21st Century Lessons
Roman Expansion:
Caesar and Augustus
Primary Lesson Designer(s):
Stephanie Toledano
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This project is funded by the
American Federation of Teachers.
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21st Century Lessons – Teacher Preparation
Please do the following as you prepare to deliver this lesson:
•
Spend AT LEAST 30 minutes studying the
Lesson Overview, Teacher Notes on each
slide, and accompanying worksheets.
•
Set up your projector and test this PowerPoint file to make
sure all animations, media, etc. work properly.
•
Feel free to customize this file to match the language and
routines in your classroom.
*1st Time Users of 21st Century Lesson:
Click HERE for a detailed description of our project.
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Lesson Overview (1 of 4)
Lesson
Objective
SWBAT evaluate the effectiveness of Caesar and Augustus’ plans for the expansion and
maintenance of the Roman empire.
Lesson
Description
Students will begin the lesson with a Warm Up where they hypothesize how the Roman
Republic expanded into the Roman Empire. They will develop their hypotheses through a
think-write-pair-share.
Following the Warm Up, the students will begin with a quick Launch where the teacher gives
students brief contextual background information about Julius Caesar and Augustus and then
explains that students will be acting as advisors to Caesar and Augustus about how to expand
and maintain the growing empire.
Students will then Explore the content by jigsaw reading four main strategies (military, tribute,
public projects, and peace) for expanding and maintaining the Roman Empire and annotating
the pros and cons for each plan. As a group, students will decide which of the four plans has
the most merit. They will then develop three criteria for what a successful plan to expand and
maintain the Roman Empire would look like.
During the Summary, students will learn what Caesar and Augustus actually did to expand and
maintain the Roman Empire during their successive rules. While learning about the actual
actions taken, student will continue identifying the pros and cons to the plans.
As Practice, students will respond to Caesar and Augustus’ plans by evaluating the plans based
on the criteria for success developed during the Exploration and suggesting changes.
Class will end with a quick 3-2-1 Assessment.
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Lesson Overview (2 of 4)
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Lesson Vocabulary
Expand – to make something larger or more extensive
Maintain – to keep something in good working order
Foiled – prevented something from succeeding
Pax Romana – the Roman Peace, a time period where Rome did
not engage in any major wars
Praetorian Guard – the bodyguard of the Roman emperor
Materials
Projector
PowerPoint
Handouts
Common Core
State Standard
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to
support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Lesson Overview (3 of 4)
Scaffolding
This lesson includes a lot of group work, graphic organizers, and
teacher modeling in order to scaffold the activities for students with
disabilities and ELLs.
Enrichment
SWBAT describe the details of Caesar and Augustus’ rules by creating
an illustrated timeline with key facts about the two leaders.
Students can read an extended history of Caesar and Augustus at this
website: http://www.mrdowling.com/702-augustus.html
They will then create an illustrated timeline for both leaders that can
be used to teach other students in the class.
Online
Resources for
Absent
Students
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Absent students can read the materials from this lesson and complete
the activities independently in order to catch up. They can reference
some of the work done by their peers as a guide.
Lesson Overview (4 of 4)
Before and After
Before this lesson, students should have a sense of where
and when the Roman Empire existed. Ideally, they should
also have some background knowledge about daily life in
the Roman Empire and Roman contributions to society.
This lesson should be followed by a study of the decline of
the Roman Empire.
Topic Background
Julius Caesar and Augustus defined the Roman Empire
through their strategic decisions around its expansion and
maintenance. By combining a variety of strategies, they
both contributed to the security experienced by Roman
citizens during the course of their periods of rule.
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Warm Up: Hypothesize
OBJECTIVE: SWBAT evaluate the effectiveness of Caesar and Augustus’
plans for the expansion and maintenance of the Roman empire.
How do you think that the Roman
Empire went from this to that?
Step 1: Take 30 seconds to think
about your answer.
Step 2: Take 2 minutes to write
your ideas on your worksheet.
Step 3: Turn to your partner
and share your ideas.
this
Now
let’s
share out
some
hypotheses
to the
whole
class.
to that  ?
Agenda
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Agenda:
OBJECTIVE: SWBAT evaluate the effectiveness of Caesar and Augustus’
plans for the expansion and maintenance of the Roman empire.
1) Warm Up: Hypothesize
2) Launch: Mission Details
3) Explore: Jigsawed Reading
4) Summary: Evaluating the Plan
5) Practice: Reflection
6) Assessment: 3, 2, 1
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Launch: Mission Details
Julius Caesar
Dates of Rule: 49 BCE – 44 BCE
Claim toCaesar’s
Fame: One of the
greatest
generals
main
focus to
is ever live.
Dramatically
expanded Rome’s
expanding
territory the
by conquering
Gaul.
Roman
Death: Assassinated
by a group
Republic.
of senators who wanted to take
power away from this dictator and
return it to the Senate.
Agenda
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Launch: Mission Details
Augustus
Dates of Rule: 27 BCE – 14 CE
Claim to Fame: Adopted son of
Caesar. Augustus’
Defeated Caesar’s
mainended
focusRome’s
is
assassins,
civil
maintaining
war, and
became the first emperor
of Rome.
Started
the Pax
the
Roman
Romana. Empire.
Death:
Died
at the
old age
of 75.
The Pax
Romana
means
the Roman
Rumored
wasyear
poisoned
by
Peace. Itthat
washe
a 200
period of
hisrelative
wife. peace started by Augustus.
Agenda
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Launch: Mission Details
Your mission, should you choose
to accept it…
Quick
for and Augustus
JuliusCheck
Caesar
Understanding:
NO!
need
your help. They want to
Didexpand
Julius Caesar
and
the Roman Empire, but
Augustus
rule
at the
same
Caesar
ruled
before
aren’t sure what the best way to
time?
Augustus.
do this is without being foiled by
riots, assassins, or enemy
When you’re foiled,
armies.
you’re defeated or
stopped by something.
Agenda
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Explore: Jigsawed Reading Instructions
Step 1: Read the potential strategy.
As you read and annotate, write a +
above each benefit (also called a
“pro”) and a – above each negative
(also called a “con”).
Step 2: Graph how many
+/benefits/pros and how many
-/negatives/cons you found for the
strategy. You will use these graphs to
compare the four strategies.
Let’s annotate
and analyze a
practice
strategy
together to
practice. Look
at “Military
Action” on
your
worksheet.
Agenda
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Explore: Military Action Practice
Military action requires a strong army. An elite army will let the
Romans expand their empire by conquering neighbors. Not
only this, but it will also help maintain the empire because
people will be afraid of the strong Roman army and will not
What pros (+)
attack it.
The army will be kept
large
by using
and
cons
(-) men from conquered
lands as soldiers. Of course,
canthis
wewill mean that many citizens
will die and families will be torn apart.
identify?
In order to protect the emperor, a private army called the
Praetorian (pray – tor – E – an) Guard will be created. The men
in the Praetorian Guard may be tempted to kill the emperor
though, so they’ll have to be watched.
Agenda
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Explore: Jigsawed Reading Instructions
1. Create a group of three.
2. Each person chooses a letter:
3. You are responsible
B C and
A reading
for
annotating the
section with the
letter that you chose.
Agenda
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Explore: Jigsawed Reading Instructions
Step 1: Read the potential strategy
that you selected. As you read and
annotate, write a + above each benefit
(also called a “pro”) and a – above
each negative (also called a “con”).
Step 2: Graph how many
+/benefits/pros and how many
-/negatives/cons you found for the
strategy. You will use these graphs to
compare the four strategies.
You have
10 minutes
to work.
Extension:
Choose one pro that
you noticed and
explain why this is a
beneficial strategy.
Agenda
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Explore: Jigsawed Reading Instructions
Step 3: With your partners, come up
with three criteria that a plan for
expanding and maintaining an empire
should include.
For example: Make people happy by…
Step 4: With your partners, decide
which of the four strategies is the best
one. Fill out your worksheet with a
justification for why that strategy is the
best.
Agenda
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Summary: Evaluating the Plan
You will be analyzing what
the Roman emperors
actually did to expand and
maintain the empire.
For each fact and question,
you will:
1. Think about your answer
2. Pair up with a partner
and discuss
3. Share your answer with
the class when the
teacher calls on you
What Actually Happened…
Fact:
Fact:
Romans
The Roman
demanded
EmpireEmpire
expanded
tributereached
from
When
the
Roman
conquered
rapidly
people.
the
They
army.
Rome
used
its
peakbecause
in size,
itofbegan
athen
period
of
Extension:
the
wasmoney
constantly
men
they
more(the
took
peace
calledand
theacquiring
Pax that
Romana
to
land,
build
money,
ado
stronger
and
citizens,
armythis
and
making
createit
Roman
Peace).
During
time,
What
you
notice
public
stronger
works
than
that
ever.
benefitted
However,
allmany
there
were
no
wars
with
other
about
what
the
Roman
people citizens.
diedHowever,
in the wars,
and
farms
countries.
there
were
Roman
Empire
were
destroyed
by fighting.
rebellions
within
the empire.
Question: some
Is demanding
tribute
morally
did?
Question:acceptable?
Whatactually
is more
important:
would
you feel if
Question:
What
does
a How
country
or empire
you
expanding
had
to the
give
empire,
up tribute?
or peaceful?
need
to do
in order
to be
Hint:
Think
about
Many
maintaining
people
it?
benefitted
Why?
How
can
an empire
keepfrom
others
which
of
the
plans
Roman
Should
public
the Romans
works
have
that were
cared
from
attacking
it in order
to paid
for
more
with
about
tribute.
conquering
Does this
peoples
justifyor
they
used.
maintain
peace?
demanding
taking care of
tribute?
their own?
Agenda
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Practice: Reflection
Use the criteria for success that you developed during
the Explore part of the lesson to respond to Parts1&2:
Homework
of Augustus
the two rulers
of
Part 1: Did Choose
Caesarone
and
succeed
in
Rome to write a letter. Your
expanding and
maintaining the Roman
handout lists each ruler’s areas of
Empire? Why
or(expanding
why not?orUse
evidence to
focus
maintaining
justify your answer.
the empire). Give the ruler
specific advice on how to better
Part 2: Whatlead
changes
would
you See
suggest to
the Roman
Empire.
handout
details.
Caesar and Augustus
forfortheir
plans to
expand and maintain the Roman Empire?
Agenda
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Assessment: 3, 2, 1
Fill out the
assessment
on the last
page of your
handout to
show off what
you have
learned today!
Name:
Date:
3, 2, 1 Assessment
3.
Write down THREE things that you believe are the
most important facts that you learned today.
2.
Write down TWO things from today’s lesson that
you are curious to learn more about.
1.
Write down ONE thing that you will teach your
family when you get home tonight.
Agenda
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21st Century Lessons
The goal…
The goal of 21st Century Lessons is simple: We want to assist teachers, particularly in
urban and turnaround schools, by bringing together teams of exemplary educators
to develop units of high-quality, model lessons. These lessons are intended to:
•Support an increase in student achievement;
•Engage teachers and students;
•Align to the National Common Core Standards and the Massachusetts curriculum
frameworks;
•Embed best teaching practices, such as differentiated instruction;
•Incorporate high-quality multi-media and design (e.g., PowerPoint);
•Be delivered by exemplary teachers for videotaping to be used for professional
development and other teacher training activities;
•Be available, along with videos and supporting materials, to teachers free of charge via the
Internet.
•Serve as the basis of high-quality, teacher-led professional development, including mentoring
between experienced and novice teachers.
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21st Century Lessons
The people…
Directors:
Kathy Aldred - Co-Chair of the Boston Teachers Union Professional Issues Committee
Ted Chambers - Co-director of 21st Century Lessons
Tracy Young - Staffing Director of 21st Century Lessons
Leslie Ryan Miller - Director of the Boston Public Schools Office of
Teacher Development and Advancement
Emily Berman- Curriculum Director (Social Studies) of 21st Century Lessons
Carla Zils – Curriculum Director (Math) of 21st Century Lessons
Brian Connor – Technology Coordinator
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