I really enjoyed Ancient Rome when we went through it the first time. You can see the back posts on Rome here for Part One and here for Part Two. Here is a gallery of work from our first time through Ancient Rome.
This time, my second time through sixth grade, I tried to keep things to a streamlined flow as much as possible. There is much that could be included in a study of Roman History, and it is easy to get lost in it. Here is my general outline, with some ideas for student responses using the Eight Arts of Waldorf Education (drama, speech, movement, handwork, singing and musical instruments, painting, drawing, and modeling):
1.An Introduction to Rome and the idea of Rome as a Kingdom, a Republic, an Empire
Possibilities: Romulus and Remus (model a wolf’s head, drawing, painting); Numa Pompilius, Tarquinias Priscus and the first census; Roman life, review geography of Italy
Possible Student Responses: Modeling a wolf’s head for Romulus and Remus; Oral (Timeline could be a possibility, although I don’t see many Waldorf Schools making timelines until eighth grade – please do share if you have an experience surrounding this); create title page for Main Lesson Book if using one; painting or drawing seven hills of Rome; salt dough map of seven hills;
2. An Introduction to Roman Society – especially patricians and plebians, how the Romans ate, dressed, etc
Read Alouds: “Our Little Roman Cousins of Long Ago” free over at mainlesson.com
Possible Student Responses: Oral Recall, (making togas or other Roman clothing, making Roman sandals, making Roman meals, playing Roman games), comparison chart of plebians versus patricians
3. The Roman Republic – roads, aquaducts, life of the Roman soldier
Read Aloud: “A Roman Fort”, the book “City” by Maccauley
Possible Student Responses: (making a hodometer, diorama, drawings, making weaponry/masks/shields, making Roman road, making an aquaduct, ) first person account of Roman soldier training or building a fort; possible connection between Roman Republic and American government, values of the average Roman citizen
4. Hannibal and Scipio (possible student response: drawing, modeling, drama)
5. Slavery – Roman Colosseum-Spartacus (possible student response – writing, modeling the Colosseum, first person narrative of Spartacus)
6.Julius Caesar
Possible Student Responses: black and white drawing of Julius Caesar, learning lines from Shakespeare’s play, music was often played at funerals – could compose music for the funeral of Julius Caesar with lyre or singing
7.Augustus Caesar and the Golden Age of Rome (also Mark Antony and Cleopatra); Roman Calendar
Possible Student Responses: (black and white drawings, model of Cleopatra’s boat, paper on Cleopatra, creating dialogue or dramatization between Antony and Cleopatra, paper of technology of Rome)
8. Life of Jesus – Parables, Miracles; The Ancient Church; Early Symbols of Christianity
Read Aloud: “The Bronze Bow”
Possible Responses: (drawings, modelings, dramatization, re-creating one of the parables in symbols, mosaic tiles of the early symbols of christianity, meal)
9. Emperor Nero
10. The Division of the Roman Empire; St. Constantine
11. Decline of Roman Empire -the Huns, the first of the Desert Hermits, Life of St. Anthony
Read Aloud: “The Dancing Bear”
Possible Student Responses: (drawing, dramatization of life of St. Anthony or Constantine’s vision; a large butcher block artistic response to the life of St. Anthony; maps of the Roman Empire and the tribes moving in on paper or in salt dough with little figures; paper on the Huns, sayings of the Desert Hermits)
12. Bridge between Rome History Block and Medieval Block: Possibly reading a non-fiction source, writing three ideas from each chapter and creating a paper. We are using a children’s nonfiction book, “Attila the Hun” for this endeavor. If one does a math block after this block, a paper could be worked on during the math block.
Would love to hear your plans surrounding Rome.
Blessings,
Carrie
Thanks for this, Carrie! I have an upcoming 6th grader…how long was your Roman History block?
Hi Lin!
Six weeks.
Blessings, Carrie
Hi
As always thank u for your efforts in sharing all this information as it is very helpful.
Who is the author for Attila the Hun book ?
Did you use (watch the other play or read the play) Shakespeare at all (besides the poem)?
Thanks
Warmly
Saima
I think any biography of Attila the Hun would do! We didn’t do as much Shakespeare as I would have liked either time around in sixth or seventh grade. I think whatever you wanted to bring would be wonderful! Hugs,Carrie
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Hi Carrie,
I love your posts – so informative and helpful!! thank you!!
I wanted to ask – I love Kovac’s Rome book – I really enjoyed reading it myself, but I don’t know how to bring it to my daughter. If we read each chapter of it in each class, it could take us well up to half a year…
But, I feel as if the sequence of the book is important, as one topic links to the ones reviewed before.
I’d love your thoughts on this.
Blessings,
Keren
Hi There!
Yes, in order to get through Kovacs you really need to read in chunks. I know some people really get lost in Rome but I think it’s important to get through Rome in 6 weeks or so – there is a lot to cover in sixth grade. If you want, I can find my book and tell you how I divided it up! Blessings, Carrie
Thanks a lot, Carrie, that would be super helpful – if not too difficult for you.
Do you mean that you read a few chapters a day?
We learn only 3 mornings a week (as I work the rest of the time), so anyway quite “behind” in the curriculum, but the thought of another 6 months of Rome seems like it would be too much…
Cheers,
keren
Hi Keren!
Oh, much more than a few chapters to get through it in a six week time frame. We could get lost in Rome, but I think it’s important to get to Medieval if possible because there is quite a bit in seventh and eighth grade if you want to end eighth grade in modern (present day, now) events.
So, I grabbed my book from downstairs and I think this was how I broke it up most recently:
Week One:
Chapters 1-5 one sitting, skip Chapter 6
Chapters 7,8,9
Chapters 10,11, 12
Week Two:
Chapters 13-19
Chapters19-27
Week Three
Chapters 28-32
Chapters 33-35
Week Four
Chapters 36-40
Chapters 40-41
Week Five
This third time I did skip 42-45 and picked up with Alban in Chapter 46
Chapters 46-50
Chapters 51-52
Week Six
Chapter 53-end of book
So there are pretty main themes the way this narrative is grouped, and I usually shoot for 1-2 main lesson book pages a week on one topic.
Hope that helps,
Carrie
Chapter
Thank you so much, Carrie! that is so helpful!! Exactly the kind of information I needed to understand how to manage this. I truly appreciate your help.
By the way, I just read your post about the 15/16 years old change – very interesting, and useful.
Warm regards,
Keren
I am glad that was helpful to you! Blessings, Carrie