Year 5 debate

In today’s history lesson, the children debated whether it would have been better to live in Athens or Sparta.

They used a range of sources to find out about life in each city, carefully choosing evidence to support their ideas and considering how the context of the time might have influenced people’s experiences.

Through discussion, they compared the societies, exploring the roles, beliefs, and daily lives of men, women, and children, and looked at the cultural, social, and political differences between Athens and Sparta. They also thought about the origins of democracy in Athens and considered how these ancient civilisations have influenced the world today. The debate encouraged the children to analyse evidence, form arguments, and reflect on continuity and change in the past.

'I kept thinking to always believe in myself,' - Eithan

'I had to give one of the main arguments - I felt excited to share my ideas with the whole class.' - Olice

'I was a questioner - I was shocked that they had some good responses to my question. It was really fun.' - Jocelin

'I had to give the closing statement. We felt that we did a good job rounding up all the arguments.' - Michelle

Each child was given a role in the debate ranging from presenting opening statements, presenting main arguments, asking the opposition questions or answering questions from the other team! Every child did a fantastic job at being a part of their team and presenting their arguments well.