Rise of the Roman Empire Lesson Plan: Time, Continuity, and Change
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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Rise of the Roman Empire, and supports the standard of analyzing the causes and effects of the vast expansion of the Roman Empire. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.
Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Display this image from the movie (timestamp 1:12):
Ask students:
- What do you notice about the map?
- What areas of the map do you recognize?
Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE
- Read aloud the description on the Rise of the Roman Empire topic page.
- Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
- Have students read one of the Related Reading articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS
Students take the Rise of the Roman Empire Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.
Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND
Students express what they learned about the rise of the Roman Empire while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.
- Make-a-Movie: Produce a video journal from the POV of a Roman senator at the time Julius Caesar takes power. Include details about how your role in government is changing.
- Make-a-Map: Identify the timeline of events that lead to Augustus Caesar’s rule.
- Creative Coding: Code a newscast announcing Julius Caesar’s rise to power.
More to Explore
Time Zone X: Rise of the Roman Empire: Challenge students to put historical events in chronological order in this interactive timeline game.
Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of Roman history with these topics: Pax Romana, Roman Republic, and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Teacher Support Resources:
- Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas.
- Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
- Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.
