Lesson plan (English)
Topic: The Birth of the Roman Empire
Target group
5th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
5th‑grade students of elementary school
I. Ancient civilizations. Pupil:
2) locates in time and space (...) the civilizations of the ancient (...) Rome;
3) characterizes the structure of society in (...) Rome;
4) situates in time and knows various systems of governance and organization of society in (...) Rome.
General aim of education
Students learn about the circumstances of the rise of the Roman Empire and the times of its greatest splendor.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to characterise achievements of Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus;
to describe what was the principate;
to describe how did the Roman Republic become an empire;
to characterise how did the birth of one of the largest empires of the world come about.
Methods/techniques
expository
talk.
activating
discussion.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
Students should remember what the system of the republic was characterized by and what were the most important offices (dictator, consul).
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
The teacher asks students to recall when Rome was founded and what its history was. What kind of regime it had and what was its power based on? Asking the questions, the teacher remembers that they are to be formulated as the key questions. Students should mention the royal period, the republic, and the most important Roman conquest: Cartagena, Macedonia, Greece and Egypt.
Realization
The teacher, referring to the previous lesson, asks students what problems were caused by Roman conquests. Did the expansion of Rome also have its weaknesses? Students, with the help of a teacher, should mention: a huge influx of slaves and related problems (eg the rise of Spartacus); social conflicts – the poor masses and a small group of the very rich; lack of citizenship and rights for the population living in the provinces.
The teacher explains that this situation led to the crisis of the republic, which had to change to survive. The reform of the army did not bring the intended results, causing many fatal consequences, including the fact that the soldiers from the plebs were more devoted to their leaders than the ideals of the republic. In the 1st century BC this was the beginning of an era of great leaders. The teacher explains how a young chief Julius Caesar came to the position of a consul (the First Triumvirate).
The teacher explains the popularity of Julius Caesar and his path to power, explaining the etymology of the sayings „crossing the Rubicon” and „the die is cast”.
Then he briefly characterizes the reign of Caesar (perpetual dictatorship, reform of the calendar, limitation of the exploitation of colonies) and the consequences of his death. Students carry out ** Exercise 1 **. The teacher explains the origin of the Second Triumvirate, its break‑up and Augustus' path to absolute power.
The teacher begins the debate by asking students – what steps should have Augustus taken to preserve the appearances of the republic? Then he asks students to carry out ** Task 1 **.
The teacher, discussing Augustus, shows the students that he developed a new political system: the Principate, based on the formal power of the senate and the emperor, but virtually all decisions in the state depended on Octavian. In addition, the teacher shows the students examples of this ruler's propaganda, who mastered the promotion of his own image and the role he played – * princeps senatus *. Students indicate the correct answer in Exercise 2 ** and complete the illustration in ** Exercise 3 **. The teacher provides feedback to students during the exercises.
Summary
As a summary, the teacher displays the map of the Roman Empire (** Task 2 **) and presents the students with the * pax romana * concept. He explains that it was a period of prosperity and peace, which led to the creation of one of the largest empires in the history of the world.
On the basis of knowledge obtained during the lesson, students organize events chronologically (** Exercise 5 **) and then complete the text in ** Exercise 6 **.
The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.
Homework
The teacher tasks willing students with homework: During the struggle for the control over Rome, Cleopatra played one of the most important roles. Find out who she was and how she is portrayed in contemporary works.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Republika – dosłownie rzecz publiczna, ustrój polityczny, w którym władza sprawowana jest przez obywateli poprzez wybory. W starożytnym Rzymie była to niemonarchiczne sprawowanie władzy przez posiadających prawa polityczne obywateli.
Senat – instytucja polityczna w starożytnym Rzymie ustanowiona zgodnie z legendą przez Romulusa. Był obdarzony znacznym autorytetem pełnił funkcję doradczą i opiniował projekty ustaw.
Konsul – w starożytnym Rzymie jeden z dwóch najwyższych urzędników w państwie zajmujący się sprawami wojskowymi i polityką zagraniczną.
Dyktator – w republice rzymskiej urząd, który skupiał pełnię władzy. Był powoływany na 6 miesięcy w okresach największego zagrożenia państwa. Nie można było odwołać się od jego decyzji.
Cesarstwo – forma ustroju państwa – monarchii – w której panujący obdarzony jest tytułem cezara. Cesarstwo rzymskie zostało zapoczątkowane przez Oktawiana Augusta.
Legion – podstawowa jednostka taktyczna rzymskiej armii złożona przede wszystkim z ciężkozbrojnej piechoty (legionistów).
Prowincja – jednostka administracyjna w starożytnym Rzymie utworzona na podbitym terenie, poza Italią. Zarządzana byłą przez namiestników.
Limes – umocnienia i fortyfikacje na granicach cesarstwa rzymskiego.
Pax Romana – określenie czasów od panowania Oktawiana Augusta w 27 r. p.n.e. do śmierci Aleksandra Sewera w 235 r. n.e. Opisywał okres pokoju wewnątrz i na zewnątrz imperium rzymskiego.
Pryncypat – forma rządów w Cesarstwie Rzymskim wprowadzona przez Oktawiana Augusta, polegająca na koncentracji władzy w rękach jednej osoby przy zachowaniu pozorów ustroju republiki.
Texts and recordings
The Birth of the Roman Empire
The victories against Carthage and the conquest of the Greek world cemented the might of Rome. It became the largest empire of the basin of the Mediterranean Sea, with time making it, as the Romans would call it, “mare nostrum” – “our sea”. The conquests and expansion of the Roman world, however, brought many problems and threats to the Republic as well. The vast riches of a narrow group of patricians, combined with the rising poverty of the plebeians, contributed to severe social conflict. Rome could not handle its new reality. The large, remote territories hundreds of kilometers from the city of Rome, governed by deputies and defended by commanders caused the soldiers to be more faithful to their commanders than to the country itself. Its future and position, after all, depended on them. In those circumstances, the highest position of authority (that of consul) was acquired by the later victor of the Gaul campaign – Gaius Julius Caesar. The rise of his power and the staunch loyalty of his divisions quickly caused discomfort to the people who were hitherto his political allies. They accused Caesar of treason, demanding his immediate appearance before the Senate in Rome. Thus, he headed to Italy, along with the forces loyal to him, starting a civil war. By defeating his main adversary, Pompey, in the Battle of Pharsalus, he managed to obtain full power in Rome, becoming a dictator. Fearing the loss of their position, the Roman aristocrats staged a conspiracy against him, leading to his death on 15 March 44 BC. However, the assassins, thinking the death of the dictator would bring the Republic back, failed to foresee one thing. The numerous supporters of Caesar were not willing to give up without putting up a fight. The civil war that lasted as long as until 30 BC ended with the victory of Gaius Octavian, the grandson of Caesar’s sister whom he adopted and designated as his main heir. Thus, he assumed indivisible power over Rome. The Senate’s act of conferring upon him the sobriquet of “Augustus” (“full of divine power”) marks the symbolic end of the Republic, ushering in the Roman Empire. In order to maintain a republican facade, Augustus named himself the first among the officials (princeps), fulfilling his tasks in line with the republican tradition. This title became the origin of the name of the system that would exist in the Roman Empire until the end of the third century CE – “principate”.
Augustus sought to keep expanding the Roman territory, attempting to conquer the territories beyond the Rhine. However, he was stopped by the Germanic forces in the great Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. The Romans’ defeat put a stop to the conquests in Europe; from then on, the Empire would merely seek to defend its existing borders. Thus began the period called the “[Pax Romana]”, or the period of peace both within and outside the Empire, contributing to its strengthening and prosperity. Augustus died in 14 CE, after over four decades of rule, leaving the Empire at the peak of its might. For the next decades (until the second century), his successors supported the idea of “Pax Romana”, concentrating on the development of the conquered provincs and maintaining safety on the borders.