Download Picha Rome Lesson Plan 1

ED 451 – Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment
Lesson Plan 1
Matt Slocomb
Halea Picha
Topic: Roman Republic
Subject: History and Political Science
Date: 2/7/2016
Materials Needed:
Roman Republic PowerPoint
Rome Unit: Roman Republic Documents Packet
Rome Unit: Roman Republic Packet
Roman Republic End of Lesson Quiz
Pencils/pens
Whiteboard space
Whiteboard markers
Rome Articles
History Textbooks
Standard(s) Addressed:
ND 9–12.1.2: Interpret and evaluate documents (e.g., primary and secondary sources, fact, fiction, or
opinion) to enhance the understanding of social studies content.
ND 9–12.4.2: Compare the nature and source of various types of political entities past and present
throughout the world (e.g., ancient Greek and Roman political thought; classical republicans;
philosophy of natural rights; limited and unlimited governments; constitutional governments;
representative democracy; con-federal, federal, unitary systems of government, and international
organizations)
ND 9-12.4.4 Evaluate the effectiveness of structures, operations, and influences of political systems
and constitutional governments (e.g., federalism; separation of powers; checks and balances; media
and special interest groups)
ND 9–12.6.1: Explain how group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity,
and behavior (e.g., religion, education, media, government, and economy)
MN 9.4.1.2.1: Historical inquiry is a process in which multiple sources and different kinds of historical
evidence are analyzed to draw conclusions about how and why things happened in the past.
Objective(s): Students will KUDO (know, understand, or be able to do) what at the end of the lesson?
Students will be able to….
 Compare and contrast the ancient Roman Republic to the US government.
 Analyze two different governments and be able to affectively describe them.
 Interpret documents from primary and secondary sources (documents).
 Use evidence found to back up reasoning.
 Define main ideas and definitions discussed.
 Use affective writing skills to explain their reasoning.
ED 451 – Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment
Lesson Plan 1
Matt Slocomb
Halea Picha
Assessment(s)
 Rome Unit: Roman Republic Packet
 Rome Unit: Roman Republic Documents Packet
 Roman Republic end of lesson quiz
 Rome Unit: Roman Republic Writing Assignment
 Participation
 Collaborative Work
Activities with pacing (time estimates) listed
Roman Republic Lesson Day 1
(5 minutes) Hand out Roman Republic Packet.
 Instruct students on how to do the packet
Start Roman Republic Power Point
(10 minutes) Slide 2: Roman Republic Question
 What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Roman Republic?
 Write the first think that comes to mind, it can be anything.
 Have students fill out the first question on the Compare and Contrast page of their Roman
Republic packet: Think-Ink-Pair-Share activity
Slide 3: Watch Video
Slide 4: Roman Republic Question
 What do you think after watching the video?
 Have students fill out the second question on their Roman Republic Worksheet: Think-Ink-PairShare activity
Slides 5-7: Brief History
 Inform students about the Roman Republic timeline on the next page- this gives students a
visual and more in depth look at the Roman Republic era.
 The Roman Republic is the period from the overthrow of the last Roman king, Lucius Tarquinius,
in 509 BC by the Roman nobility until the establishment of a permanent imperial dictatorship
under Augustus (Octavian) Caesar in 27 BC.
 Lucius Tarquinius Superbus ruled as king from 534 to 509 BC. Tarquin had many senators put to
death, which eventually led to a group of senators, led by Lucius Brutus, to revolt. After, the
royal family was expelled from Rome forever.
 Augustus Caesar, whose original name was Gaius Octavius, was named as Julius Caesar’s heir
after he was killed. Augustus held no official position but with his political knowledge he was
able to gain power and achieve ultimate power in Rome.
ED 451 – Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment
Lesson Plan 1
Matt Slocomb
Halea Picha
Slide 8: Roman Republic
 Based on balance of interest (people), which pretty much means that the government is based
on what the people believe and want. There are three main parts, monarchical, aristocratic, and
democratic.
Slides 9-14: Monarchical, Aristocratic and Democratic Branches
 Instruct students to follow along on the compare and contrast page of their Roman Republic
packet.
 Ask what students think each branch stands for and consists of before going onto the slide that
has detail about the branch.
 Describe what each branch of the Roman Republic is and consists of.
Slides 15-16: United States Government
 Ask what students already know about the United States government.
 Give a brief description of the US government.
Slides 17-19: Group Activity
 Get students into groups of three.
 Discuss compare and contrast diagram at the bottom of the Compare and Contrast page of the
Roman Republic Packet.
 Have students designate each person in their group to write one thing on the board about the
Roman Republic, US government, or a similarity between the two.
(10 minutes) Slides 20-21: Establish a definition of democracy
 Review definitions of democracy
 Students restate the definitions in their own words- share out loud
 Take-away: Democracy can mean different things to different people. Some think of democracy
primarily as a system of representative government in which people elect representatives. For
others, democracy is more egalitarian, and means a system where all people are free and
involved in the decision making of government. Today, we are going to explore parts of the
political system of the Roman Republic and consider how democratic the Roman government
was.
Slide 22: The Roman Republic
 For hundreds of years, historians, political scientists, politicians and pundits have made
connections between the political system of the United States and the Roman Republic. In
particular, they’ve pointed to the concepts of checks and balances across different governing
bodies, and democratic voting to elect government representatives.
Instruct students to turn to the Roman Government page in their packet (skip this activity if students
are quite familiar with the organization of the government).
ED 451 – Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment
Lesson Plan 1
Matt Slocomb

Halea Picha
Much of the Roman Republic’s political history was defined by a power struggle between the
noble classes of patrician senators and knights, and the majority of the population, who
belonged to the lower class, called the plebeians. The plebeians made up the Populus Romani, or
the “People of Rome.” They were also the majority of soldiers in the Roman army.
Slide 23: Civil Unrest Slide 24: Central Historical Question

The Roman Republic is often held up as a model for the United States’ political system.
Historians continue to debate whether the Roman Republic was truly democratic. Today, we are
going to investigate the question: How democratic was the Roman Republic?
(5-10 Minutes) Roman Government Activity
 In small groups, students review the page and discuss the two questions at the top- share
responses
 According to this information, how democratic was the Roman Republic?
 Call on a few students
Hand out Roman Republic Documents packets
(10 Minutes) Document A: Polybius
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Tell students that they are going to continue to investigate the question of
how democratic the
Roman Republic was by looking at a primary source.
Some of the best primary sources on the Roman Republic come from Greek historians who
interacted with the Romans during their rise to power over the Greeks. We are going to see
what one of these ancient historians has to tell us about the Roman government, and examine
how the historical context might have influenced his account.
In pairs, students read Document A and complete the Guiding Questions.
Explain: As we can see on the Timeline, Polybius was a Greek historian writing during the height
of the Roman conquest of the Greek world. He provides a highly complimentary account of the
government, claiming it combines the best features of monarchy (the Consuls), aristocracy (the
Senate), and democracy (the Assemblies), with the people perhaps wielding the most power.
His positivity may have been influenced by his encounters with the Romans. He witnessed
Roman power firsthand when they conquered northern Greece and captured him in 167 BCE. His
Roman captors treated him very well and he came to admire them. It is possible that Polybius’s
very positive depiction of the Romans was based on his own experience with Romans. The
continued Roman conquests of Greece and Carthage as Polybius was writing also may have
provided him with additional justification to view the Romans as supreme conquerors.
Roman Republic Lesson Day 2
(10 Minutes) Document B: Fergus Millar
ED 451 – Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment
Lesson Plan 1
Matt Slocomb
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Halea Picha
Point out: As seen in the primary source, the Roman government is quite complex, and it’s
challenging to tell how democratic it truly was.
Continue investigation by looking at two secondary sources from university professors
In pairs, students read Document B and complete the Guiding Questions.
Important to note: Fergus Millar strongly believes in the democratic power of both Roman
assemblies. Not only does he see the Tribal Assembly as the true legislative body of the Republic,
he also claims voting in the Century Assembly was far more contested than most people believe,
with rival elite politicians vying for the support of the common people in debate, much like how
our political system functions today.
Millar primarily bases his argument on documentary evidence— records of Roman election
speeches and our knowledge of the structure of the Roman constitution, which gave the
supreme power to create laws to the people in the Assemblies.
(10 Minutes) Document C: Alan Ward
 In pairs, students read Document C and complete the Guiding Questions.
 Important to Note: Alan Ward provides an overview of what different historians have argued
regarding democracy in the Roman Republic. In particular, Ward questions how many eligible
voters actually voted in elections. He notes that because elections were held in Rome and
irregularly scheduled, most Romans did not participate in them. He also points out the Roman
citizens had “no role” in setting the legislative agenda or in selecting candidates.
(15-20 Minutes) Have students complete the Final Conclusion writing assignment.
 Give students instructions on the Final Conclusion writing assignment.
o MUST give three reasons as to why you think the Roman Republic was democratic.
o MUST use historical evidence to support your reasons.
o MUST be 5 or more paragraphs long.
o Cannot do with a partner.
o May use any resources that were given to students during the lesson- Rome Unit:
Roman Republic Packet and Rome Unit: Roman Republic Documents.
o Once done, grab a Roman Republic quiz and start it.
(10-15 Minutes) Roman Republic Quiz.
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While students are working on their writing assignment, put instructions to the Roman Republic
quiz on the board.
o Can only use resource that have been given to them-Rome Unit: Roman Republic Packet
and Rome Unit: Roman Republic Documents packet.
o Must be finished by the end of class unless previously arranged differently.
o Cannot do with a partner.
o Once done, turn in both your quiz and Rome Unit: Roman Republic Documents packet
with names on both.
ED 451 – Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment
Lesson Plan 1
Matt Slocomb
Halea Picha
(Extra time) After quiz
 If students have extra time after finishing their quiz and before class ends
1. Grade quizzes in class if time allows- don’t have students grade their own quizzes
2. Read about the next Rome lesson in textbook
3. Do homework from other classes
4. Read articles about Rome- have articles about Rome in a spot in the room