The Roman Times - 6th Grade World History



Lesson Summary
The students working independently will design and create a newspaper that includes articles, advertisements and map illustrations regarding geographic, political, religious and social structures during the development of Rome. (NOTE: To supplement this lesson, it is imperative to include additional active lessons regarding mythical and historic figures of Rome, the rise of the Roman Empire, government structures of Rome, the rise of Christianity and art and science achievements of Rome)

California Academic Standard(s)
6.7 – Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious and social structures during the development of Rome.

Time Frame
Three Weeks

Goal
The students will develop critical thinking, research and writing skills while analyzing the geographic, political, economic, religious and social structures during the development of Rome.

Learning Styles

  • Linguistic
  • Auditory
  • Intrapersonal
  • Logical
  • Physical

Lesson Plan
Anticipatory Set
The instructor will pass out various newspapers to the students.  The instructor will write a question on the board that states “What do you notice about the design of the newspaper?”  The instructor will call on random students to answer and provide the responses on the board.

Direct Instruction
The instructor will briefly introduce the students to the development of the Rome.  The instructor will provide the students with the following handout:

The Roman Times
You will pretend to start a newspaper in Rome.  The newspaper is called “The Roman Times.”  You will be responsible for designing the newspaper, writing the articles and producing the completed paper. 

The newspaper must include the following:

  • A brief biography of Cincinnatus, Julius Caesar, or Cicero
  • An article describing the government of the Roman Republic
  • A visual map showing the locations of the Roman Empire in 271 AD
  • An article describing the spread of Christianity in Roman territories and Europe
  • Two advertisements for a piece of literature, art or technology of ancient Rome

Each article will need to be typed and single spaced.  You may type the articles in column form. (We will discuss in class).

The newspaper will be on a poster board (22 X 28)

You will design the newspaper’s Masthead.  The Masthead is the title of the newspaper. 

You will organize the articles, map and advertisements on the newspaper so it fits well and is easy to read.

Be creative and have fun!

Modeling
Using the computer and overhead, the instructor will show examples of the key items every newspaper includes in its design.

Independent Study
The students will design, write and produce a newspaper about the development of Rome.

Direct Instruction
The instructor will engage the students in a discussion regarding each section of the newspaper to summarize the knowledge obtained during the project.

To support teachers across the country, I've created history lesson plans for secondary schools.  From 6th grade to 12th grade, les...