admonition along the lines of, “Stay on the track, folks!” might have rung out in the god’s authoritative voice.
John concludes, “All of these projects prompt our students to dig a little deeper, to be creative, and to put what they have learned into action. And they’re fun! This kind of interactive, joyful learning is very much in the Potomac spirit.”
The Greek Olympics is just one of the interactive end-of-year events that distinguish Potomac’s Middle School history curriculum. While each of the division’s three grades undertakes a different culminating activity, all of the projects involve creative applications of knowledge gained throughout the year.
In the fourth grade, students learn about three ancient civilizations: early humans, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Their end-of-year Egypt Day exhibition is a rich celebration of an ancient culture’s history and traditions. Each student selects a topic, does research, and prepares a presentation; areas of exploration range from the pyramids to hieroglyphics to deities and beyond. Parents, friends, teachers, and fellow students circulate through the classrooms, looking at project displays and listening as costumed “Egyptians” share their knowledge.
In the fifth grade, the Greek Olympics is only the tip of the iceberg. John Mathews explains, “First, the students are assigned Greek mythological figures to study. Each student gives a five-minute oral presentation on a particular god, goddess, or mythical human and creates a 15-minute activity to cement their knowledge.” The fifth graders also put on an exciting Middle School assembly, sharing their knowledge of ancient Greece through odes, dances, and skits. Then it’s off to the Olympics!
As for the sixth graders, they don’t just study history; they bring it to life. The annual Living History Showcase requires students to take their understanding of the medieval period and embody it – literally. Traditionally, the sixth graders portrayed people living in medieval Europe and the Islamic world. Last year, however, the focus was broadened, and students can now select characters from any country or culture, as long as it is consistent with the time period.
After the sixth graders choose the roles they want to portray – a creative task that results in everything from plague doctors to crusaders to samurai to troubadours – they work with their classmates to create historically accurate skits to perform for the showcase’s visitors.
When parents and friends arrive on the big day, they enter a bustling medieval world whose diverse citizens are going about the routines of their daily lives. Guests might find themselves helping to resolve an argument between two knights, assisting with bread baking, or hearing a scholar talk about the history of Judaism in Europe.
John concludes, “All of these projects prompt our students to dig a little deeper, to be creative, and to put what they have learned into action. And they’re fun! This kind of interactive, joyful learning is very much in the Potomac spirit.”