Goals and objectives
Goals:
Students will become masters of one lasting contribution/important person.
Students will create something influenced by Rome/important Romans.
Objectives:
Students will judge which online resources are reliable or not.
Students will design a project together with group members.
Students will summarize their research findings in an organized research paper.
Students will become masters of one lasting contribution/important person.
Students will create something influenced by Rome/important Romans.
Objectives:
Students will judge which online resources are reliable or not.
Students will design a project together with group members.
Students will summarize their research findings in an organized research paper.
California State Content and Common Core Standards
CA Content Standard: 7.1 Students analyze the causes and effects of the vast expansion and ultimate disintegration of the Roman Empire.
1. Study the early strengths and lasting contributions of Rome (e.g., significance of Roman citizenship; rights under Roman law; Roman art, architecture, engineering, and philosophy; preservation and transmission of Christianity)
Common Core Standards:
Writing:
• 6-8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
• 6-8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources (primary and secondary), using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• 6-8.5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed
1. Study the early strengths and lasting contributions of Rome (e.g., significance of Roman citizenship; rights under Roman law; Roman art, architecture, engineering, and philosophy; preservation and transmission of Christianity)
Common Core Standards:
Writing:
• 6-8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
• 6-8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources (primary and secondary), using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• 6-8.5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will ask students to reflect on their reading lesson on the lasting contributions of the Roman Empire. Each student will be asked to state one lasting contribution that they believed to be the most important contribution and/or give an example of an influential individual from the Roman Empire.
Vocabulary
The following words will be revisited in this lesson. Words will come from previous lessons. Students will be required to and graded on their ability to use vocabulary words frequently and correctly.
• Greco-roman
• Hellenistic
• Legacy
• Epic
• Architecture
• Philosophy
• Aqueducts
• Colosseum
• Stoic Philosophy
• Emperor
• Suffragium
• Commercium
• Conulaum
• Twelve Tables• Corpus Juris Civilis
Students are only required to use vocabulary words that are associated with the theme of their project. If any other vocabulary words are used in their project, students are expected to list and define them as a part of their project assignment.
Striving readers, students with special needs and English language learners will all be given a list of the vocabulary words with a definition as well as a box for them to draw an image representing the word.
• Greco-roman
• Hellenistic
• Legacy
• Epic
• Architecture
• Philosophy
• Aqueducts
• Colosseum
• Stoic Philosophy
• Emperor
• Suffragium
• Commercium
• Conulaum
• Twelve Tables• Corpus Juris Civilis
Students are only required to use vocabulary words that are associated with the theme of their project. If any other vocabulary words are used in their project, students are expected to list and define them as a part of their project assignment.
Striving readers, students with special needs and English language learners will all be given a list of the vocabulary words with a definition as well as a box for them to draw an image representing the word.
Content Delivery
Background knowledge needed for this assignment: Students will receive part of their background knowledge from the previous reading lesson on the lasting contributions of the Roman Empire. Students will have one day of in class research to fill in any more necessary background knowledge. Students will receive a mini lesson on Internet research while they are in the computer lab together as a class.
Student Engagement
Student engagement will take place in the form of a group project. Students are expected to work together as a team to complete the assignment.
Each group will choose an innovation or influential person from the Roman Empire. Students will work together to research their topic and then create a creative and organized way to present their information. They will also work together to create a short research paper summarizing the information in their presentation. The final piece of their presentation is a “recreation”. For example, if they choose Virgil, they will write a poem. If they choose the coliseum, they will make a model of a football stadium etc. The topic should be something of interest to the students and must qualify as a lasting contribution.
They will then have one day to research their topic in class. Students will then have to delegate who will do what, or schedule a meeting time after class to finish the project.
The students will present their projects in class. Every student is expected to write down feedback for each project as they are watching the groups present.
Each group will choose an innovation or influential person from the Roman Empire. Students will work together to research their topic and then create a creative and organized way to present their information. They will also work together to create a short research paper summarizing the information in their presentation. The final piece of their presentation is a “recreation”. For example, if they choose Virgil, they will write a poem. If they choose the coliseum, they will make a model of a football stadium etc. The topic should be something of interest to the students and must qualify as a lasting contribution.
They will then have one day to research their topic in class. Students will then have to delegate who will do what, or schedule a meeting time after class to finish the project.
The students will present their projects in class. Every student is expected to write down feedback for each project as they are watching the groups present.
Project sample
The following images are a sample project. This sample was on the Roman Scientist Galen. There is a visually engaging and organized poster on him ("Lets meet the Scientist of the Month" poster) as well as a recreation of a drawing of a pig study similar to one he might have drawn (Romans were not allowed to use scalpels on human bodies, so Galen did most of his studies on pigs). The last image is a close up of the pigs insides where Galen's incorrect theory of the circulatory system is displayed.
Lesson Closure
Students will present their project to the rest of the class as a group. Students who are in the audience will be required to give each group presentation a grade (students will be given points based on the quality of their feedback and grade for everyone else’s projects. This is to prove that they were focused and attentive during everyone’s presentations. Students must also write down a summary of important information from the other presentations in the provided graphic organizer).
After all of the groups have presented their projects, the teacher will lead a classroom discussion on the lasting contributions of the Roman Empire and it’s influential individuals. Students will attempt to answer driving questions such as “How does an empire survive after it has fallen?”.
After all of the groups have presented their projects, the teacher will lead a classroom discussion on the lasting contributions of the Roman Empire and it’s influential individuals. Students will attempt to answer driving questions such as “How does an empire survive after it has fallen?”.
Assessment
Entry Level: Whip around activity where students list one lasting contribution from the Roman Empire. Students should already have this information from the previous reading lesson on the lasting contributions of the Roman Empire.
Progress Assessment: The teacher will observe and meet with each group individually during the brainstorm process, during the research process in the computer lab, and during the last class period dedicated to the project. The teacher will assess where each group is along with how each individual student is doing in within the group.
Summative Assessment: Each student will be assessed based on the rubric. Most points will be based on the group work overall, while other categories focus on the individual student. The teacher will also assess every student’s graphic organizers (they will fill these out while listening to the other presentations) and the student responses in the concluding discussion.
Progress Assessment: The teacher will observe and meet with each group individually during the brainstorm process, during the research process in the computer lab, and during the last class period dedicated to the project. The teacher will assess where each group is along with how each individual student is doing in within the group.
Summative Assessment: Each student will be assessed based on the rubric. Most points will be based on the group work overall, while other categories focus on the individual student. The teacher will also assess every student’s graphic organizers (they will fill these out while listening to the other presentations) and the student responses in the concluding discussion.
Accommodations for English Learners, striving readers, and students with special needs.
English learners, striving readers, and students with special needs will all receive a list of vocabulary words with definitions to help them during this lesson.
English language learners will be grouped with bilingual students if possible. They will also be given a list of appropriate websites in their native language to help them complete the research portion of the project.
All students will receive an informative worksheet to help them decide which online resources are reliable and useful for their project.
English language learners will be grouped with bilingual students if possible. They will also be given a list of appropriate websites in their native language to help them complete the research portion of the project.
All students will receive an informative worksheet to help them decide which online resources are reliable and useful for their project.
Lesson Resources
Google Images