Download GEO 400

Trent Knight
GEO 400
Lesson Plan
Goal:
Teach Students about location of the Roman Empire as well as the causes of the
decline.
Objectives: Students will be able to:




Locate the Roman Empire on the map and identify what current day countries and
landforms it includes.
Compare the positives and negatives of the Roman Empire geography.
Describe the major kinds of events that occurred in the Roman Empire during each
century from the 3rd through 6th centuries.
Explain the different factors on why the Roman Empire began to fail.
Materials: Pens, Laminated map of Mediterranean Basin, Pages 38-42 Atlas World History,
PowerPoint, and Graphic Organizer.
Learning Activities:
Introduction
The Roman Empire reigned over Europe from 44 B.C.E up until 476 C.E. The Empire
was the third largest in history only falling short to the Persian, and Chinese Empires. It is
a historical model of advanced government, organized military, complex cities, and
efficient trade that set the foundation for Western civilization.
Present Lesson Objectives
On Powerpoint
Locate Major Rivers and Outline the Roman Empire
Locate and trace the Rhine and Danube Rivers in Blue from the source to the mouth.
What do you notice about these rivers? Why might these rivers be important to the
Roman Empire? What is the source of these rivers? Which way do they flow? How might
this affect trade and military movement?
Underline in green the major bodies of water. Discuss how these are important to trade
and defense. Discuss the positives and negatives of how the empire surrounds the
Mediterranean.
Using pages 42-43, outline the boundaries of the Roman Empire in Red. What other
rivers does the empire include? Discuss how these might these be significant. Introduce
Trent Knight
Barbarian invasions/migrations from the Northeast. How might the rivers play a role in
this? How might rivers in the South influence the boundaries of the empire (Nile, Fertile
Crescent)?
What modern day countries are included in what was the Roman Empire? What
significance does the empire have on Europe today? Do you think barbarian
invasions/migrations had anything to do with this?
Locate the Major Cities
Using pages 42-43, locate the major cities during the height of the Roman Empire
(Constantinople, Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Tripoli). Where are these cities located
(coastal, inland)? Put a star on the most populated city. How many people lived there?
Discuss how the population of cities might affect disease.
Locate and circle in blue Rome and Constantinople. These are the capitals of the Western
and Eastern Empire. Discuss why the empire split in 395 C.E. Split the class in two. One
half represents the eastern half and the other represents the western half. Argue for
reasons why their side would be more successful and why the other side would be less
successful. Lecture about the split.
Describe the Major Events that Happened During the Decline
Open atlas to pages 38-42 and complete graphic organizer. Slow reveal each point and
discuss its importance.
 Draw arrows showing the spread of the plague
 Discuss Emperor Constantine, Christianity
 Draw a line through the split. Review the positives and negatives
 Trace the path of the Visigoths. What rivers and mountains did they cross? Were there
any detours? Why?
 When was the last Emperor deposed? Had the empire fallen before or after this point in
time?
Discussion



Why was the Roman Empire about to decline?
What major specific events happened that led to the decline of the Roman Empire?
How has the fall of the Roman Empire affected the geography of modern day Europe?