Bring ancient Greece to life with this engaging reading activity that challenges students to analyze how Sparta built the most formidable military force in the Greek world, and why that dominance ultimately crumbled.

In this worksheet, students go beyond memorizing facts to examine the systems that shaped Spartan society. They will explore how the agoge training system, the hoplite phalanx, and a helot-based economy combined to create a culture entirely focused on military readiness. At the same time, they will investigate the internal weaknesses that led to Sparta’s decline, including shrinking citizen numbers and the devastating consequences of the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE.
This resource is designed to accompany the article from History Skills and guide students through structured, critical reading.

What’s Included

• 18 structured comprehension and analysis questions
• A mix of factual recall questions to check understanding
• Short-answer analysis questions
• Critical thinking questions examining cause and effect
• Questions focused on long-term consequences and historical significance
• Student worksheet format (ready to print or upload to your LMS)

Benefits for Teachers

• Saves planning time with ready-to-use, standards-aligned questions
• Encourages close reading and evidence-based responses
• Promotes higher-order thinking through cause-and-effect and systems analysis
• Ideal for classwork, homework, sub plans, or independent study
• Easily adaptable for differentiation or discussion-based lessons

Benefits for Students

• Develops reading comprehension using historical nonfiction
• Strengthens critical thinking and analytical writing skills
• Encourages students to connect military systems, economics, and social structure
• Helps students understand both the rise and fall of powerful societies
• Builds deeper insight into how internal weaknesses can undermine even the strongest states

Curriculum Fit
Perfect for units on:

• Ancient Greece
• City-states of Athens and Sparta
• Military systems in the ancient world
• Causes of rise and fall of civilizations
• Peloponnesian War and Theban ascendancy
• Historical causation and continuity and change

Aligned with middle and high school world history standards focusing on analysis of political, economic, and social structures in ancient civilizations.
If you’re looking for a structured, thought-provoking activity that moves beyond “Sparta was strong” to why and how it succeeded, and failed, this worksheet will help your students think like historians.