History · 6th Class

Active learning ideas

Republic to Empire: Life in Ancient Rome

Take your class on a journey to one of history's most powerful empires. This topic uncovers the secrets of the Roman army's success, the genius behind their city-building, and the dramatic differences between the rich and poor.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary School Curriculum, History - Strand: Early people and ancient societies

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Small Groups

Build a Roman Aqueduct

In small groups, pupils use simple materials like cardboard tubes, plastic bottles, tape, and clay to design and build a model aqueduct. The challenge is to transport water from a higher point to a lower point across a small gap without any leaks.

Explain the importance of the Roman army in the expansion and maintenance of the Empire.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage trial and error, emphasising that the gradient must be consistent for the water to flow.

What to look for

Exit Ticket: At the end of a lesson, pupils answer two questions on a slip of paper: 'What was the most surprising thing you learned about Roman engineering today?' and 'What is one question you still have?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Individual

A Day in the Life Diary

Pupils choose a Roman persona (e.g., a wealthy senator's child, a poor plebeian baker, a gladiator, a legionary soldier) and write a diary entry describing a typical day. They should include details about their home, food, work or school, and leisure activities.

Analyse the impact of Roman engineering on daily life in the city of Rome.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a word bank with key terms like 'domus', 'insula', 'forum', and 'toga' to scaffold their writing.

What to look for

Create a 'Roman Life' project. Pupils can choose to build a model of a 'domus' or an 'insula', create a poster detailing the life of a gladiator, or write a report on the Roman army.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 30 min · Whole Class

Roman Army Drills

Take the class to the school hall or yard to practise Roman army formations. Pupils can work together to form a 'testudo' (tortoise) formation using cardboard shields or even their schoolbags to defend against 'attacks' (soft balls).

Compare the lives of a wealthy Roman patrician and a poor plebeian.

Facilitation Tip

Appoint a 'centurion' to shout commands in a mix of English and simple Latin to make it more engaging.

What to look for

Pupils use a 'two stars and a wish' method to review their 'Day in the Life' diary entry. They identify two things they did well (e.g., included key vocabulary) and one thing they could improve.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start by grounding the topic geographically with maps showing the empire's growth. Use a wealth of visual resources, from diagrams of aqueducts to photos of Pompeii, to bring Roman life into focus. Employ comparison as a key tool: compare a Roman legionary to a Celtic warrior, a patrician's home to a plebeian's, or Roman roads to modern motorways to deepen understanding.

Following this topic, your pupils will be able to explain the importance of the army and engineering to the Roman Empire and vividly describe the daily life of its citizens.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• All Romans lived in luxurious villas and attended lavish banquets.

  This was true only for the very wealthy patrician class. The vast majority of Romans were plebeians who lived in cramped, noisy, and often dangerous apartment blocks called 'insulae', which had no running water and were prone to fire and collapse.

• Gladiators always fought to the death.

  While gladiatorial combat was brutal, it did not always end in death. Gladiators were expensive to train and maintain, so they were valuable assets. Referees often stopped fights, and a defeated gladiator could be spared if the crowd or emperor wished it.

• Julius Caesar was the first Emperor of Rome.

  Julius Caesar was a powerful general and dictator who played a key role in the end of the Roman Republic, but he was never officially an emperor. His adopted son, Octavian, became the first emperor and took the name Augustus.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate