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Ancient Rome: From Republic to Empire

Students explore ancient Rome — how it grew from a republic run by elected senators into a vast empire, and how its roads, laws, and ideas about government still shape our world today.

Grade 6Ancient World55 minutes1 class periodC3 InquiryExplicit teaching4 StandardsC3 + CCSS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the Roman Republic.
  • ✓Explain how it became an empire.
  • ✓Describe Roman engineering and law.
  • ✓Explain Rome’s lasting legacy.
Essential Question

A small city grew to rule the whole Mediterranean world — and its ideas outlived its empire by 1,500 years. What made Rome so powerful and so lasting?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Rome Explorer · Interactive

The Rome Explorer

Project this and tap each part of Roman history. Have students see how the republic, empire, engineering, and law shaped Rome and the world after it.

🏛️ Explore ancient Rome — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · C3 Inquiry Arc (Question · Investigate · Conclude)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Compelling Question — One City, a Whole World

5 min

How did one city end up ruling the Mediterranean?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show Rome’s growth on a map.
  • Ask how it grew so large.
  • Pose the question.

🎒 Student Actions

  • See Rome grow.
  • Wonder how.
  • Predict the reasons.
2

Investigate — Explore Rome

12 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Rome Explorer.
  • Record republic, empire, engineering, law.
  • Note the legacy.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each part.
  • Record it.
  • Name the legacy.
3

Analyze — Republic to Empire

13 min

Students analyze.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain the republic (elected senators).
  • Explain the shift to emperors.
  • Explain roads, aqueducts, and law.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain the republic.
  • Explain the empire.
  • Explain an achievement.
4

Draw Conclusions — Draw Conclusions

15 min

Students conclude.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask what made Rome last.
  • Weigh republic vs. empire.
  • Support with evidence.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain its staying power.
  • Compare the systems.
  • Use evidence.
5

Take Informed Action — Rome Around Us

5 min

Students take action.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Find Roman ideas in today’s world.
  • Explain a modern legacy (law, roads).
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find a legacy today.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies and Common Core literacy in history/social studies.

C3
D2.Civ.4.6-8

Explain the powers and limits of governments, including the idea of a republic.

C3
D2.His.14.6-8

Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments.

C3
D2.His.2.6-8

Classify developments as examples of change and continuity.

CCSS
RH.6-8.2

Determine the central ideas of a source and provide an accurate summary.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Rome picture/vocabulary cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Rome gave us ___.”
  • Timeline of republic to empire.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Focus on republic vs. empire.
  • Provide a Rome fact sheet.
  • Match term to picture.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare the Roman Republic to the U.S. system.
  • Research a Roman achievement.
  • Explain why Rome fell.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 💻The Rome Explorer
  • 🗺️A map of the Roman Empire
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

republica government of elected representativessenateRome’s council of representativesempiremany lands ruled by one poweremperorthe supreme ruler of an empireaqueducta structure that carries watercitizena member with rights in Romelawrules that govern societylegacywhat is passed on to the future
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a republic?
A government in which citizens elect representatives (like Rome’s senators) to govern for them.
QUESTION 2
Name one thing the Romans built or invented that we still use ideas from today.
Sample: roads, aqueducts, concrete, or their system of law.
QUESTION 3
How did Rome change from a republic to an empire?
Power shifted from elected senators to all-powerful emperors who ruled the vast Roman world.

Going deeper? Rome and the USA.

Have students compare the Roman Republic to the U.S. government (senate, representatives, citizenship) and list what we inherited. A printable comparison sheet is in the Social Studies library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Ancient RomeFlip
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Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Ancient RomeQuiz
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Ancient RomePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: aqueduct, citizen, emperor, empire, law, legacy, republic, senate
  1. what is passed on to the future
  2. a structure that carries water
  3. many lands ruled by one power
  4. a member with rights in Rome
  5. a government of elected representatives
  6. Rome’s council of representatives
  7. the supreme ruler of an empire
  8. rules that govern society

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a republic?
  2. Name one thing the Romans built or invented that we still use ideas from today.
  3. How did Rome change from a republic to an empire?
Answer key — Part A: 1) legacy · 2) aqueduct · 3) empire · 4) citizen · 5) republic · 6) senate · 7) emperor · 8) law
Part B: 1) A government in which citizens elect representatives (like Rome’s senators) to govern for them. 2) Sample: roads, aqueducts, concrete, or their system of law. 3) Power shifted from elected senators to all-powerful emperors who ruled the vast Roman world.