Yelena Shuster

12th Grade World History

Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The Roman Republic Introduction to Politics & Governance

28 minutes

Overview/Rationale:
In this short lesson (only 30 min because of half day schedule), I intend to introduce
some of the features of Roman governance in order to prepare students for subsequent
lessons in which they will examine whether the Roman Republic should be called a
democracy.
Enduring Understanding:
Students will acquire knowledge of key features of the Roman Republic and begin to
assess its influence on our own system of governance.
Goals and Objectives:
To teach students about the Roman Republic and its legacy to our own civilization.
Students will be able to identify who was included and excluded from political
participation during the period of the Roman Republic.
Standards (Correlation with PA Core):
CC.8.5.9-10.B. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary
source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course
of the text.
CC.8.5.9-10.C. Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether
earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
Materials:
PowerPoint
Timeline from Halsall, Paul. The Roman Republic: Checks and Balances. Ancient
History Sourcebook. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/romebalance.asp.
Procedures:
Opener:
I will begin by telling students that we will begin the study of Roman history by
examining what is often considered their most enduring legacy: Democracy. This lesson
is the start of a 3-day mini-unit based on the central historical question: How democratic
was the Roman Republic?
Body of the Lesson:
Short PowerPoint presentation.
Pass out the Roman Government Handout in order to get students better acquainted with
the organization of the government of the Roman Republic and ask them to answer the
following questions in their notes:

o What were the three branches of the Roman government?

o Where do the people fit into all this?
o How important was social class?
After reviewing the hand out and questions, I will ask students as a whole class:
According to this information, how democratic was the Roman Republic?

Closure:
I will end the lesson with a summation of what we have learned about the organization of
the Roman government and the role that social class played in the early Roman Republic.
Accommodations/ Intervention / Enrichment:
Students with a documented need through an IEP and or 504-service agreement will be given the
accommodations necessary for them to complete this assignment. This includes, but is not
limited to access to less complex, yet parallel readings, preferential seating and extended time.
ELL students will been given additional time to read the articles using their translators as needed.
Additionally, I will circulate throughout the room assessing student progress and ensuring that all
students have a thorough understanding of the assignment and expectations.
Summative Assessment/Evaluation: During the lesson I will note who is who is participating
in the whole class discussion.