Alternative Calamity Day Make-Up – Lesson Plan #2

World History – Juniors & Seniors

· Topic: The Ancient Romans and the Colosseum

· Directions: Visit the following website and learn about “building the Colosseum of death”

· http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/colosseum/index_embed.shtml

· When you visit the site you must first do the following:

o A. Click “play” to begin the animation

o B. Read/scroll through the information about the Colosseum and click “continue” when you finish reading.

o C. Explore/read about the following areas by moving your mouse over the graphic of the Colosseum and selecting them:

§ “The awnings”

§ “The plan”

§ “Seating and society”

§ “The arena”

§ “The substructure”

· After you have read the information, you must write a journal entry in which you are a Roman citizen discussing the wonders of the Colosseum.

**1 page minimum in which you discuss the following topics:

o A. What was the purpose of the Colosseum?

o B. Under which Roman ruler was the Colosseum built?

o C. Why were awnings built at the top of the Colosseum?

o D. Discuss the seating capacity of this arena.

o E. Also, explain how seating was arranged at events

o F. Describe the purpose of the substructure of the Colosseum

· Estimated Duration: 1 hour

· Standards Connections:

o Academic Content Standards – History, People in Societies, Geography

o Students explain how people create places (The Colosseum) that reflect culture, human needs, government policy, current values, etc.

· Materials and Resources: Access to the Internet; paper and pencil