Idaho Social Studies 9-12.WC.4
The Standard
Analyze the causes and consequences of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars.
Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Ancient Greece (c. 800 BC – 150 BC)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why Persia fought Greek city-states and why Athens and Sparta later fought each other. They trace what changed after each war and connect the outcome of the first war to the causes of the second.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can name Persian expansion and Athens' support for the Ionian Revolt as causes of the Persian Wars. They can explain how Greek victory increased Athenian power, why that alarmed Sparta, and how Athens' defeat weakened Greek city-states.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Athens and Sparta were enemies in both wars, rather than fighting Persia together first. They may place the Delian League before the Persian Wars, though it formed afterward. Some assume Sparta's victory united Greece, when the war left city-states divided.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Explain how the Persian Wars helped lead to the Peloponnesian War. Use the Delian League in your answer, then name one result of Athens' defeat.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs cards labeled Ionian Revolt, Marathon, Delian League, Sparta's fear, and Athens' surrender; have them order the cards and draw causal arrows.
Ask students to write: How did victory over Persia help create the rivalry between Athens and Sparta? Cite two events.
Play cause or consequence with cards marked Persian expansion, Delian League, Spartan fear, and Athens' defeat; teams place and explain each card.
Show NATO and Delian League maps; ask how a leading member can affect an alliance and where the comparison falls short.
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