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Roman Social Classes — Ōrdinēs

Ninth graders explore the social order of ancient Rome — the noble patricians and the common plebeians — sorting the ranks of Roman society, from senators to craftsmen, to understand how Rome was structured.

Grade 9Ōrdinēs Societātis55 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…

  • ✓Explain Roman classes.
  • ✓Tell noble from common.
  • ✓Sort the ranks.
  • ✓Understand Roman society.
Essential Question

Roman society was sharply divided. Who belonged to the noble class, and who were the common people?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Nōbilēs an Plēbēiī?

Project this and sort each into nōbilēs (nobles) or plēbēiī (common people).

🏛️ Sort each — noble or common?Try it
👑 Nōbilēs (nobles)
👥 Plēbēiī (common)
Tap a rank, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — A Divided Society

6 min

Roman society was sharply divided — who was noble, and who was common?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask who ran Rome.
  • Ask who did the work.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wonder.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Ōrdinēs Societātis

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present the classes.
  • Say who each was.
  • Note the divide.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Sort Them

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Nōbilēs an Plēbēiī?
  • Sort each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe a class.
  • Explain the divide.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Describe.
  • Explain.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a noble rank.
  • Name a common rank.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Built to the standards you report on

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

ACL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Roman society.

ACL
Cultures 2.2

Explore social structure.

ACL
Connections 3.2

Connect to social history.

ACL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare social classes.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Class picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ were ___.”
  • Use a society pyramid.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with patriciī vs plēbs.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Use a pyramid.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Explain how classes changed.
  • Compare to modern society.
  • Research the plebs.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🏛️A society pyramid
  • 💻Nōbilēs an Plēbēiī?
  • 📚History books
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

societāssocietyōrdōclass/orderpatriciīpatricianssenātorsenatorplēbscommonersartifexcraftsmanmercātormerchantcīviscitizen
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
Who were the patriciī?
The noble, wealthy families of Rome.
QUESTION 2
Who were the plēbs?
The common people — the majority of Romans.
QUESTION 3
Was a senator noble or common?
Noble.

Reflect: ōrdinēs societātis.

Have students name one noble rank and one common rank in Roman society. A printable classes 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 Social Classes (Ōrdinēs Societātis)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 Social Classes (Ōrdinēs Societātis)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 Social Classes (Ōrdinēs Societātis)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: artifex, cīvis, mercātor, patriciī, plēbs, senātor, societās, ōrdō
  1. craftsman
  2. senator
  3. merchant
  4. commoners
  5. society
  6. citizen
  7. patricians
  8. class/order

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Who were the patriciī?
  2. Who were the plēbs?
  3. Was a senator noble or common?
Answer key — Part A: 1) artifex · 2) senātor · 3) mercātor · 4) plēbs · 5) societās · 6) cīvis · 7) patriciī · 8) ōrdō
Part B: 1) The noble, wealthy families of Rome. 2) The common people — the majority of Romans. 3) Noble.