History · Year 5

Active learning ideas

The Departure of the Romans

Active learning helps students grasp the human scale of historical change during the Roman departure. Acting out decisions in AD 410 or examining artifacts makes abstract political shifts tangible. Students connect emotionally and intellectually to the people who lived through this moment of uncertainty.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: History - Britain's settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
• KS2: History - Roman withdrawal and fall of the Empire

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Council of AD 410

Divide the class into groups representing different Romano-British towns. Provide them with a 'letter' from Emperor Honorius and ask them to decide how to spend their limited gold: on repairing city walls, hiring mercenaries, or buying grain. Each group must present their survival plan to the rest of the class.

Explain why the Roman army left Britain and never returned.

Facilitation Tip

In the Collaborative Investigation: Evidence Hunt, group students by artifact type to ensure each pair or trio has a manageable set of sources to analyze.

What to look for

Provide students with three possible reasons for the Roman departure (e.g., barbarian invasions in Europe, cost of maintaining legions, internal Roman politics). Ask them to select the two most significant reasons and write one sentence justifying each choice.

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

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Vanishing Romans

Students look at images of a Roman villa in AD 300 and AD 450. They first identify three changes individually, discuss with a partner why these changes occurred (e.g., lack of underfloor heating maintenance), and then share their conclusions about the decline of Roman technology with the class.

Analyze how life changed for the Britons once the Romans were gone.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a Romano-British farmer in AD 415. What are your biggest worries now that the Roman army is gone?' Facilitate a class discussion, guiding students to consider security, trade, and local leadership.

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

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Evidence Hunt

Set up stations around the room with 'clues' such as coin hoards buried in AD 410, archaeological layers of ash, and broken pottery. Students work in teams to record what each piece of evidence suggests about the safety and economy of Britain after the legions left.

Evaluate the evidence we have of the struggle for power after AD 410.

What to look for

Show students an image of a Roman road or villa ruin. Ask them to write two sentences explaining how its condition might have changed after AD 410 and why.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasize continuity as much as change when teaching this period. Avoid framing the fifth century as a 'fall' into darkness, and instead highlight how Romano-British communities adapted. Research shows students grasp complexity better when they see multiple perspectives in a single lesson.

Students will explain how the Roman withdrawal created both challenges and opportunities for local communities. They will use evidence to describe changes to infrastructure and daily life without assuming total collapse. Successful learning shows up when students distinguish between military departures and civilian continuity.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Simulation: The Council of AD 410, watch for students who assume all Romans left Britain in AD 410.

  Use the role-play to highlight that only the army and administrators departed. Pause mid-simulation to ask: 'Who in this room is still living in Britain after the legions leave?' to reinforce the distinction between military and civilian presence.

• During Collaborative Investigation: Evidence Hunt, watch for students who conclude that Britain became an immediate wasteland after AD 410.

  Direct students to focus on artifacts showing continued use, such as repaired tools or domestic items. Ask them: 'What does this object’s condition tell us about how people lived after the Romans left?' to guide their interpretation toward adaptation rather than abandonment.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle