Learning Task
Ohio RFP Sample Dyad – Learning Task: Social Studies
Teacher Administration Section
Title: Ancient Greece and Rome
Grade: 7
Domain: History
Task Description:
Students use historical research skills and online tools such as an
interactive historical map to draw conclusions about the enduring impact
of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.
Task Objectives:



Students understand the importance of historical perspective in
evaluating sources.
Students understand specific contributions of ancient Greek and
Roman civilizations and the impact of these contributions on modern
civilizations.
Students draw conclusions about human settlement and interaction
based on a variety of sources, including maps.
Content Statements Addressed:
History CS 2:
The civilizations that developed in Greece and Rome had an enduring impact on
later civilizations. This legacy includes governance and law, engineering and
technology, art and architecture, as well as literature and history. The Roman
Empire also played an instrumental role in the spread of Christianity.
History CS 1:
Historians and archaeologists describe historical events and issues from the
perspectives of people living at the time to avoid evaluating the past in terms of
today’s norms and values.
Geography CS 12:
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Learning Task
Maps and other geographic representations can be used to trace the
development of human settlement over time.
Cognitive Demand:
Students evaluate historical sources and draw conclusions based on
evidence.
Expected Duration:



Session 1: 75 minutes
Session 2: 90 minutes
Session 3: 75 minutes
Materials List (Student):



access to the eMetric system
modern world maps (or online equivalent)
poster board and materials for creating a poster
Materials List (Teacher):



access to the eMetric system
modern world maps (or online equivalent)
poster board and materials for creating a poster
Key Points and/or Misconceptions:

History CS 2: Students may confuse the contributions of ancient Greece and
Rome, and/or underestimate the influence of Greece on Rome. Students may
not connect ancient achievements with modern life.

History CS 1: Students may not understand that history is interpreted, and
that studying history requires critical evaluation of sources. Students may
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Learning Task
struggle to approach events, places, and innovations from the perspective of
a person who was living during the period being studied.

Geography CS 12: Students may not understand the use of maps in
explaining historical events. For example, students may not understand that
maps can be used to show trade routes and transportation networks between
regions as well as changing political boundaries.
II. 3. Other Resources
Instructional Practices:
Process suggestions for small group work and for conducting online
research are included in the body of the teacher directions.
Accessibility / Universal Design:
Multiple Means of Representation
PRINT
DISABILITY
HEARING IMPAIRMENT
Closed Captioning
Closed Captioning
Taped Textbooks
Speech-to-Text Applications
Video Technology
Audio Technology
Speech to Text
Technology
Visual Symbols
Electronic Sign Language
Dictionaries
Additional Time
to Comprehend
Content
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Learning Task
Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Pointing &
Typing Aids
Alternative
Keyboards
Video
Voiceover
PowerPoint Presentations
Animations
Touch Screens
Visual Art
Photographs
Storyboards
Multiple Means of Engagement
Provide Choices —
Increase Engagement in
Learning
Cooperative Learning
Groups
Effective Goal Setting
Reflection
Self-Monitoring
Provide Models of
Expected Products
Teacher Feedback
Recognizes
Improvement
Encourage Effort and
Persistence
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Learning Task
Enduring Understandings:
Students will be able to identify aspects of modern daily life that have been
shaped by ancient people. Students will be able to critically evaluate
sources.
Teacher Directions:
Session One: Introduction to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome (75
minutes)
Part A (25 minutes) [CS2, CS12]
Provide a brief overview of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Key
vocabulary terms are in bold.
Ancient Greece was a civilization that existed long ago, beginning
around 800 BC. A 200-year period beginning around 500 BC is known as
the era of classical Greece. The contributions of classical Greece in
government, technology, art, architecture, philosophy, and literature had
a great impact on the civilization of ancient Rome. These contributions
shaped Western civilization and their influence is still seen in societies
today.
Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed long ago, beginning around
800 BC. It reached its height or golden age between AD 100 and AD
200. Ancient Rome was greatly influenced by ancient Greece, and also
developed many ideas that influence modern societies. Ancient Rome
expanded to become one of the largest empires in the ancient world.
Lead a class discussion to further establish context. Include:

a comparison of timelines
o display the timelines at:
http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_rome_timeline.php
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Learning Task

and
http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greek_timeline.php
o Ask students: What information do the timelines give about
contributions of ancient Greece and ancient Rome? (The
timelines give information about the approximates dates of the
beginning and end of the civilizations, change over time, conflict,
conquest, legends, achievements, leaders, and government.)
o Ask students: What information do the timelines give about
interaction between ancient Greece and ancient Rome? (Note
that the year that 146 BC on the Greek timeline is shown as the
year that Greece became part of the Roman Empire.)
a comparison of geographic location
o display the animated map at: http://www.the-map-ashistory.com/demos/tome09/1-ancient_greece_demo.php
o point out to students that the dynamic timeline at the bottom
left of the presentation corresponds to the timelines they just
studied.
o Ask students: What information does the animation give about
interaction between ancient Greece and ancient Rome? (The
Greeks sought to establish colonies and trading posts, and to
control trade routes, in various areas along the Mediterranean
Sea. This included the Italian Peninsula. Later, divisions within
Ancient Greece facilitated the expansion of Ancient Rome.
Continental Greece became part of the Roman Empire.)
o Ask students to: compare the location of ancient Greece and
Rome with that of modern Greece and Italy, and with that of the
United States, using a classroom wall map or an online map such
as the one located at:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/docs/refmaps.html
(The relative close proximity of Greece and Italy is clearly
demonstrated in comparison to the location of each to the United
States.)
Students are prompted in the eMetric system to answer the
following questions:
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Learning Task
1. What information does the animation give about interaction
between ancient Greece and ancient Rome?
2. Compare the location of ancient Greece and Rome with that
of modern Greece and Italy, and with that of the United
States, using a classroom map or an online map such as the
one found at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/docs/refmaps.html
Part B (45 minutes) [CS2]
Students will conduct research as part of a small-group activity. Remind
students that both ancient Greece and ancient Rome are known for their
enduring impacts on later civilizations. Divide the class into four groups.
Each group will be assigned to research categories of contributions of
either ancient Greece or ancient Rome. The categories are:
o
o
o
o
governance and law
art and architecture
engineering and technology
literature and history
An example of assignments:




Group One: Ancient Greek contributions in 1. governance and law and
2. art and architecture
Group Two: Ancient Greek contributions in 1. engineering and
technology and 2. literature and history
Group Three: Ancient Roman contributions in 1. governance and law
and 2. art and architecture
Group Four: Ancient Roman contributions in 1. engineering and
technology and 2. literature and history
Advise students that:


their research will be important for use in the remainder of the
learning task
their research should focus on examples that had a lasting impact on
future civilizations
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Learning Task


their research should include both primary and secondary sources
they should begin with the following online resources to make the best
use of their research period:
o http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/introa
ncientgreece1.htm
o http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/
o http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/romans/
o http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/introa
ncientrome1.htm
Students are prompted in the eMetric system to answer the following
questions:
1. What is your assigned category for historical research?
2. What is a contribution you have found up to this point in your
research?
3. How did the contribution you found have a lasting impact on future
civilizations?
Part C (5 minutes) [CS2]
Direct students to an interactive diagram in the eMetric system. They will
complete this activity individually. Review student results to assess
progress and identify misunderstandings.
Students drag into the diagram from the following menu:
direct democracy
Parthenon
legions
birthplace of democracy
Olympics
first used columns
representative democracy
Colosseum
shipbuilders
Cicero
first used arches
Ff]\\
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Learning Task
Sophocles
farmers
colonized other areas
near Mediterranean Sea
traders
excellent roads
Herodotus, the “father of history”
Ancient Greece
Both
Ancient Rome
____________________________________
Sample Responses:
Ancient Greece
Both
Ancient Rome
direct democracy
shipbuilders
representative
democracy
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Learning Task
Parthenon
farmers
legions
birthplace of
democracy
colonized other
areas
Colosseum
Olympics
near
Mediterranean Sea
Cicero
traders
built excellent
roads
first used columns
Sophocles
Herodotus, the
“father of history”
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first used arches
Learning Task
Session Two: Historical Perspective (90 minutes)
Part A: 20 minutes [CS1]
Direct students to get into their small groups from Session One again.
Discuss historical perspective. Advise students that historians and
archeologists provide an accurate account and assessment of a historical
event. This requires them to avoid the influence of current norms and
values in interpreting and evaluating the past. They generally attempt to
describe events through the perspectives of those living at the time. As
students examine a historian or archeologist’s interpretation of an event,
students should look to see how they meet this standard.
Advise students that as they critically evaluate diaries, letters, eyewitness
accounts, archeological artifacts, and architecture of particular moments
in time, they develop an understanding that history is interpreted. They
also become active participants in historical investigation.
Ask each group to discuss the sources they found, and to explain which
sources they found most useful in understanding the lives of ancient
Greeks or Romans. Ask students to identify the sources they used as
primary or secondary, and to explain which of these types they found
most useful. Students are prompted in the eMetric system to answer the
following questions:
1. What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source?
2. Which kind of source do you find most useful? Explain why.
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Learning Task
Part B: 50 minutes [CS1, CS2]
Direct students to choose one of the contributions they researched. They
will create a poster to present to the class that focuses on this
contribution. Advise students that they will be required to enter a
summary of their findings individually in the eMetric system.
Think about the contributions you researched in session one. Choose one
contribution to use as the subject of a poster. Students will present their
completed posters to the class. The poster should:


Explain the contribution from the perspective of a person living at the
time. The poster should emphasize three things that people living at
the time will find useful about the contribution.
Identify aspects of daily life in Ohio that are connected to the
contribution and explain the connection.
Students are prompted in the eMetric system to type an explanation of
why they chose their featured contributions over other contributions they
researched.
Part C: 20 minutes [CS1]
Students are prompted in the eMetric system to address the following
prompts:
1. Explain the contribution from the perspective of a person living at the
time. The poster should emphasize three things that people living at
the time will find useful about the contribution.
2. Identify aspects of daily life in Ohio that are connected to the
contribution and explain the connection.
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Learning Task
Session Three: Drawing Conclusions: Historical Maps of Ancient Rome
(75 minutes)
Part A: 20 minutes [CS1]
Advise students that in this session, they will be drawing conclusions
based on historical evidence. To draw a reliable conclusion, a historian
must use a variety of evidence.
Display for students, or have them access individually, an animation
depicting the expansion of ancient Rome:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Roman_Republic_E
mpire_map.gif
Lead a class discussion based on the following questions.
-
-
What does the map show? Think of the historical evidence you studied
about ancient Greece and Rome in Sessions One and Two. What were
the people living in these areas likely experiencing at the time? (The
map shows changes in political boundaries with the growth of a
civilization. The people were experiencing rapid change in some form,
be it through conquest, learning about new things, trade, losing or
gaining wealth, etc.)
What enables a civilization to grow? Think of this from the perspective
of:
o a person in a civilization that is growing compared to a
civilization that is shrinking (The people in the growing
civilization could seek to conquer other people, or be seeking to
trade, or to spread their cultural values.)
o a person in a civilization that is shrinking compared to a
civilization that is growing (The people in the shrinking
civilization might seek protection from/peace with the growing
civilization, wish to join the growing civilization, fear the people
in the growing civilization, or admire the culture of the growing
civilization.)
o a growing civilization likely has: armies, wealth, culture,
leadership
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Learning Task
Students are prompted in the eMetric system to explain what enables
a civilization to grow.
Part B: 55 minutes [CS1, CS2, CS12]
Display for students to access the interactive online map at:
http://orbis.stanford.edu/
Explain that ORBIS helps historians see how the Roman Empire was
shaped by the time and cost of moving people and goods between
cities. Cities on the edges of the empire were very expensive to
ship to, for example, even if they weren’t necessarily that far away.
Researchers can use the tool, for example, to figure out whether
two cities traded often, or to check if someone spotted in one city in
January could have made it to another city by March.
Advise students that they will use this map for an individual research
project in which they draw conclusions about what is shown on the
map and what the information on the map tells them about the
influence of ancient Rome on modern civilization. Their report will be
entered into the eMetric system.
Explain the map tools and ensure each student can navigate the map.
Students are prompted to enter their report in the eMetric system.
The report must include:




Data showing that the students analyzed routes
between a variety of cities, including duration of
travel between cities in a variety of modes.
Conclusions about the effect on travel of:
o time of year
o mode of travel
An explanation of why the options
(fastest/cheapest/shortest) are included, and how
these are different.
Conclusions about what aspects of ancient Roman
civilization allowed the trade network to become so
extensive.
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Learning Task


o high level of organization
o a highly developed military
o investment in infrastructure
Conclusions about how inventions were affected by
the trade network and how the trade network was
affected by inventions. Sample responses:
o ships became very important
o people came to rely on a variety of
foods/improved diet
o military became larger/faster (siege weapons)
o large-scale construction became
easier/necessary: access to more labor, more
people in cities led to aqueducts/improved
sanitation
Conclusions about similarities and differences
between daily life then and now.
o there was trade/interdependence, but trade
was slower
o there was danger in travel/conflict
o required
government/organization/infrastructure
o taxes/people making profits
Process Suggestion: a variety of opportunities are provided to show they can
gather relevant evidence from the map and draw conclusions. Advise
students that they may not have time to complete all of the areas covered in
the template, but at a minimum they should describe data gathered from
two city pairs, and provide three conclusions with relevant evidence.
IV. Learning Task Rubric
Performance Levels
No more instruction is needed:
Student has a thorough understanding.
Student understands specific contributions of
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Learning Task
ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and the
impact of these contributions on modern
civilizations.
Student understands that history is interpreted, and that
studying history requires critical evaluation of sources.
Student is able to approach events, places, and
innovations from the perspective of a person who was
living during the period being studied.
Student draws conclusions about human
settlement and interaction based on a variety of
sources, including maps. Student is able to provide
evidence to support their conclusions.
Some more instruction may be needed:
Student has a general understanding.
Student understands specific contributions of
ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and the
impact of these contributions on modern
civilizations.
Student understands that history is interpreted,
and that studying history requires critical
evaluation of sources. Student is able to approach
events, places, and innovations from the
perspective of a person who was living during the
period being studied.
Student has difficulty in drawing conclusions about
human settlement and interaction. Student may not
provide evidence to support their conclusions.
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Learning Task
More instruction is needed:
Student has a limited understanding.
Student understands specific contributions of
ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and the
impact of these contributions on modern
civilizations.
Student does not understand that history is
interpreted, and that studying history requires
critical evaluation of sources. Student is unable to
approach events, places, and innovations from the
perspective of a person who was living during the
period being studied.
Student is unable to draw conclusions about
human settlement and interaction, but may gather
and cite some specific evidence relevant to a
conclusion.
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