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Roman Games — Lūdī

Eighth graders explore Roman entertainment — the Colosseum, gladiators, chariot races at the Circus Maximus, and the theater — the spectacles that thrilled ancient Rome, and roots like “gladiator” and “car.”

Grade 8Lūdī Rōmānī50 minutes1 class periodClassical LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name Roman games.
  • ✓Explore Roman entertainment.
  • ✓Spot English roots.
  • ✓Understand the spectacles.
Essential Question

The Romans loved a good show! From gladiators to chariot races, what were the games (lūdī) of Rome?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Lūdī Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students learn about Roman entertainment.

🏟️ Explore Roman games — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — The Romans Loved a Show

5 min

From gladiators to chariot races, what were the games of Rome?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show the Colosseum.
  • Ask what happened there.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Lūdī Rōmānī

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Lūdī Explorer.
  • Present each.
  • Note “gladiator, car.”

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Match games to places.
  • Name a spectacle.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Name it.
  • Say.
4

Speak — Speak

12 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe a Roman game.
  • Compare to today’s sports.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Describe.
  • Compare.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a Roman game.
  • Say where it happened.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Standards for Classical Language Learning (ACL/ACTFL, Introductory).

ACL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Roman entertainment.

ACL
Cultures 2.2

Explore cultural products (games).

ACL
Comparisons 4.2

Find Latin roots in English.

ACL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand game words.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Game picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ was for ___.”
  • Use Roman art.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Colosseum and gladiator.
  • Use pictures.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare to modern sports.
  • Find “gladiator, arena.”
  • Research the Colosseum.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🏟️Roman art images
  • 💻The Lūdī Explorer
  • 📚History books
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

lūdīgamesColosseumColosseumgladiātorgladiatorcircusracetrackcurruschariottheatrumtheaterarēnaarenaspectāculumspectacle
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 happened at the Colosseum?
Gladiator fights and spectacles.
QUESTION 2
What happened at the Circus Maximus?
Thrilling chariot races.
QUESTION 3
What English word comes from “currus” (chariot)?
Car.

Reflect: lūdī Rōmānī.

Have students name two Roman entertainments and where they happened (like chariot races → Circus Maximus). A printable games sheet is in the World Languages 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.

🃏 Roman Games (Lūdī Rōmānī)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Roman Games (Lūdī Rōmānī)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
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.

🖨️ Roman Games (Lūdī Rōmānī)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: arēna, circus, Colosseum, currus, gladiātor, lūdī, spectāculum, theatrum
  1. arena
  2. gladiator
  3. Colosseum
  4. spectacle
  5. racetrack
  6. theater
  7. chariot
  8. games

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What happened at the Colosseum?
  2. What happened at the Circus Maximus?
  3. What English word comes from “currus” (chariot)?
Answer key — Part A: 1) arēna · 2) gladiātor · 3) Colosseum · 4) spectāculum · 5) circus · 6) theatrum · 7) currus · 8) lūdī
Part B: 1) Gladiator fights and spectacles. 2) Thrilling chariot races. 3) Car.