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The Colossus of Rhodes
This ancient wonder is a statue of Helios, the sun god, located on the island of Rhodes. This huge statue was constructed between 292 and 280 B.C. by Charles of Lindos. The statue was over 100 feet high and stood upon a 50 foot pedestal where it stood watching over the harbor. This bronze wonder fell to pieces after an earthquake in Rhodes.
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Objectives
After this lesson students will have worked on a timeline for the island of Rhodes, constructed their own statue of Helios, learned the geography of Rhodes, and have read a book on this wonder.
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The Lesson Plan
1. To introduce students to The Colossus to Rhodes by reading
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Lynn Curlee
This book actually contains information on all of the Wonders so you can just read about The Colossus of Rhodes during this lesson.
- What was the statue made of?
- Who was the statue of?
- Where is Rhodes located?
2. Have students work on unscrambling words worksheet below.
3. Show students where Rhodes is located on the map. Explain that Rhodes is an island off of Greece. A free map of Rhodes can be found here. With this map make copies for the students and have them mark down where the Colossus was located and if they notice anything about the map. (Lindos)
4. Timeline Creation: using these dates, help students to create a timeline for the Colossus of Rhodes and Rhodes starting at 405 B.C.
5. Extra Homework assignment: Students will create their own statue of Helios as an art homework assignment. They can use whatever material they want such as paper mache, construction paper, jello, etc. Tell them to be creative and to use their imagination. Have students write a one page paper speaking about the different materials they used, why they used those materials and if it was difficult.
After this lesson students will not only know more about the history of The Colossus of Rhodes and the story behind this great wonder, but will also learn about timelines, sculptors, geography of Rhodes, and different materials to use in art projects.
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Worksheet
The Seven Wonders of the World
- Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Pyramid Lesson Plan
- Seven Wonders of the World: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon Lesson Plan
- The Seven Wonders of the World: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Lesson Plan
- Seven Wonders of the World: Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Lesson Plan
- Seven Wonders of the World: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Lesson Plan
- Seven Wonders of the World: The Colossus of Rhodes Lesson Plan
- Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Lighthouse at Alexandria Lesson Plan