How did the Romans Build their Empire?

Roman Engineering

1.The Romans invented new materials and technologies used for building. Complete the I see/know/wonder/observe statements for each image on the chart.
2. View and take notes on the short video below.
3. Complete the Quickwrite.




The Baths of Caracalla

Go to The Baths of Caracalla  NOVA site to take a virtual tour of the most magnificent of all the Roman baths. As you "stroll" through the baths, record four facts on each stage of your experience. Try to pick the most interesting and important facts to share with your group.

Red: Toilets
Blue: Palaestra
Green: Caldarium and Frigidarium
Yellow: Food and Drink 

Historical Fiction:
4. Historical fiction is an imagined, fictional story that includes true details about history. You will use your notes to complete a Historical Fiction Quickwrite on your day at the Baths of Caracalla. Be sure to use sensory details to bring the setting to life for your reader.

Your note-taking chart and Quickwrite can be found in your Social Studies folder.
The Public Baths
Quickwrite: My Day at the Baths

What Kind of Leader was Augustus?

Commodus, Elagabalus, Nero and Caligula

Common Core Standards 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1

The Roman Empire is famous for some truly bad emperors. This video will teach you about four infamously bad Roman leaders.

Horrible Histories - Bad Roman Emperors from Matt on Vimeo.


What Makes a Good Leader?

1. Rome's famously bad emperors were cruel, selfish, dishonest and unfair.
Which quality do you think would be most important for a great Roman emperor? Record your response on the form.






Historical Investigation: What kind of leader was Caesar Augustus?

Read the primary sources on this famous leader of the Roman Empire. Carefully consider to what extent each source is reliable. Also look for evidence that can be corroborated and evidence that contradicts other sources. 
     Prompt for Writing: After carefully analyzing all the evidence, write a short argument that presents your claim about Augustus. Be sure to support your claim with evidence from the sources.

Before writing, analyze a model argument about the wolf who was made famous in children's literature.
Short Argument

Historical Investigations

Time-travel has not been invented yet, so how do we really know what happened in the past? 

Imagine that Dr. Hernandez walks into this scene. She needs to know who was involved in the food fight so those individuals can be asked to clean up the mess.  She cannot turn back the clock. How will she investigate these events?

Dr. Hernandez will hear many different accounts of what happened. How will she determine which accounts are more reliable, or trustworthy?

As you view the following presentation, think about:
What evidence did the medieval people leave behind that we can use to formulate accounts about the past?





As Dr. Hernandez is investigating the food fight, she cannot rely on just one account of what happened. She will interview more than one witness to find corroborating evidence. For example:

Student X Says:  "Teddy threw the first carrot."

Student Y Says:  "I also saw Teddy throw the first carrot."

Now, the evidence against Teddy is corroborated.

Then, Student Z says: "It wasn't Teddy! It was actually Student X who threw the first carrot!"

Now, there is a contradiction.

Historians also look for corroborating evidence when trying to figure out what happened in the past. They never rely on just one piece of evidence. Good historians also pay careful attention to evidence that is contradictory.

We will keep this mind when conducting our first historical investigation: What kind of leader was Octavian Augustus?

How did the Roman Empire Expand?

From Republic to Empire
As you learned in 6th grade, the Roman Republic included what is today known as the country of Italy (in red).

Yet, for the next several centuries, the Roman Republic expanded into what is known as the Roman Empire.

Using the internet or your textbook as a resource, label the following on your map of the Roman Empire:


Bodies of Water
Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Atlantic Ocean

Rivers 
Nile River, Rhine River, Danube River

Territories
Spain, France (Gaul), Germany, Greece, England, Egypt, Italy, Israel

Continents 
AFRICA, ASIA, EUROPE

Draw and Label
Pyrenees Mountains
Alps

Star and label the Capital City
Rome