Materials for the lesson

Skewer Sticks.
Paper-tape.
Narrow strips of green textile, about 1 meter long (rivers).
A large blue textile for the sea.
1-2 large pieces of paper (2 by 2 roll-by the meter).
Color markers or pastels that make thick lines.
Small bottles of water or smaller if possible (children size water or juice).
A scissors.

Teachers’ Bell.

Layout of the classroom

Some desks together in the middle to form a large table to create upon it a model of Greece.

1^st Phase

Artistic Activity
We place the paper on the desks (connect 2 pieces with paper-tape) and draw the perimeter-shape of Greece. The teacher can divide children in groups that each can draw a periphery (Thraki, Macedonia, Thessalia etc), just the perimeter not internal details. Then we cut with the scissors around the perimeter to have the shape of Greece.

Constructions
The groups can connect 3 or more skewer sticks on one end with the paper tape and form pyramids (open the bottom part to stand) for the mountains.  Connecting one or more sticks for the length, then you can make higher mountains. These are the mountains to be placed in position on the map. Olympus, Parnassos, Taygetos, Psiloritis and the mountain ranges of Rodopi and Pindos. So, Olympus is the highest mountain etc. If we want our model to be more detailed, we form smaller mountains by breaking the sticks.

Synthesis of the model
We cover the desks with the blue textile (sea) and put over  the paper-map of Greece.

2^nd Phase

We place our mountains (pyramids) according to their position and height (consult the previous lesson Chapter 13).

The teacher can repeat some of the information of Chapter 13-Mountains of Greece.

Continuing the lesson the children place the rivers on the model while discussing with the teacher, questions etc. The groups of students that drew the peripheries now go on to place the rivers according to the course the teacher has explained in the lesson. We place the bottles flat with the green textile coming out to represent the sources where the river starts and then goes through the mountains to end up in the sea. We split the end of the ribbon to show how rivers divide before falling to the sea.

3^rd Phase

 The Teacher dictates the lesson according to the book and all the information it provides.

4^th Phase

The students having done some research at home they can narrate some myths about the each river according to the Greek Mythology.

For example Alpheios river:

Son of the Ocean, was praised as the God of fertility. But luck was not on his side, he fell in love, in vain, with Artemida and then the Nymph Arethoussa who then left for Ortygia. While trying to avoid him, she transformed herself into a fountain! Then Alpheios became a river to unity with the waters of his great love the fountain Arethoussa.

Research the history of the 10 larger rivers that run through Greece:  

1. Aliakmonas

2. Axeloos

3. Evros

4. Pinios

5. Nestos

6. Strimonas

7. Kalamas (or Thiamis)

8. Araxthos

9. Alfios

10. Evrotas