Worksheet to accompany the interactive simulation by @russeltarr at www.activehistory.co.uk
Undercover in Imperial Rome, Worksheet 1:
The Emperors
In this task, you will use the interactive adventure to
learn about some of the most interesting and
important Roman Emperors. You will then conduct
some independent research and use this to complete
a creative project from a range of choices.
Task 1: Research using the simulation
As you explore Imperial Rome in the interactive adventure, you will find
various places are associated with particular emperors. When you reach
these places, make notes on each of the Emperors highlighted in bold. Good
things about each Emperor should go in the ‘Positive points’ column. Bad
things should go in the ‘Negative points’ column. Locate your own image of
each emperor using the internet and copy it into the final column.
Emperor
Augustus
Tiberius
Caligula
Claudius
Nero
Vespasian
Titus
Domitian
Trajan
Hadrian
Antoninus
Marcus Aurelius
Commodus
Septimius Severus
Caracalla
Elagabalus
Valerian
Aurelian
Diocletian
Constantine
Reign
Positive points

Negative points

Image
27 BC-AD 14
14-37
37-41
41-54
54-68
69-79
79-81
81-96
98-117
117-138
138-161
161-180
176-192
193-211
198-217
218-222
253-260
270-275
284-305
307-337
Task 2: Independent research
The Emperors highlighted in yellow are not covered in the adventure. Conduct
your own research on one or more of these men to complete the ‘positive’ and
‘negative’ columns. Your teacher may wish to ask different students to focus
on different Emperors.
Worksheet to accompany the interactive simulation by @russeltarr at www.activehistory.co.uk
Task 3: Tying it together
With your research now completed, your teacher may wish to conduct one or
more of the following tasks in class to help you consolidate your
understanding:
Idea
The X Factor
• Write a poem or change the lyrics to your favourite song so that they tell the story
of the Roman Emperors. Each line should sum up a different Emperor. Special
credit will be given to any students who are prepared to perform / record their
songs for the class!
Balloon Debate
Conduct a balloon debate on the issue “Who was the greatest Roman Emperor?”.
This is an effective and entertaining way of making sure that all of the Emperors
are discussed in some depth.
Diamond Diagram
• Choose either 9 or 16 of the Emperors in your list.
• Arrange these into a diamond diagram with the name of the best ones towards
the top and the worst towards the bottom.
• Next to each name, sum up the Emperor in just one word. You will need to
choose a different word for each Emperor!
• Within each box, explain clearly why you think the Emperor deserves to be
regarded as great, terrible or something inbetween.
• For display purposes, adding an image of each Emperor would be a great touch!
Decision Tree: Which Roman Emperor are YOU?
• Choose 8 Emperors from your list (TIP: choose a wide variety of heroes and
villains!).
• Construct a ‘Yes/No’ series of questions which will help you match people in the
class to particular emperors. Try your questionnaires out on different students (and
maybe teachers too!).
Design a PlayMobil Character
Design your own PlayMobil figure of a Roman Emperor. Consider such things as:
What should the character be wearing?
What should the character be holding in each hand?
What additional PlayMobil merchandise could be sold as part of the ‘set’?
Design a “Guess Who?” game
Design your own version of the popular game “Guess Who?” based on Roman
Emperors.
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