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Comprehensive
Unit Plan
HIST 457/ MSSE
PART I: INTRODUCTION
Name: Laura Bionde
Grade Level & course this unit is designed for: World History 7th Grade
1. Content Topic: The topic of this unit is the social history of the Roman Empire. The unit will
focus on the every day life of Romans and their interactions within the Empire as well as beyond
it.
2. Concept: Identity, social structure, impact
3. Essential Questions/Overarching Understanding:
How did the different classes within society contribute to Rome as a whole?
In what ways has the Roman Empire influenced our world today?
4. Rationale/Introduction Paragraph:
This unit will cover the social history of the Roman Empire. Through examinations of
documents, pictures, and other sources, students will be able to see the different aspects
of society within Rome. The main goal of this unit is to demonstrate how influential
Rome is on our world today and to have students form a deep knowledge about the social
aspects of Rome through taking on roles. In order to create global citizens, this unit takes
the time to have students make connections between Rome and their world today. Every
topic allows for this connection to be made, helping students become aware of not only
what Rome society was like, but ongoing issues and ideas in todays world that have
stemmed from that era of Rome. My goal as a teacher is to get students as interested in
learning as I am. This unit incorporates hands on activities, as well as debate and so much
more that involves students in a way that gets them excited about Rome. This type of
learning is what is vital in engaging students enough so they can truly learn what it means
to be a global member of society.
5. References/List of Sources:
A Real Letter from a Roman Soldier. (2009, November 25). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from
https://100falcons.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/a-real-letter-from-a-roman-soldier/
Barrow, M. (n.d.). The Roman army. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from
http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/romans/Legio.html
Gladiator Opening Scene Speech. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhusCY_vq0Q
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would have no introduction to why society was structured in that way, or even about the laws that
govern society. I then chose to have a day on the Twelve Tables, the basic laws of Roman society,
followed by a day on the upper and middle classes, and finally a day on slaves. I decided on this order
because the students would need to know what rights a citizen had before they could understand the
different rights in each social class, before they could learn about people without any rights. I decided on
topics that would build off of one another. What is covered that day, directly relates to the day before,
forcing students to constantly be engaged and thinking back to prior lessons. Middle school world
history textbooks cover Rome from a military and power viewpoint; I chose to cover it from a social
outlook. I think by choosing this view, I am able to show my students how important history truly is to
our lives today, and I believe that to be a main goal of social studies.
Pedagogy
The decisions I made in how I wanted to present the material were ongoing, right up until the
very end. I found myself changing the activities from individual work to group work, or the boring
lecture to a simulation. Without even thinking about it, I was altering my unit in ways that would make it
more memorable and useful for students. One of the most important things Ive learned about methods
through this unit was how to handle simulations. After getting feedback on my lesson on slavery, I
realized certain topics should not be simulated, even if I do it well. My lesson focused on taking on a
role of a slave, who was valued in society and held a good job. However, I would still be asking a
student to act as a slave, and this was not ethical in a classroom. I learned from this and was able to
change that role to having students become journalists, giving them a third party view on the slave
system in Rome. Throughout the entire unit, a main goal I kept in mind was connections to students
lives. After discussing the importance of this in class, and thinking about how useful it was to me in
school, I decided to have it be a constant factor throughout the unit. Overall, I wanted to make a unit that
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helped students understand a topic from centuries ago, which can often be hard to grasp because of the
distance, through the use of examples that they can recognize in their lives every day. I not only wanted
to make connections to students lives, but also throughout the content of the unit. The booklet they will
be working on throughout the unit is used to connect the topics. Each day the students will take on a
role, whether that is an actual person, or acting as if they are back in time in Rome. By doing so, they
will be utilizing higher order thinking as they take the information they learned, and transferring it to a
dialogue or journal entry in their book, all while still using examples from modern day life.
Conclusion
Thinking back to what I had in mind when I first came up with this unit, it becomes extremely
clear that my final product has developed into something very different. As I continued my research on
the Roman Empire, I found myself constantly coming up with new and vital information I felt was
necessary in order to teach this unit in the best possible way. By developing a deeper understanding of
the Roman Empire, I was able to make wiser decisions regarding topics that should or should not be
covered. Prior to this unit, I would have agreed with any textbook on how it covered Rome. After, I
would change almost every aspect of it. The Roman Empire was more than just a powerful Army; it was
a diverse society, full of architecture, law systems, the rich, the poor, slaves, and so much more. One
cannot truly understand Rome without looking deeper into the lives of those living through it. This unit
has taught me that as a teacher I have the capability to make history fun again, that I have the ability to
connect the past with the present in order to make it understandable for my students. Writing this unit
plan was difficult, yet the struggles, in the end, were what taught me the most and have made me more
prepared to become a teacher.
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Purpose/Objective(s): Students will know the different classes within Roman society and each classs
role in the economic and social aspects of Rome. Students will understand what it was like to belong to
a certain class in the Roman Empire. Students will be able to make connections between class systems
of Rome to structures found in America today.
Content
Method
Patricians: from the Latin patres meaning
1. Hook/Activity: Students will be divided into
fathers.
two groups as they enter the classroom. The
teacher will explain that they will be going on
Members of this class were
an egg hunt or citizen hunt to figure out what
considered to be upper class, wealthy
group they belong to in Roman Society. The
members of society.
clues, to finding out who they are, will be
This group consisted of highly
hidden throughout the playground (with
educated, military, government and
permission from Principal). The cards will be in
religious leaders.
two different colors, each group assigned to a
They were considered to be just
specific color, which they are to collect.
below Emperors in Roman society.
Students will be allowed to gather these clues,
Cards for this group will contain
as a group, and then will come back inside
clues such as: I am highly educated,
where they will begin a discussion.
I was exempt from having to serve in
2. Group/Class Discussion: Once both groups
the military as a soldier, I am very
have collected all of their cards they will remain
influential within the government, I
in their groups to discuss their findings. The
own vast amounts of land.
teacher will prompt the class to think about
Students in this group should be
what roles they found and how that can be used
considering how these types of
to figure out their place in society. The teacher
positions/jobs affected society
will write on the board: Come up with a name
economically and socially. They
for your group. Use evidence and clues from
should see the correlation between
your hunt to support your name and why you
Patricians and the upper class found
chose it. Both groups will then have to present
in America today.
to the class the name they came up with and the
Plebeians: from the Latin word plebs,
reasons they chose that name to describe their
meaning people, or common people.
class. Each group will also be asked to briefly
Members of this class were
write down why they believe their group was
considered to be the working class of
significant to Roman society, as well as what
Roman society.
this group could be compared to in todays
This group consisted of famers,
world.
bankers, builders, craftsmen, and
3. Lecture: Following the activity, the class will
shopkeepers.
come back as a whole. The teacher will begin
instruction by explaining the true titles of the
Members of this group worked hard
two groups the students just discovered,
for a living in order to support
Patricians and Plebeians. The lecture will cover
themselves and their family.
the roles of both these classes, as well as how
Cards for this group will contain
they impacted society both economically and
clues such as: I am a shopkeeper who
socially. The teacher will ask the class to think
works five days a week, 8 hours a
about what it would be like in todays world if
day, I own a small business where I
we did not have a class system. Students will
make shoes, my family owns a farm
have to consider the different classes in their
which I tend to every day, I work a
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2.
3.
4.
5.
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