Download Teacher`s Name__Brandon Greenwood____________Date:___12

Teacher’s Name__Brandon Greenwood____________Date:___12/2/2007___________
Subject: __World History I ______Grade Level: ___8th_____Topic__Expansion of Rome___
Essential Questions/Big Ideas:
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How did military conquests alter economic and social life in Rome?
What was the impact of the Pax Romana on the Roman Empire?
General Objectives:
NCSS Standards:
II. Time, Continuity, and Change
b. Identify and use key concepts such as chronology, causality, change, conflict,
and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of
historical change and continuity.
c. Identify and describe selected historical periods and patterns of change within
and across cultures, such as the rise of civilizations, the development of
transportation systems, the growth and breakdown of colonial systems, and
others.
Virginia Standards
WHI.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient Rome from about 700
B.C. to 500 C.E. in terms of its impact on Western civilization by
e) Assessing the impact of military conquests on the army, economy, and social
structure of Rome.
f) Assessing the roles of Julius and Augustus Caesar in the collapse of the
Republic and the rise of imperial monarchs.
g) Explaining the economic, social, and political impact of the Pax Romana.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will know…
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Students will be able to identify important people and locations, explain the Pax Romana, and
evaluate the origins and evolution of Imperial Rome.
Students will understand…
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The Roman Republic, in the face of changing social and economic conditions, succumbed to civil
war and was replaced by an imperial regime, the Roman Empire.
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Augustus Caesar established the Roman Empire by instituting civil service, rule by law, a
common coinage, and secure travel and trade throughout the Empire.
My students will be able to…
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Use maps, globes, artifacts, and pictures to analyze the physical and cultural landscapes of the
world and interpret the past.
Identify and compare political boundaries with the location of civilizations, empires, and
kingdoms.
Objectives for attitudes/values in social studies…
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Students see ways that geography can be used to help understand history.
Assessment: Methods of Evaluating Student Progress/Performance: Students will have formative
assessments throughout the lesson. The teacher can see what the students learned from the beginning
of class until the end of it because of the use their interactive notebooks before the lesson then once
again afterward. The teacher can also formatively assess students through their responses in the
emperor’s game dealing with Caesar, Nero, and Claudius. If students are not participating the teacher
can call on individual students so they can be held individually accountable, or the teacher can just do
this part as a whole group. The map will be collected at the end of the class and after they are graded
according to the criteria on the worksheet, then can be hung up around the room. The rubric for the
maps will look something like this:
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Accuracy
o 2 points for work that is completely accurate on the locations of everything students
are supposed to label.
o 1 point for work that is mainly accurate, but 2-4 mistakes are present.
o 0 points for many mistakes or errors.
Completion
o 4 points to students who completed and labeled all the required material.
o 2 points for students who labeled most of the answers, but are still missing 2 -5 of the
required locations students are to have identified.
o 0 points for work that is not turned in or is missing half or more of the required terms.
Neatness
o 2 points for a neat map that is easy to read
o 1 point for a map that has some blemishes and sloppiness, but still a pretty decent job.
o 0 points for a sloppy map that is not clean and may include several erasure marks, items
that are crossed out, and items that are colored over.
Spelling and Capitalization
o 2 points for having one or fewer spelling or capitalization errors.
o 1 point for having two to five spelling or capitalization errors.
o 0 points for having five or more spelling or capitalization errors.
Analysis of your map (individually or with a partner)
o
o
o
2 points for answering all questions and showing a basic understanding of the material
discussed in the lesson and answering with relevant responses.
1 point for answering all of the questions and shows some understanding of the
material discussed in the lesson but not all of their answers are relevant to the question.
0 points for not answering all the questions and not showing any or little understanding
of the material.
Content Outline: All this information was collected from links located on the lesson’s web site.
53-50 B.C.E. - Julius Caesar conquers Gaul.
The Gauls resist Caesar's army and revolt, led by a young Gallic chieftain, Vercingetorix. The siege of
Alesia forces them to surrender and Gaul is won. Julius Caesar turns his attention to seizing supreme
power in Rome itself.
Vercingetorix- Chieftain of Arverni (present day Lyon, France) who led the Gaul’s war versus Caesar in
the Gallic Wars.
Alesia- Capital of Mandubii, a Gaulish tribe that was the site of Caesars victory over the Gauls.
Gaul- The region in ancient times that comprised of modern day Northwest Italy, France, Belgium, and
western Switzerland and parts of the Netherlands and Germany
49 B.C.E. - Caesar crosses the Rubicon. Civil war begins.
After his victory in Gaul, Caesar is so popular that the nervous Senate calls on him to resign and disband
his army or risk being declared an 'Enemy of the State'. Caesar decides to march on Rome and crosses
the Rubicon River with a standing army, throwing the empire into civil war.
Rubicon River- River in Northern Italy that Caesar crossed to march on Rome.
Caesar is murdered in 44 B.C.E. on the Ides of March (March 15th) by conspirators who called
themselves Liberatores (Liberators), which consisted of Brutus, Caesars friend, and Brutus’ brother-inlaw Cassius, among others. They were angry over the fact that Caesar had been named Dictator for
life.
36 B.C.E. - Lepidus defeated.
The Second Triumvirate is destabilized by the jealousies and ambitions of its members. Lepidus is
defeated in battle, leaving Octavian and Antony to fight for supremacy.
Second Triumvirate- Made up of Marcus Lepidus, Octavian Caesar, and Marc Antony that over power in
Rome in 43 B.C. and was split apart by the ambitions of its three leaders. Following defeat Lepidus was
driven into exile and Antony killed himself following a loss to Octavian in 31 B.C. leaving Octavian as the
lone member of the Triumvirate left.
27 B.C.E. - Octavian is renamed Augustus.
Octavian, in a remarkable gesture, renounces all his powers, and transfers them to the Senate and the
people of Rome. The Senate protests and grants him even greater powers. He receives the name
Augustus and becomes the first Emperor of Rome. This event marks the start of the period of Pax
Romana, or 'Roman Peace', seen as a time when the empire was in its glorious prime.
Pax Romana- A period of peace in Rome that lasted from 27 B.C.E. to 180 C.E.
19 B.C.E. - Poet Virgil dies.
The poet Virgil dies, after a lifetime writing about farming and pastoral life. His unfinished epic poem,
The Aeneid , which echoes popular sentiment that Rome would rise from the ruins, is published
posthumously.
ca. 1 B.C.E - Ovid publishes The Art of Love.
Ovid, a popular writer, published Ars Amatoria ("The Art of Love"). This is a series of three books about
the art of seduction, written in verse. The publication may be at least partly why the Emperor Augustus
banishes Ovid to the provinces.
2 C.E. - Heir to Augustus named.
Tiberius is summoned back to Rome and named the heir of Augustus. He is then sent off to the Rhine
frontier, where he advances to the Elbe and plans the conquest of the Marcomanni, a Germanic tribe.
Tiberius- Roman emperor from 14 C.E. – 37 C.E. Became tyrannical toward the end of his rule and
eventually left exiled himself from Rome before his death in 37 C.E.
19 C.E. - Germanicus dies.
Germanicus dies, possibly murdered. Despite the lack of evidence, his widow, Agrippina the Elder, is
convinced that Tiberius poisoned him and wages a relentless vendetta against the emperor. Suetonius
suggests possible motives for Tiberius, including jealousy and fear of his adopted son's popularity and
increasing power.
Germanicus- A general who seemed to be the chosen successor of Tiberius and led several campaigns
for him in Asia.
26 C.E - Tiberius leaves Rome.
Tiberius retires to the island of Capri, never to return to Rome. His deputy, Sejanus, continues to
increase his power and authority in Rome.
CALIGULA ERA (37-41)
37 C.E. - Tiberius' death and succession
Tiberius dies at his retreat at Capri. Gaius Caesar is named emperor. He is known as Caligula, or 'little
boots' - a nickname given to him as a boy by the soldiers of his father, Germanicus, because of the small
army boots he once wore.
Caligula ruled Rome from 37 C.E. – 41 C.E. Caligula was thought to have some sort of sickness and
disease, which could have been epilepsy or an over active thyroid gland. Caligula was a cruel ruler
who was viewed as a tyrant who abused his power. Due to his abuse of power, he was eventually
assassinated.
40 C.E. - Philo appeals to Rome
Jews in Alexandria send the Jewish scholar Philo to the Emperor Caligula in Rome to ask for protection
against attacks from the Alexandrian Greeks.
Claudius ruled from 41 C.E. – 54 C.E. Claudius was the first Roman Emperor to not be born in Italia.
61 C.E. - Boudicca leads rebellion in Britain.
Boudicca, a queen of the Iceni tribe, leads a major uprising of tribes in south-east Britain against the
occupying Roman forces. The cities of Colchester, London and St Albans are destroyed. Nero considers
withdrawing altogether, but then the governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus defeats her in a single battle,
despite being heavily outnumbered. These events are told by two historians, Tacitus (Agricola 14-17;
Annals 14:29-39) and Dio Cassius (Roman History 62:1-12).
Iceni tribe- Tribe located in modern day southeastern Great Britain.
Nero (ruled 54 C.E.-68 C.E.) dies in 68 C.E. because of an apparent forced suicide leading to a battle in
Rome where three separate rulers seized power, all falling eventually to Vespasian.
Vespasian- Ruled Rome from 69 C.E.-79 C.E.
TITUS –Ruled Rome from 79-81..
79 C.E. - Vespasian's death and succession.
After a decade of stability under his rule, Vespasian dies. His son Titus is named emperor. Mount
Vesuvius erupts for the first time since prehistoric times, burying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum
under a rain of volcanic ash. Pliny the Elder dies when he is suffocated by toxic gasses released by the
volcano.
80 C.E. - Colosseum completed.
The Colosseum, started by Vespasian in 72 C.E., is completed by Titus. It holds more than 50,000
spectators. The games held at its inauguration last for 100 days and nights, during which time some
5,000 animals are slaughtered.
98-117 C.E. - Trajan reigns.
Trajan's reign takes Rome one more step toward universality. Now, educated and wealthy men from all
over the Empire are eligible for the highest office.
180 AD - Pax Romana ends.
The death of Marcus Aurelius marks the end of the remarkable period of Pax Romana, which Romanized
the western world.
Augustus Caesar
After winning the war against Marc Antony, Augustus had a far harder task - winning the peace and
securing his throne. It is a reflection of his consummate political skills that he not only achieved this,
but also became known as one of Rome's greatest leaders.
Suspicious minds
After his victory at the battle of Actium, Augustus was a hero to the Roman people. But he knew that
the Senate still viewed him with suspicion.
Augustus was very aware of the bloody fate of his uncle, Julius Caesar, when senators suspected him of
trying to create a dynasty of rulers.
To avoid the same end, Augustus offered to give up the throne. When the people demanded that he be
appointed absolute ruler, he accepted gracefully, but refused to be called dictator.
Talking the talk
By acting as if he was ruling in the best traditions of the republic, Augustus managed to rule as emperor.
He made the most of a rare appearance by Halley's Comet to claim that Caesar was sitting among the
gods. As Caesar's heir, this made Augustus the son of a god - a fact he was not shy of reminding his
people.
In truth, Augustus did believe in restoring Rome to its former glories. He was a conservative, both
politically and morally. This caused some problems. His pronouncements in favor of marriage and
against adultery clashed with the very public promiscuity of his daughter, Julia. Determined to maintain
his control, he banished her.
Solid achievement
It was not all political plotting and spin. Augustus was a highly successful ruler. Abroad, he expanded the
empire, adding Egypt, northern Spain and much of central Europe. By his death, the empire was an
enormous marketplace in which millions could trade and travel under Rome's protection.
At home, he ruled over 40 years of peace and prosperity - no mean feat for a man who had seized
power by force. At his death, he was declared a god: just rewards for a man who transformed Rome
from a wounded republic into a global power.
Emperors
Nero's death propelled Rome back into civil war. Before long, Vespasian emerged as victor. Rome had
a new emperor and a new dynasty, with the same dangers as before.
The death of Nero marked the end of Augustus' dynasty. With nobody to take command, Rome
descended again into civil war. The months that followed became known as the "year of the four
emperors." Almost as soon as they had been fitted out for their robes, Galba, Otho and Vitellius were all
dead, either murdered or killed in battle.
Last man standing
After bloody fighting in Rome itself, Vespasian was declared emperor. An army general who had been
suppressing the rebellion in Judea, he wasted no time in establishing his own dynasty.
Vespasian was a successful emperor. He restored the city's finances, began a huge building program,
reinvigorated the army and gave Rome a decade of stability and peace.
When Vespasian died, the throne passed to Titus, his eldest son. Although at first he was widely feared,
Titus emerged as a calm, fair and generous emperor. But he died after just two years and his brother,
Domitian, took control.
Return to tyranny
Domitian was a bad one - an emperor in the mold of Nero or Caligula. He terrorized leading Roman
figures and executed or banished even his mildest critics.
Although he had bought the army's loyalty, it was not enough to save him. In 96 AD he was murdered by
his senior advisors and the throne was again up for grabs.
The Senate immediately appointed Nerva as emperor. But the army were furious that Domitian was
dead. Soldiers stormed the palace and killed many of those responsible. Nerva died just months later.
History takes a turn
Shortly before Nerva's death, Rome's generals had chosen to debate who should next serve as emperor.
They chose Trajan, a former general and the governor of Upper Germany. The very fact he was elected
made Trajan special. What's more, he came from Spain and so was the first emperor born outside Italy.
It was a good choice. Trajan expanded the empire to its furthest limits and looked for honest and
capable people to govern it - a stunning departure from tradition. In Rome, he started a massive building
program, reduced taxes and began giving poor children state welfare.
Trajan's very existence as emperor meant that educated and wealthy men from across the empire could
now reach the top. His civilized, humane rule set the tone for the future and suggested that Rome's best
days still lay ahead.
Traditionally, Roman society was extremely rigid. By the first century, however, the need for capable
men to run Rome’s vast empire was slowly eroding the old social barriers.
The social structure of ancient Rome was based on heredity, property, wealth, citizenship and freedom.
It was also based around men: women were defined by the social status of their fathers or husbands.
Women were expected to look after the houses and very few had any real independence.
Dressed to impress
The boundaries between the different classes were strict and legally enforced: members of different
classes even dressed differently. Only the emperor was allowed to wear a purple toga, while senators
could wear a white toga with the latus clavus, a broad purple stripe along the edge. Equestrian togas
had a narrow purple stripe (clavus augustus).
Although the classes were strictly defined, there was a lot of interaction. Slaves and some freemen
worked the in homes of the upper classes, like the senators and patricians. Soldiers also mixed with their
officers.
Patronage
Roman society also involved a system of patronage. Members of the upper classes – the patroni –
offered protection to freedmen or plebeians, who became their "cliens." Patronage might consist of
money, food, or legal help. Traditionally, any freed slaves became the cliens of their former owner.
In return, patroni received respect and political favors. During the empire, cliens were required to offer
daily greetings to their patroni, and the number of these greeters helped determine social status. On the
frontiers of the empire, Roman generals served as patroni for the people they conquered, while Roman
provinces or cities often sought out an influential senator to act as patroni and oversee their interests in
Rome.
The chosen few
Despite the inflexibility of Roman society, advancement was always possible for the select few. Wealth
and property were well-known routes to social advancement, as was patronage by the emperor – at one
point, Caligula even made a horse a senator.
Over time, society did become more fluid. Augustus expanded the equestrian order and hired them into
senior administrative positions. By the end of the first century, equestrians were recruited into the
Senate.
Membership of the equestrian class was not restricted to Italian-born citizens, so letting equestrians into
the Senate was a big step. Over time, the Senate would be open to Roman citizens from outside Italy. By
the end of the first century, even the emperor himself would be born abroad.
The Romans were immensely proud of their empire. Through the Pax Romana, they believed that they
were bringing the light of civilization to the darkest corners of Europe and Asia.
They had an unshakeable belief in the fact that Rome was superior to any other country or culture: by
conquering foreign peoples, they were doing them a favor.
Founded on force
This may have been comforting, but it wasn’t always true. Although it may have seemed civilized to
certain people at certain times, the Roman Empire was built on brute force and military strength. Local
inhabitants obeyed Roman rule because the alternative was often too horrible to consider.
Occasionally the civilized appearance of the Roman Empire cracked, exposing the realities of empire
underneath. For example, Roman brutality in Britain brought a terrible price. The massive revolt led by
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, killed tens of thousands of Romans and Britons. In Judaea, the massacre of
Jews in Jerusalem led to a large-scale rebellion that lasted four years and cost countless lives.
Rivals for power
Even when the Romans were behaving themselves, the very size and wealth of their empire ensured
that other people wanted a piece of the action.
In Egypt, home to another vast empire thousands of years earlier, Queen Cleopatra had her eyes on the
Roman prize – all she needed was a helping hand, which she found in Marc Antony. He had helped
Augustus win the civil war and take the throne. Together, they threatened the very heart of the empire,
Rome itself, and only drastic action could remove the threat forever.
Student and Teacher Activities: This lesson was taken from
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/educators/lesson4.html. The bolded parts are stuff that I have
added to the lesson to show what I would do to with their directions.
Roman Republic- The democratic style government that the Romans had in place before the Second
Triumvirate seized power and the senate turned ultimate authority over to Augustus. Julius Caesar
started this trend because the people wanted to give him the ultimate authority and he wanted as much
power as he could get.
Roman Empire- Followed the fall of the Roman Republic, and was a period where emperors who were
able to gain power were life long emperors with little limitations on their powers. This led to numerous
assassinations or assassination attempts of emperors by the Senate and other conspiring groups who
disagreed with procedures and policies of the emperor.
Procedures:
As bell work, students will come into the classroom and respond in their Interactive Notebooks to the
question “What does a civilization need to expand and control more land?” (i.e. political, economic,
etc.). The teacher should clarify any questions that student may have regarding this. This should only
take a few minutes for students to name certain things that listed must be in place for expansion. The
teacher should try to steer the students in the direction of strong leadership, high economic presence
(trade, consistent collection of taxes, conquest of other civilizations, and control of natural resources),
strong military, and good generals. Students could name a lot of different stuff that can be important
as well, but students should try to be guided in these directions. This should take about 5 minutes.
Inform students they will be studying the expansion of the Roman Empire from 44 B.C.E – 116 C.E.
Inform students that there were many factors that went into the expansion that the Romans
experienced during this period. At this point the teacher should start up the power point and move on
to step on listed below. Prior to the lesson, students will be given the first page of the Mapping an
Empire Note Taking Sheet talked about in step 4 and asked to visit the web sites and gain some
background information before the lesson. Explain to students to ignore the emperors link on this
sheet because the link does not work, but to be familiar with the other links on this page. The power
point presentation should take about 25 minutes.
1. Begin by providing students with a map of the Roman Empire as it appeared in 44BC
[http://www.roman-empire.net/maps/empire/extent/caesar.html], after the death of Caesar. Using a
current world map, discuss which countries made up the empire at this time so that students can get an
idea of its size and location.
2. Using the map of the Roman Empire [http://www.romanempire.net/maps/empire/extent/trajan.html], show students how much the empire grew from 44BC
until 116AD. Have them make estimates about how much the empire grew in size during this time
period and discuss these estimates by analyzing the maps as a class.
The teacher should click on the links at the bottom of the page so that students can directly see how
the empire expanded (slide two to four) and line up slide two so that students can compare it with the
modern countries that made up the empire in 44 B.C.E and 116 C.E. The teacher should also click on
the links that brings up the link that shows the list of all the modern nations-states that made up the
Roman Empire. By doing this, students should be able to understand the sheer size of the empire by
comparing it with something modern and could recognize how many nation-states made up the
Roman Empire.
3. Explain to students that the Roman Empire grew over time under various emperors, and that some
were more successful than others in conquering neighboring lands.
4. Direct students to the Timeline on The Roman Empire in the First Century web site. Use the timeline
along with other features on the site:
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Age of Augustus
Empire Reborn
Emperors
Social Order
Enemies and Rebels
Use the Related Resources in this lesson plan to work in pairs to discover when various
countries/territories were added to the empire.
All these resources should be printed out and several copies brought to class by the teacher. Most of
the answers students will need should be located in these sources or in their text books in the class.
Anything that students are universally having trouble with, the teacher should address through
finding additional sources on the web that will solve any problems that students are having in the
lesson. Before students start working on creating their maps and filling out the sheet of notes, the
teacher should show students the emperor’s game located at the Roman Empire in the First Century
web site. It is an interesting game that quizzes students on their knowledge of Roman emperors by
asking them to make the decisions the emperors would make. Have students play as a class with the
teacher controlling the selections of the answers and reading everything allowed to the students. The
teacher could call on other students to read the sections if they are worried about students staying on
task. This part of the lesson should take about 15 minutes, and would signify the end of the class
period if it was a 45 minute class. If this is the case, students should then be assigned a closing activity
responding to what they wrote at the beginning of class in their bell work and ask them to respond to
what they wrote. Did the rise of the Roman Empire have the characteristics they described in the
beginning of class? Why or why not. In an hour and a half class period, students will move on to the
creation of their map and completion of the guided notes worksheet.
Record this information on the Mapping an Empire Note Taking Sheet [Download PDF here 158k)].
Note: This activity could be done as a class to ensure accuracy of information for all students.
5. As a class, discuss the information recorded on the note taking sheet. Encourage students to make
corrections to their data if necessary and record any important dates omitted from their notes. Discuss
which emperors seemed to experience the most success in expanding the empire. This is also a good
time to talk about key battles and military leaders that were important in the expansion of the empire.
6. Next, take time to review important information that is included on maps so that they can be easily
interpreted. These items could include:
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Title of map
Years that the map represents
A compass rose
Scale of miles
Most importantly, a legend for determining what the markings and colors on the map represent
Labels on physical features such as country names, bodies of water, mountain ranges, etc.
Use a large classroom map to illustrate this information for students.
The explanation to students should take about 5 minutes after the teacher informs them that they
will also need to label the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps, the English Channel, the Euphrates River, and
the straight of Gibraltar as the important geographical locations. The important battles students will
need to label the approximate location of are going to be the Battle of Actium (Greece) and the Battle
of Medway (Britain). Students may have trouble finding some of these battles locations which are not
exactly listed in the resources given in this lesson where the location is, and if they are not located in
the book the teacher would need to go find an article talking about Medway and Perugia so students
can search for the answers and not just be given the answers by the teacher. Inform the students that
they have the choice of working on it individually or by in a small group of no more than 3 people.
The activity could get confusing for some students who may have trouble locating some of the
modern day countries that they are asked to located and label in Roman expansion. It would be
beneficial for the teacher to leave the slide showing the map of the empire when Caesar was killed so
students have a reference point to start filling in the map. Ask students to color how the empire
expanded during the rule of Augustus, expansion between the end of Augustus’ reign and the end of
Claudius’ reign in 43 C.E. Students are then to look at the expansion of Rome following Claudius up
until the end of the reign of Trajan. The creation and labeling of the map should take students about
30 minutes to complete. If students are unable to finish creating the maps, this can be picked up at
the beginning of the following class or assigned for homework.
7. Now that students have completed their study of the growth of the Roman Empire, distribute the
Mapping an Empire Assignment [Download PDF here (159k)] sheet to all students. Review the
requirements of the assignment as a class. Then provide students with classroom time to construct their
maps. Stress the importance of including key information and making maps neat and easy to read.
8. When maps have been completed, have students work with their partners to answer the following
questions. Each student should turn in a paper for this assignment.
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Based on what you learned from your research and what your map shows, which emperor do
you feel was most successful in expanding the Roman Empire? Why? (Most students should say
Augustus Caesar because he not only gained land but created a great economy for Rome and
he was the emperor who started the Pax Romana.)
Looking at the map you have created, why do you think it was so difficult for the Romans to
maintain control of the empire? List and explain as many reasons as you can. (They constantly
had to deal with uprisings and have the threat of military action, had to constantly have a high
grossing economy to pay for public works, constant attacks from outside invaders.)
How do you think the sheer size of the Roman Empire contributed to its downfall? (The empire
spread so far that they could not police all of it. They spread themselves too thin.)
Do you think the Roman Empire could have been more powerful if it had focused less energy on
expansion and more energy on other aspects of the country's growth? Why? (Yes because they
would have not over extended themselves and would not have gained so many enemies
throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Many of the most successful emperors spent
many of their resources on creating trade to stimulate the economy and consolidating power
in the empire.)
9. Collect the written responses from each pair and end the class by facilitating a discussion about the
three written response questions from procedure step eight. This should help students see the
challenges faced by Roman emperors in their quest to become a world power and maintain that power.
The teacher should collect these responses, which will take about 10 minutes to complete. Following
this, students should then be assigned a closing activity responding to what they wrote at the
beginning of class in their bell work and ask them to respond to what they wrote. Did the rise of the
Roman Empire have the characteristics they described in the beginning of class? Why or why not. In a
class period that is an hour and a half, the teacher will need to think of a new closing question such as
“What do you think was the greatest downfall of the Roman Empire? Sheer size? Bad emperors? Civil
war? Students can think of any reason discussed in class as long as they can explain their answer. This
part of the assignment should be recorded in the student’s interactive notebooks and should only
take a few minutes to complete.
10. Post maps on the walls around the classroom and use them as a reference as you continue to study
the Roman Empire.
Materials Needed for Lesson:
Students need:
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Interactive Notebooks
Pen
Textbooks
Guided note sheet given to students the class prior to this one.
Teacher need:
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Mapping an Empire Assignment Sheet
Mapping an Empire Note Taking Sheet
Computer
Projector
Materials such as the timeline and all the readings located in the lesson such as the Age of
Augustus, Empire Reborn, Social Order, Enemies and Rebels, and a list of all the modern nationsstates that make up the Roman Empire.
No author given (2007). List of Roman Battles, Augustus, Tiberius, and the Pax Romana retrieved on
12/02/2007 from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Web Site: www.wikipedia.com
No author given (2006). The Roman Empire in the First Century, For Educators, Lesson 4 retrieved on
November 30th, 2007 from PBS.org. Web Site:
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/educators/lesson4.html.
Differentiation: This material can be differentiated for students because of the flexibility of allowing
students to work in groups if they want to or working by themselves if they feel they work better that
way. If a student really struggles reading or understanding maps, the teacher could allow the student to
go to the library or computer lab so they can have direct access to the materials and search for pictures,
explore the timelines, and search for un-provided resources such as maps that show the student more
specifically the location of everything students need to find.
Subject Matter Integration/Extension: This is a very easy topic to integrate into a unit. More than likely,
this would be discussed in a unit dealing with Rome, and will follow a more in depth of Caesar and the
fall of the Roman Republic. This should translate easily into this lesson because it will give students
background information as to what we are talking about and will go right up to the time of Julius Caesar
which is where this lesson begins. Where I would take the lesson that follows this one would be a longer
discussion of the Pax Romana and why it was ended in 180 C.E. and go more in depth into what exactly
the Pax Romana meant for the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Reflections on Lesson Plan: The broken link in the lesson about the emperors really seems to take away
an important source, but should not disrupt the lesson that much. Students should still have all the
resources they need to find the answers that they need but then again if they don’t have all the
resources needed its not hard for the teacher to search online and address whatever the students cant
find in the materials provided. Other than that I really like this lesson and how it uses maps to help
students understand the Roman Empire and show students how large it actually was and how many
modern nations the empire stretches over. I also enjoy how the Emperor of Rome game puts the
student in the position of pretending like they are answering the questions from the account of the
emperor’s themselves rather than just answering your standard multiple choice questions. This lesson I
think is something that the students will be interested in completing because it is different and it allows
them to do activities (creating maps, playing games, etc) that they normally would not do in a history
class, but still addresses important NCSS and SOL standards.