2Understanding by Design Unit Template

Title of Unit Roman societal structure Year 7

/ Big Idea
Curriculum History Time Frame 6 weeks
Area
Developed William Seddon-Quigley
By
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Descriptions
examining the evidence of the social structure of Roman society (for example, the roles of
patricians, plebeians, women and slaves in the city of Rome) and the idea of Republican virtue and
its historical resonance

Achievement Standards
They describe the effects of change on societies, individuals and groups. They describe events and
developments from the perspective of different people who lived at the time. Students explain
the role of groups and the significance of particular individuals in society. They identify past
events and developments that have been interpreted in different ways.

They examine sources to explain points of view.

Students develop texts, particularly descriptions and explanations. In developing these texts and
organising and presenting their findings, they use historical terms and concepts, incorporate
relevant sources, and acknowledge their sources of information.

General Capabilities Cross-curriculum Priorities

Ethical Understanding
Critical and Creative Thinking
Personal and Social Capability

Understandings Essential Questions

Overarching Understanding Overarching Topical
Students will understand how social What is a social What was Ancient Rome’s
classes exist in societies and how they structure and how does social structure?
interact with one another. a social structure What were the elements of
Students will understand how societies
operate? Ancient Roman citizenship
change over time because of internal and and why was it important?
external factors. What is citizenship?
How did classes in Ancient
Rome impact one another?

Related Misconceptions
That Ancient Rome had a one class How do social classes Were there any changes in
system, particularly in the Republic era. interact with one how Ancient Rome’s social
structure operated?
another?

How can societies

change over time?

Knowledge Skills
Students will know… Students will be able to…
The different social classes in Ancient Synthesize content learned in lessons and produce a
Rome perspective piece

Recognise differences in social classes by looking at distinct

How these social classes operate
characteristics of their classes (what they wore, diet,
responsibilities etc.)
How the social classes were different
Draw comparisons between Ancient Rome and modern
society
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
Performance Task Description
Students will select one of the classes that they have covered in the topic (slaves,
Perspective
plebians, patricians and leaders/emperors) and write a letter from that perspective,
letter
incorporating facts about those class in key areas of their lives (food, clothing etc.)
Other Evidence
Formative assessment
- KWL chart
- Exit cards
- Day-in-the-life letters
- Warm-up activities
Learning Plan (Stage 3)
Week 1 – Single 1
Introduction to PowerPoint on general introduction to Ancient Rome
Roman society - How does it compare to our society?
- Why is it so important?
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tClxdOsC_JY >

SHIFT: ACTIVITY: Students will be given a KWL chart to fill in. On this, they will put
Removed activity down what they know, what they want to know and what they have learned in
for double, focus this lesson. This will be used as a preassessment to see what students already
on building on have some content knowledge on Ancient Rome in general.
historical context
and ensuring
students Double
understand what a Slideshow on historical context
social class is. - What historical context actually is
- Students will complete a task where they write down key areas of
modern day historical context and we can have a discussion about
connecting these areas to the time we live in
- What Rome’s historical context was
- General introduction to social structures

ACTIVIY: Students will take an interactive tour of Ancient Rome where they
answer questions on a worksheet as they move along.
 Single 2
Introduction to slaves as the first area of social structure
- What slaves were by definition
- Slaves in Ancient Rome
- Short videos to help students understand the significance of slaves in
Ancient Roman society

ACTIVITY: Students complete an exit card at the end of the lesson based on
the most important things they had learned this week
Week 2 – the Single 1
plebians Introduce citizenship and citizenship in Ancient Rome
- What it is
- How it’s still used in the modern day
- Why it was important in Ancient Rome
- How it is significant for our unit

Double
Introduce the plebian class in Rome’s social structure through PowerPoint and
video
- Day-to-day life
- Beliefs (religious, civics etc.)
- Rights

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juWYhMoDTN0> > - day in the life of a

Roman teenager
< https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/jul/11/alfred-
seiland-photographer-imperium-romanum?fbclid=IwAR3W-
gdXJvxxKIxxnmunAuC9qgRNxyOg24rx-6S6Lk_Xed7zbhAfiayIE5o >

ACTIVITY: Students will use the knowledge they have gained from
the PowerPoint to write a story about their daily life in Rome as a
plebian teenager. They will need to include specific names of places
and activities in order to demonstrate understanding.

Single 2

ACTIVITY: Continue to work on their daily life as plebian teenager. Hand up

at end of the lesson.

Week 3 – the Single 1

patricians PowerPoint on patricians
What was the difference between plebians and patricians?

Double
PowerPoint on notable patrician families (etc. Julii Caesares)

ACTIVITY: Students will be given a sheet of paper with a list of rights and
privileges. They will then have to decide whether these rights are applicable to
plebians, patricians or both.

Introduction of women in Rome. Note the lack of information on women

despite it being a well-documented era. Why do you think this is?
- Discuss the lack of women in Roman politics
 - They could not vote or hold political office (how has this changed
now?)

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQMgLxVxsrw >

COMPLETE QUIZ AFTERWARDS
< https://www.tes.com/lessons/J0wFM9R10JAUNQ/ancient-roman-men-women
>

ACTIVITY: Students will be given a bunch of different things relating to either

the lives of plebians or patricians. They will then have to sort these out and put
them together to form a coherent whole. After that, they will write a written
response about how they are similar and different.

Question: To what extent were the plebians and patricians of Rome different
from one another? Use the answers from the sorting activity to guide what you
are saying.

Single 2

Introduction to Pompeii
- What it was
- Why it was so famous
- What a case study is and why they are important
- BCE vs CE

ACTIVITY: Students will complete a timeline sheet with key events from the
history of Ancient Rome and answer questions based on these events

Week 4 – Pompeii Single 1

case study PowerPoint continuing introduction to Pompeii
- Introduction activity (write as much as you can in 5 mins to explain this
image)
- Where it was in Italy
- History of the region
- What happened on 79CE

ACTIVITY: Students will continue and complete the worksheet that they
started on Friday

Double
PowerPoint on relating Pompeii to our unit
- Insight into daily Roman life
- Why Pompeii is an important part of understanding ancient history
- The importance of preserving history by looking at known ancient
wonders of the world vs. ones that aren’t (Giza vs. Babylon)

ACTIVITY: Students will access ClickView and complete an interactive

documentary where they are prompted to answer questions in their book
based on relevant, key pieces of information about Pompeii
https://online.clickview.com.au/exchange/categories/294/history/videos/25213/
pompeii

Single
Students will continue to work on their interactive documentary task, after
which I will collect their books and assess what they have completed
 Week 5 – the Single 1
Emperor Introduction to the Emperor and the role they played in Ancient Rome
- Day-to-day jobs
- Dictatorship
- The Senate
- What powers these Emperors had

ACTIVITY: What powers do you think an Emperor or leader of a society

should have? What kinds of powers goes too far in your mind? What do you
think should happen if a leader does cross these lines?

Double
Slideshow focusing on the life and death of Julius Caesar
- His early life
- Achievements
- Dictatorship and death
- Why his legacy is important

ACTIVITY: Students will be introduced to their summative assessment – a

letter where they write from the perspective of a Roman social class. They will
be expected to choose their class and the three key areas of life that they will
write about this lesson

Single 2
ACTIVITY: Students will be shown a range of video clips and complete a small
worksheet as they watch them. This should begin to populate their letters with
specific ideas on Ancient Roman life, and will be particularly useful with having
them develop ideas for explaining Ancient Rome with sensory language.

Week 6 – In the final week, students will continue to work on and finish their
assessment work assessment pieces (letter perspective task). The task will be handed
up in the second single and marked before the start of the next week.

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)
 LESSON PLAN 1

Learning area: History Year level: 7

Strand/Unit Title: Ancient Rome Time: 50

mins
Lesson topic: Pompeii case study

AIM: (Based on the Australian Curriculum learning area/s achievement standards, general capabilities and
cross-curriculum priorities)

Students explain the role of groups and the significance of particular individuals in society. They
identify past events and developments that have been interpreted in different ways.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: (What will students learn?)

Students will begin to learn about the importance of Pompeii as a historical place and why looking at a
case study such as Pompeii can benefit them in the area of history. This will be beneficial for students to
connect what they have learned in a general sense (social classes etc.) to something specific with
Pompeii, so they can actually relate the content to a historical place that still exists. We will expand on this
idea in the double lesson.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT: (How will you know if students have learned it or not?)

I will know whether students have achieved the learning outcomes by having discussions during the
slideshow. Furthermore, I will have them answer a series of questions that prompt them to discuss a
connection between the content we have covered so far with social structures and how it might be relevant
to look at Pompeii.

ASSESSMENT: (How will you assess your own performance and student learning?)

I will assess my own learning by the level of student discussion and at the end of the week when I collect
their books. I understand this isn’t the most effective way of assessing performance and student learning
but I think it makes sense considering this whole week is dedicated to one case study.

KEY REFERENCES & RESOURCES:

Slideshow
Worksheet from last lesson

1.1.1.1.1 TEACHING PROCESS

TIME STEPS COMMENTS
Approx. Some NEPs struggle with
15 mins 1. INTRODUCTION (whole class) the warm-up activity, so I
have added prompting
I will recap what we learned on Friday with the introduction of Pompeii and
what a case study is. This will allow students to understand the context of the questions to facilitate
lesson in the wider unit, particularly with a concept such as a case study. I them.
will also conduct a warm-up activity in this time to help students settle after
lunch time. This is an adaptation I have made due to previous weeks, where
students were struggling to focus after being out of the classroom. It only
goes for five minutes but settles students adequately.
Approx. Videos and images will
15 mins 2. EXPLICIT TEACHING (whole class) make it easier for some
and/or students to understand
these areas of Pompeii. I
GUIDED DISCOVERY (whole class)
will need to find ones with
simple vocabulary.
For explicit teaching, I will conduct a slideshow about Pompeii. This
will specifically look to build on the previous lesson where Pompeii
was introduced briefly. This lesson will specifically focus on what
happened to Pompeii as well as a general overview of its history. I
will connect previous parts of the unit to this slideshow (such as
farming and patrician housing) to facilitate understanding for students
who are struggling to understand why we are studying Pompeii.

Approx. I will need to offer explicit

20 mins 2. EXPLORATION (group/individual learning activities) assistance to some of the
Students will continue to work on the sheet they were given on Friday. students, particularly two
This worksheet will benefit them with the idea of understanding when NEPs who struggle with
Pompeii took place in the wider context of Ancient Rome. It will also their literacy. Others will
develop their knowledge of the concept of BCE and CE, which is need no help at all.
relevant to the Pompeii case study and later in the unit.

Approx. 5
mins 3. CONCLUSION (whole class share/reflect)

Students will have a short discussion regarding the later questions on

the sheet, that ask them to choose out particular events and why they
are interested in them.

NOTE: This planning format is available for students to download from FLO and is planned to cover two A4
pages when used. The “Comments” column can be used for differentiation based on student interests, talents
and learning difficulties.
 LESSON PLAN 2

Learning area: History Year level: 7

Strand/Unit Title: Ancient Rome Time: 100

mins
Lesson topic: Pompeii

AIM: (Based on the Australian Curriculum learning area/s achievement standards, general capabilities and
cross-curriculum priorities)

Students suggest reasons for change and continuity over time. They describe the effects of change
on societies, individuals and groups.

Students develop texts, particularly descriptions and explanations.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: (What will students learn?)

Students will learn about the importance of Pompeii as a historical location, as well as more general
concepts such as why it is important to preserve parts of Ancient Rome for future generations. Then, the
focus will move to a narrower scope by having students who looked at the lifestyle of people living in
Pompeii in order to associate this case study with the goals of the wider unit.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT: (How will you know if students have learned it or not?)
I will know whether students have achieved the learning goals through a series of short, prompting
questions that students will answer during the initial slideshow. After this, their achievement will also be
shown through the completion of the interactive documentary in the second half of the lesson.

ASSESSMENT: (How will you assess your own performance and student learning?)
I will assess my own learning through the quality of discussion and analysis that students are able to show.
Furthermore, their ability to connect the information in the documentary to what we are learning about in
the wider unit will be a key indicator of their learning.

KEY REFERENCES & RESOURCES:

Slideshow
Prompting questions
ClickView documentary

1.1.1.1.2 TEACHING PROCESS

TIME STEPS COMMENTS
Approx. This will allow those
10 mins 1. INTRODUCTION (whole class) more inquisitive to have
some extra questions
I will recap the last lesson, including the background of Pompeii, how it is
relevant to last lesson and what we are covering this lesson. I can also use addressed. This will still
this time to clear up some lingering questions student had from last lesson benefit all students in
(such as whether Mt. Vesuvius is active). terms of content.
Approx. I have tried to make this
40 mins 2. EXPLICIT TEACHING (whole class) section of the lesson
and/or more accessible for all
students by combining
GUIDED DISCOVERY (whole class)
multiple areas for
discussion. This should
There is a relatively extensive slideshow with the content for this
lesson. However, I have included a range of videos and prompting help more students
questions that will facilitate student discussion. I have purposely develop inquiry questions
used the same types of resources that have sparked student that are related to the
discussion before, particularly from a variety of students, not just the unit.
traditionally verbal ones. This should allow the presentation to be
more dynamic and interesting for students, particularly with the
more interactive sections of the slideshow.
Approx. NEP students might
45 mins 2. EXPLORATION (group/individual learning activities) struggle with some of
This part of the lesson is dedicated to students accessing a the language in the
ClickView documentary. This documentary is made to be video, therefore the
interactive, where students are required to answer questions or take expectation for them is
part in polls before they move on. In theory, this should encourage to answer only specific
students to participate and write down the answers in their book in types of questions
order to progress. marked by a particular
colour on the
documentary.

Approx.
5 mins 3. CONCLUSION (whole class share/reflect)

Students will discuss one of the key facts that they have learned
from this documentary, and mark where they reached in the video in
preparation for the single tomorrow.

NOTE: This planning format is available for students to download from FLO and is planned to cover two A4
pages when used. The “Comments” column can be used for differentiation based on student interests, talents
and learning difficulti
 LESSON PLAN 3

Learning area: History Year level: 7

Strand/Unit Title: Ancient Rome Time: 53

mins
Lesson topic: Pompeii

AIM: (Based on the Australian Curriculum learning area/s achievement standards, general capabilities
and cross-curriculum priorities)
Students explain the role of groups and the significance of particular individuals in society. They
identify past events and developments that have been interpreted in different ways.

Students suggest reasons for change and continuity over time. They describe the effects of
change on societies, individuals and groups.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: (What will students learn?)

Students will continue to develop their knowledge on Pompeii and the differences between social
classes in Ancient Rome. This will be based on completing the documentary started last lesson and
ensuring that students complete all the necessary questions.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT: (How will you know if students have learned it or not?)
I will know students have learned the content or not if they are able to articulate answers in
discussions and their completion of questions in their book. For some students, simply showing the
comprehension will be enough whereas others will be encouraged to use their analysis in their
answers.

ASSESSMENT: (How will you assess your own performance and student learning?)
I will assess my own performance and student learning by students answering the prescribed as part
of the interactive documentary. This will be collected at the end of the lesson.

KEY REFERENCES & RESOURCES:

ClickView interactive documentary
Slideshow

1.1.1.1.3 TEACHING PROCESS

TIME STEPS COMMENTS
Approx. Prompting questions and
10 1. INTRODUCTION (whole class) a big, clear picture will
minutes be provided for NEPs
I will recap the content from last lesson to students, emphasizing key points
that will be relevant to them this lesson. Similar to Monday, we will also do a that struggle with the
warm-up activity again, as to settle students after lunch. This works well creative side of the
with this class, who need the silence to cool down. warm-up activity.
Approx.
2 2. EXPLICIT TEACHING (whole class)
minutes and/or

GUIDED DISCOVERY (whole class)

I will discuss what we are doing today with the continuation of the
documentary activity. I want to dedicate as little time as possible to
doing this to allow students as much time as they can to complete
the documentary.

Approx. I will provide more

35 2. EXPLORATION (group/individual learning activities) explicit support for
minutes Students will continue with their documentary activity. students who need it,
and can group these
students on a small table
in the centre of the class.
Approx.
5 mins 3. CONCLUSION (whole class share/reflect)

I will collect student work after the class.

NOTE: This planning format is available for students to download from FLO and is planned to cover two
A4 pages when used. The “Comments” column can be used for differentiation based on student interests,
talents and learning difficulties.