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Details

• Name: Life in the Roman Empire

• Curricular Area: History

• Subject/Grade Area: 9th Grade World History

• Duration: two Forty-Five Min Periods

0. Integration of Learning Outcomes

• Essential Questions

o How successful were these “Great” Empires in the areas of politics, economy, society, and culture?

• Big Ideas

o Roman Society was highly stratified, with clearly defined roles.

o The rich had the opportunity to create, while the poor only had time to work.

o The Romans valued artistic achievement.

• Transferable concepts

o Social hierarchy

o Slavery

1. Standards

• Pa State Standards

o 8.1.6.B – Explain and analyze historical sources.

o 8.4.3. D – Identify how conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations affected world history.

• NCSS Standards

o V

▪ A - demonstrate an understanding of concepts such as role, status, and social class in describing the interactions of individuals and social groups.

2. Anticipatory Set: Duration 5 min

• Writing Prompt: the students will answer the following question in their journals.

o “Does the school have a social hierarchy?”

▪ “What groups are in it?”

▪ “What does it look like?”

▪ “Do some groups have it easier than others?”

3. Procedure

• Before class, the teacher will first divide the class into one of the three following social groups based on the provided percentages.

o Patricians (Noble) (5%)

▪ Senators (5%)

o Equestrians (5%)

▪ Soldiers (50%)

▪ Merchants (50%)

o Plebeians (commoner) (60%)

o Slaves (30%)

o The teacher will then further divide the Plebeians group into different professions based again off the following percentages.

▪ Soldiers (35%)

▪ Artists (15%)

▪ Intellectuals (15%)

▪ Farmers (35%)

o The teacher will then at random, choose two of the students in the Slave social class to be gladiators.

o Finally, the teacher will choose, at random, one of the male Patricians to serve as the priest.

• The before the lesson the teacher will hand out the “life in ancient Rome” worksheets to the students, and give them their social standings, and professions.

o The teacher will then ask the students to review the worksheets the night before class for homework.

• Activity (2 class periods or about 80 min)

o The students would all carry out the roles they received in the start of the class, by performing tasks and activities that simulate what their ancient counterparts preformed

o Groups

▪ Patrician Class (5%)

• These students would experience how it was to live in the lap of Roman luxury.

• They would spend most of their time talking with each other playing musical instruments.

o Each Patrician will choose an artist or other profession to patron.

o They will ask the Plebian class to create or perform their service for them

• These students will have the best part of the classroom with plenty of food (ie carrot sticks etc) and comfort (ie big pillows)

• The Patricians have three goals during this simulation

o They will choose a plebian to Patronize.

▪ To accomplish this they will have to choose one of their Plebian students and pay them a daily allowance (of Paul Dollars), that will not be less than six Paul Dollars, for whatever good or service they produced.

o They will try to develop some laws that benefit both them and the other classes.

o Finally, since they live in the lap of luxury, these students will relax and enjoy their simulated life.

• Professions

o Two students from the class would be elected to patronize two slaves to be Gladiators

▪ These students would pay for and help prepare the two Gladiator students for a match that would go along with the Festival that would end the simulation.

o Senators: 5% of the Patrician Class will be selected to serve as Senators

▪ They will spend their time utilizing the white/chalk board develop laws that would help both them and their fellow Romans

▪ These students would be given purple scarves to denote their position

▪ Equestrians (5%)

• Were the Noble knights of Roman Society

• Many of whom had extensive military experience in high ranking leadership positions

• Professions

o Soldiers (50%)

▪ These Equestrians were the leaders of the Romans Army.

▪ These students will spend their time training and preparing with their soldiers.

o Merchants (20%)

▪ These students would serve as the sales men of the Rome classroom.

• They would use their money (Paul Dollars) to buy and sell the goods made by the other student groups.

o For example the merchants could buy artist’s or farmer’s goods and sell them to their customers.

• They would also use maps of ancient Rome to develop trade routes.

▪ Their goal would be to gather as much money as possible and to develop profitable trade routes.

▪ The Slaves (30%)

• These student would “belong” to one of the upper class members (i.e. the nobles or richer Plebeians)

o Their “owner” would decide if they could be paid, how much, and if they could work towards their freedom

o The owners could also command the slaves to do tedious household tasks.

▪ Dusting their area

• They would perform menial or boring tasks (i.e. solving lots of easy math problems or building things with blocks etc)

• Their goal would be to follow what their masters told them to do.

• Professions

o Two students would be chosen to act as gladiators

▪ They would spend their time training for the Gladiator match that would go along with the festival at the end of the simulation.

▪ They would play some competitive game to simulate the life and death struggle the Gladiators experienced. (I.e. Rock-em Sock-em Robots)

▪ The students would train until the Gladiator match at the end of the simulation.

▪ Plebeians (commoner) (60%)

• These students would hold the position of the common man in Roman Society

• They will spend most of the simulation performing their assigned profession

• Professions

o Soldiers (35%)

▪ Their goal would be to make sure “Rome” was safe

▪ They would spend their time making armor and weapons (out of cardboard), and practicing their martial skills (playing tic tac toe against each other)

o Artists (15%)

▪ The artist would take the role of the creative element in our Athens Classroom.

• They would use clay to make pots or vases or to create paintings.

• They would then take their work and try to get it sold.

• They would also respond to what their Patron wishes. (ie if they wish to have a special vase made etc)

▪ The Artists goal would be to create and sell as much art as possible

o Intellectuals (15%)

▪ These students would serve as the philosophical and educational element of the classroom Rome.

• They could work together to solve brain teasers

• They could also go around to the other groups and offer their services as educators or tutors (especially to the Patrician)

▪ Their goal would be to either solve as many brainteasers as possible correctly or serve as a tutor.

o Farmers (35%)

▪ These students would take the role of Greek farmers.

• In this role, they would provide the food for the class for sale.

o They would make wine for the class (pitchers of water) and food (carrot sticks) that the students could buy.

o About half way through the simulation the students will gather together to become the Assembly and Senate. They would work together to develop a fair tax law for the classroom Rome

o The students would carry out the different goals of their given roles, until there is about a half hour left in the final class period.

▪ At that point, the class would go to the “Coliseum” to witness a Gladiatorial battle.

• The two Gladiator slaves will utilize their “Rock-em Sock-Em Robots” and fight with each other.

• The teacher will project an image of the Coliseum at the front of the class.

• The entire class will gather around and watch, while having food and drink. The Patrician class will sit in the front center to watch the event

o After a few rounds, the Patricians will ask the crowd if the loser should live or die, and the class/crowd will reply.

▪ The students will talk and mingle for the remaining time in the class

4. Differentiation

• This lesson could be adapted to help gifted students.

o They students could create a documentary detailing the daily lives of each of the social classes, and their professions

▪ This would allow the gifted students to take command of their learning and go more in depth with the research.

• Also this lesson could be very difficult for students with Autism, because it would break away from the established structure and schedule of the class.

o The teacher could help these students by providing them with an outline of what they planned to occur.

o The teacher could also frequently check with the student to make sure they were doing ok with the lesson.

o The activity would be helpful because it would allow them to verbally interact with their peers.

5. Closure

• After the simulation was completed, the students would answer the following questions in their journals.

o How did it feel to be in your position?

▪ Did you like doing the work assigned?

▪ What were the pros and cons of your role?

o Was the societal division fair with monetary distribution, rule ect?

▪ What were the advantages, Disadvantages?

o Would your role have a modern day counterpart

▪ Does Roman society compare to modern US society?

6. Formative/Summative Assessment of Students

• Formative assessment

o The students would complete a short one paragraph essay answering the questions:

▪ “Does a successful government require a specialized or hierarchical society? Why or why not?”

▪ “Is an Empire successful if it relies on inequality?

o Also the students should add notes to their Rome Society T-Chart

7. Materials

• Paul Dollars – money

• Life as worksheets

o Life in Rome

o Life as a Patrician

o Life as a Equestrian

o Life as a Plebeian

o Life as a Slave

• Computer image of the Coliseum

• Resources for the different groups

o Patricians (Noble)

▪ Comfortable pillows

▪ Large paper or white board to develop laws for the class

• Musical instruments to play for the female nobles

▪ A large amount of the money Paul Dollars (at about 30-40 a day)

▪ Senators

• Purple scarves

o Equestrians

▪ Merchant

• Maps of Ancient Rome to plot trade routes.

• 20 Paul Dollars to buy goods from the other groups

▪ Soldiers

▪ Cardboard to make weapons and armor

▪ Paper to practice their martial tactics (playing tic tac toe)

▪ About 20 Paul Dollars a day

o Slaves

▪ Puzzles or blocks to simulate the tedious tasks

o Farmers

▪ Food (carrot sticks or apples) to take care of and sell to the other groups

▪ Water in pitchers to make “wine”

▪ About 10 Paul Dollars a day

o Merchant

▪ Maps of Ancient Rome to plot trade routes.

▪ 20 Paul Dollars to buy goods from the other groups

o Artists

▪ Clay or other art supplies

▪ About 6 Paul Dollars a day (from their patrons)

o Intellectuals

▪ Brain teasers

▪ About 6 Paul Dollars a day (from their patrons)

o Soldiers

▪ Cardboard to make weapons and armor

▪ Paper to practice their martial tactics (playing tic tac toe)

▪ About 10 Paul Dollars a day

o Gladiators

▪ Rock em sock em robots

8. Technology

• A computer projector

• Computer for teacher research

2. Reflection

• I think that this could be a very challenging yet fun exciting and engaging lesson. I think that the students would really enjoy the abstract lesson idea, and have fun actually practicing their roles. I definitely think that this lesson would evolve frequently as I taught it, but in its current version, I am pretty happy.

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