History · Year 4

Active learning ideas

The Might of the Roman Army

Active learning helps Year 4 students grasp complex historical concepts by making them tangible and personal. Through role-play, discussion, and investigation, students connect governance and power to real human experiences, which builds deeper understanding than passive reading alone.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: History - The Roman Empire and its Impact on Britain

• 20–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Mock Trial
• 60 min · Whole Class

Mock Trial: Julius Caesar

Students take on roles as senators, soldiers, and citizens to put Julius Caesar on trial. They must argue whether he was a hero who helped Rome or a tyrant who destroyed the Republic.

Analyze what made the Roman army more organised and effective than its enemies.

Facilitation Tip

During the Mock Trial, assign clear roles and provide a script with key facts to keep the debate focused on governance, not personalities.

What to look for

Provide students with images of different Roman military equipment (e.g., pilum, gladius, scutum, lorica segmentata). Ask them to label each item and write one sentence describing its purpose in battle.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Republic vs. Empire

Provide students with two scenarios: one where many people vote on a law, and one where one person decides everything. Students discuss the pros and cons of each before applying these to Rome's history.

Explain how technology like the testudo formation helped in battle.

Facilitation Tip

For the Think-Pair-Share, give students a simple Venn diagram template to organize their comparison before sharing with partners.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a Roman soldier. What three aspects of your training or equipment do you think would be most important for surviving a battle, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share and justify their choices.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Emperor's Image

In small groups, students examine photos of Roman coins and statues. They must identify how emperors used these items as 'propaganda' to make themselves look powerful and kind to their subjects.

Justify why discipline was so important to a Roman soldier's success.

Facilitation Tip

In the Collaborative Investigation, assign each group one Emperor and provide a mix of written sources and propaganda images to analyze.

What to look for

On a small card, ask students to draw a simple diagram of the testudo formation and explain in one sentence why this formation was useful for Roman soldiers.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should balance narrative with analysis, using primary sources sparingly but deliberately. Avoid reducing history to a simple story of good versus bad rulers; instead, highlight how power shifts and why people supported different systems. Research suggests that when students role-play historical figures, they better understand the complexities of decision-making and societal change.

By the end of these activities, students will explain the differences between Republic and Empire rule, justify why political changes mattered to ordinary Romans, and evaluate the role of individuals in shaping history. They will use historical evidence to support their ideas in discussions, trials, and written reflections.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Think-Pair-Share activity, watch for students who assume the Roman Empire began immediately after the Republic.

  Use the timeline task in the Think-Pair-Share to have students mark key events, such as 509 BCE for the Republic and 27 BCE for Augustus, to visualize the long Republic period before the Empire.

• During the Collaborative Investigation: The Emperor's Image activity, watch for students who believe all Romans opposed Emperors.

  Have groups analyze propaganda images alongside a primary source from a poor citizen to help students recognize that support for Emperors often came from stability, not just coercion.

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Methods used in this brief

• Mock Trial
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle