Introduction

You would think that two nations that are twenty thousand years apart would have nothing in common with one another. Well, in the next couple of weeks that is what you will be finding out. You will focus on researching the different aspects of the Roman Empire of the 1st century, enabling yourself to compare and contrast Roman life then to life in the United States now. You will first work in groups to do research, then you will work individually to write a comparative paper. Let us start to uncover how similar or different we are from the Romans of the 1st century!

Website #1

1. Click on the link http://roman-empire.net/children/history.html which will take you to the website shown above.

2. The link will take you directly to the page with some history of the Roman Empire. Read the
page and find out when the Roman empire was founded, how long it was established for, and information about the "senate". Write down any other information that you find to be important for the category you are studying.

This website introduces you to the Roman Empire and the history behind the strong nation.

Website #2

1. Click in the link http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/ which will take you to the website shown above.

2. When the page shows up click on the ENTER button. On the new page a side bar to the left of
the screen will appear with the categories:

• Emperors
• Social Order
• Life in Roman Times
• Enemies and Rebels
• Religion

Each member of the group should already have their category assigned to them. Click on your category and explore its main page and the sub-categories below it on the side bar.

3. Find interesting facts to write down that you think will help you and your group to discuss
and write about the similarities and differences between the Roman Empire and the United
States.

4. Make sure that you take your time reading through the material and that you try to make it
through all of the sub-categories.

The Paper

For the first part of the project you will be divided into groups of five, each person focusing their reasearch on one of these five categories: Emperors, Social Order, Life in Roman Times, Enemies and Rebels, and Religion. You will spend about 3 to 4 hours on the computer during class time to research your category. Once you have gathered your information, eahc person will present their facts to their group and all of you will discuss what comparisons and contrasts you can find between the Roman mnpire and the United states. After each memeber has presented their informationto the group, each student will write a 3 to 4 page paper. You will compare and contrast the Roman Empire from the United States in the five categories researched.

On the day that the paper is due, the class as a whole will talk about what they found to be similar and different between the Roman Empire and the United States.

Teacher Information

This wequest is designed for high school freshman or sophmores. This webquest allows the students to graasp a better understanding of the similarities and diffferences between life thousands of years ago and life right now. The students learn to work with their peers in groups, speak in front of a group comfortably, and to write a comparative paper.

Before the students begin the webquest, they need to know how to operate a computer, navigate the internet, take notes, and how to discuss facts and ideas with a group of their peers in a constructive way. The project will take about two-three weeks and they should spend about 3-4 hours on the computer. Extra time on the computer outside of class time is encouraged if needed.

Participation Grading:
Walk around the room and give participation points to students who are working productively while researching and cooperating with the other members of their group.

Paper Grading:
When grading the comparative papers look for:

• The student has a well rounded understanding of the similarities and differences between the Roman Empire and the United States.
• The facts are incorporated into the paper nicely.
• Grammar and Spelling
• A source cited page.