Sessions

 

Session 1: The Founding of Rome

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define arable, forum, confederation, Romulus, legend, Aeneas, republic and peninsula.

Students will describe the early history of Rome.

Students will analyze the legend of Romulus and Remus founding Rome.

Students will identify why the dates 753 B.C. and 509 B.C. are important.

Students will explain what attracted the Latins to the hills near the Tiber River.

Students will explain why Rome's location is favorable and hoe the geography helped Rome to grow.

Students will analyze the Tiber River.

Students will describe what life was like for early Romans.

Students will explain who discipline was important to early Romans.

Students will identify the two cultures that influenced the Romans.

Students will identify the first legendary ruler of Rome.

Students will describe the influence the Etruscan kings had upon the development of Rome.

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1)Imagine that you live in Rome at the time of the Etruscan kings. Write a letter to a friend. Explain how you feel about having an Etruscan as your king even though Rome is a Latin city. Be prepared to share your letter with the class in the next session.

OR

2) Draw a picture that illustrates a scene from the legendary founding of Rome.  Be prepared to share your drawing to the class in the next session.

 

Session 2: The Roman Republic

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define republic, tripartite, consul, Senate, dictator, patrician, plebeian, tribune and  consul.

Students will present their project to the class. 

Students will explain why Tarquinius Superbus was overthrown.

Students will describe how Roman society was structured and how the republican government was organized. 

Students will explain why the division of Roman society caused tension.

Students will describe the three parts of the new Roman government.

Students will summarize the kind of protest the plebeians used to make the patricians change the government.

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1)The Roman Republic had a tripartite government. Design a graphic organizer that represents the Roman government. Be prepared to share your organizer with the class in the next session. 

OR

2) Write a brief dialogue between Cincinnatus and the consuls who appointed him dictator. Remember that he only served for one day. Be prepared to share your dialogue to the class in the next session.

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Session 3: Roman Expansion

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define romanize.

Students will present their graphic organizer to the class. 

Students will describe how Rome expanded and what was the result of Roman expansion.

Students will explain why it may have been important for the Roman rulers to romanize their conquered people. 

Students will identify in which Punic War was the city of Rome almost destroyed.

Students will identify Hannibal and why is important to ancient history.

Students will identify the three territories Rome acquired in the eastern Mediterranean region.

HOMEWORK: 

Make a time line that shows the important events of Rome's expansion. Write a caption for each event. Give the time line a title. Be prepared to share your timeline with the class in the next session.

 

Session 4: The Republic Weakens

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define triumvirate, assassinate, civil war, and Julius Caesar.

Students will present their projects with the class. 

Students will explain if Rome's problems were caused by outside enemies or by Rome's own policies.

Students will identify what led to conflict in Rome and who fought in the civil war. 

Students will describe the type of government Rome had after the civil war. 

Students will identify Julius Caesar and why he is important to ancient history.

Students will explain the events that lead to Julius Caesar's assassination.

HOMEWORK: 

An obituary is a notice that tells of a person's death. Obituaries usually include the date of the person's death, how the person died, and important information about the person's life. Write an obituary about Julius Caesar.  

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Session 5: The Roman Empire

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define heir.

Students will present their obituary to the class. 

Students will describe what happened to Rome after Julius Caesar's death.

Students will explain why Octavian and Marc Anthony went to war against Brutus and Cassius.

Students will describe how Egypt became a Roman province.

Students will contrast how the Roman Empire differed from the Roman Republic.

Students will identify who Augustus was and why he is important to ancient history.

Students will identify the steps Augustus took to unite the various people in his empire.

Students will analyze the different cultural groups within the Roman Empire.

HOMEWORK: 

Write the first paragraph of a newspaper article for an event described in the lesson today. Include who, what, when, where, and how. Be prepared to share your paragraph with the class in the next session. 

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Session 6: Times of Peace

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define legion and currency.

Students will present their paragraph to the class. 

Students will describe how Augustus' reforms improved the army.

Students will identify the contributions of the first Roman emperor.

Students will analyze a Roman port and life inside a Roman fort. 

Students will explain why road building was important to the Roman Empire.

Students will describe how Claudius is remembered as an emperor of Rome.

Students will describe what the period from AD 96 to AD 180 was like for the Roman Empire.

HOMEWORK: 

Design a coin that might have been used in the Roman Empire. Think about what images would have been good symbols for Rome. Write a caption that explains the symbols  you drew Be prepared to share your coin and caption with the class in the next session.

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Session 7: Everyday Life in Ancient Rome

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define census, aqueduct, gladiator and Colosseum.

Students will share their coin and caption to the class.

Students will describe how family and society were organized.

Students will describe the roles in a typical Roman family.

Students will describe how living in a large empire affected the home life of wealthy Romans.

Students will describe what life was like in Roman cities.

Students will explain why Roman cities had public baths.

Students will analyze the architecture of the Roman Public Bath.

Students will describe how daily life in the Roman Empire depended upon slavery.

Students will explain how the Roman government tried to solve some of the problems of city life.

Students will examine Roman architecture and how it influenced architecture in today's world.

Students will explain why some Romans were tempted to move from the country to the city. 

Students will analyze Roman writing.

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1) Imagine that you have been asked to plan and build a new Roman city. Draw a simple city plan showing the main structures that you would build. Be prepared to share your city plan with the class in the next session. 

OR

2) Use the internet to find out more about how aqueduct bridges worked. Then draw a diagram that illustrates how these bridges carried water to Roman cities. Be prepared to share your diagram with the class in the next session.

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Session 8: Religion in the Roman Empire

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define mystery religion and sect.

Students will present their projects to the class. 

Students will describe how religion may spread from one culture to another.

Students will identify and describe Roman gods and goddesses.

Students will describe the Romans' religious beliefs.

Students will explain why the Roman emperor was also a religious leader.

Students will explain why Rome's policy toward religions may have helped spread Roman culture.

Students will describe the Jews relationship with Rome by AD 135.

HOMEWORK: 

Use resources from the library and internet to make a map of the many different religions in the Roman Empire. Show the areas in which each religion could be found. Be ready to preset your map to the class in the next session. 

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Session 9: The Origins of Christianity

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define disciple, parable, messiah, resurrection, apostle, persecution, martyr, Jesus, Gospel, and crucifixion.

Students will present their projects to the class. 

Students will draw conclusion about Judaea based upon the early life of Jesus.

Students will describe how Christianity built upon the Jewish beliefs about the future.

Students will describe what the Jews believed the Messiah would do.

Students will analyze the first Gospel written about Jesus, the Gospel of Mark and the Beatitudes.

Students will examine the life of Jesus.

Students will describe who the disciples of Jesus believed he was.

Students will identify the form Jesus' teachings often took.

Students will summarize the basic Jewish beliefs that Jesus taught.

Students will explain why the Romans viewed Christianity as a form of rebellion against Rome.

Students will identify the belief about Jesus that Christians think make an afterlife possible.

Students will identify the event that made Jesus' followers believe that their leader was divine.

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1) Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter. Write three interview questions about early democracy, and then answer them as an expert. Write your response in the form of a newspaper article. Be ready to present your letter to the class in the next session. 

OR

2) Think of an important lesson that you would like to teach. Then write a brief story to teach your lesson. Be ready to present your parable to the class in the next session.

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Session 10: The Early Christians 

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define Gentile, persecute, Paul, missionary and Epistle.

Students will present their projects to the class. 

Students will describe what Jesus' disciples did after his death.

Students will identify the beliefs the early Christian church was based upon.

Students will describe the change Saul underwent.

Students will explain what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus.

Students will describe where Paul traveled and why.

Students will analyze a timeline of important events in Christianity's early years.

Students will describe how Paul changed Christianity. 

HOMEWORK: 

Use the internet to research Paul's journey and make a thematic map of them. Use illustrations or symbols to show some things that happened to him. Be ready to present your map to the class in the next session. 

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Session 11: Christianity and the Romans 

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define salvation, Trinity, baptize, pope, creed and bishops.

Students will present their maps to the class. 

Students will contrast what made the appeal of Christianity stronger then the threat of persecution.

Students will identify Constantine and why he is important to ancient history.

Students will summarize Constantine's policy toward Christianity. 

Students will describe the effects Constantine's actions had upon Christianity.

Students will summarize what the Edict of Milan decreed.

Students will identify some of the beliefs of the early church.

Students will summarize the role Theodosius I had in the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

Students will identify what Rome's bishop was called.

Students will identify who the Apostle Paul was and why he was important to ancient history. 

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1) The Edict of Milan was important to the growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Write a short newspaper story that describes the edit. Be ready to present your article to the class in the next session. 

OR

2) Chart the important events in the early history of the church on a timeline. Be sure to include the sources for your dates. Be ready to present your timeline to the class in the next session. 

 

Session 12: An Empire in Decline

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define mercenary, Diocletian, absolute ruler, frontier, barbarian and inflation.

Students will present their projects to the class. 

Students will identify the problems that weakened the Roman Empire.

Students will summarize how the Roman Empire's great size affected it. 

Students will explain what caused Rome's leadership to weaken.

Students will summarize the steps Diocletian took to solve the empire's problems.

Students will explain why civil war broke out in the Roman Empire.

Students will describe the effects Constantine's actions had upon the Roman Empire.

Students will explain why Valerian divided the Roman Empire.

Students will identify what weakened citizenship in the Roman Empire. 

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1) Study the problems faced by the Roman Empire that were explained in class today. Then create a collage showing those problems. Be ready to present your collage to the class in the next session. 

OR

2) Imagine that you are a news reporter in the A.D. 200s. Write a newspaper article announcing the attacks along the Roman Empire's borders. BE sure to include the directions from which the attacks come and the identities fo the attackers.  Be ready to present your timeline to the class in the next session. 

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Session 13: The Fall of the Roman Empire

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define barbarian, nomad, plunder, vandel and convert.

Students will present their project to the class. 

Students will explain what caused Diocletian to reorganize the empire.

Students will explain why the Western Roman Empire weakened.

Students will contrast how the Western Empire was weaker than the Eastern Empire.

Students will identify the groups of people who moved into the Roman Empire.

Students will explain why the Germanic people moved into Roman territory.

Students will identify the message that Alaric's attack on Rome might have sent to other Germanic tribes.

Students will summarize how the Western Roman Empire ended and what caused its continual weakening.

HOMEWORK: 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Students will chose ONE of the projects listed below to complete for homework.

They should be ready to share their project with the class in the next session.

1) Write a series of headlines that describe the fall of Rome. Base each headline on a major event or news story. Arrange the headlines in chronological order on a poster. Be ready to present your poster to the class in the next session. 

OR

2) Draw a map that shows the Roman Empire at its height. Then use a differently colored pencil to draw the boundaries of Roman lands after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476. Be sure to label major cities, places, and bodies of water.  Be ready to present your timeline to the class in the next session. 

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Session 14: The Byzantine Empire

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define Byzantine Empire, Justinian, Justinian Code, Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Students will present their poster to the class. 

Students will explain what allowed the Church's power to grow in Europe.

Students will describe who Justinian restored the Eastern Roman Empire.

Students will identify Empress Theodora and why she is important to ancient history.

Students will explain why the Christian church divided in A.D. 1054.

Students will compare/contrast the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Students will describe how the governments and Christian churches interacted.

Students will describe what happened to the Byzantine Empire and how it fell.

HOMEWORK: 

Use the internet to research Hagia Sophia. Plan a virtual field trip of the structure. Include information on its location, construction, and items that are inside the building. Be ready to present your virtual field trip with the class in the next session. 

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Session 15: Rome's Legacy

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define patriotism, mosaic, bas-relief, epic, oratory, vault and aqueduct.

Students will present their virtual field trip with the class. 

Students will contrast the differences between Roman and Greek cultures.

Students will describe the ways Roman government, religion and law influenced modern societies.

Students will identify the elements of Roman law that are found in U.S. law.

Students will describe how Roman engineers improved the designs of cities.

Students will explain how Roman ideas about architecture and engineering influenced builders throughout history.

Students will identify what elements of Roman construction are still in use today.

Students will describe how Roman culture influenced the languages of Europe.

Students will analyze the many ways Roman ways have influenced modern culture. 

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