The Roman Hall of Fame

Name:Block:

The roman Hall of Fame…

Or Hall of Shame!

In Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony delivers a speech after the assassination of Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar.

Your task is to research one Roman emperor and decide how he should be remembered. Do his evil acts live on after him? Or should we remember the good things he did? Did he maintain, or even increase, the legitimacy of the Roman Empire? Or did he put the empire’s legitimacy in danger? After your research is complete, you will create a Thinglink or write a letter nominating the leader into the Hall of Fame for his outstanding accomplishments--or to the Hall of Shame for his notorious, despicable acts.

Roman Emperors

Antoninus Pius*

Augustus

Caligula

Claudius

Commodus

Constantine

Diocletian

Domitian

Galerius*

Hadrian

Marcus Aurelius*

Nero

Nerva*

Theodosius*

Tiberius

Trajan

Vespasian

*more challenging topics

Objectives—What’s the point of this activity?

1. research a topic using reliable sources of information

2. find and use print sources, on-line databases, including encyclopedias

3. organize research notes using electronic note cards

4. create a Works Cited page using NoodleTools

5. use research notes to analyze the accomplishments of a Roman leader

6. communicate what you learn to others in a clear, engaging manner

Roman Hall of Fame/Shame Requirements

You will receive 3 grades: on your research process, Works Cited page, and the product

Research Process

Wide variety of sources

print sources (books) – you must have one book
on-line databases from the LHS Library site (i.e., ABC-Clio)
at least one additional source
total of four or more sources (ABC-Clio, Grolier, book, other) cited on Works Cited page
at least two sources cited in text

High quality research notes

25-40 note cards
thoughtful headings & sub-headings (titles on electronic cards & piles) that demonstrate some initial analysis (explaining why accomplishments matter)

Product (Letter or Thinglink)

Nomination Statement(aka thesis statement)

create a well-written thesis statement that includes:

address the critic, central idea, organizing idea

Although…. your position… because…

If you wish you may nominate the emperor for a special award—i.e., Lifetime Achievement in Civic Virtue

Background Paragraph

introduce emperor by providing historical context for his actions

3 Paragraphs Supporting the Nomination

use 3 categories as organizing ideas (i.e., military leadership, lack of civic virtue…consider using PERSIA GEM categories/sub-categories)
clearly present at least one piece of evidence for each organizing idea
thoroughly analyze each piece of evidence

Conclusion

provide a reflective sense of closure

Remind the committee of your thesis (but do not restate it word for word) Explain the larger importance of this leader’s accomplishments.

Some questions you might consider:

What larger significance do this emperor’s accomplishments hold?

What do they reveal about the Roman Empire?

What do they tell us about the nature of power?

Illustrations

2 or more illustrations that relate to evidence supporting the nomination
Credit source of each illustration, placing the url under the image in size 8 font
url should stop after 3 letter suffix (.com, .edu, .org, etc)

Style

write in a clear, detailed and engaging style
Thinglink should be folded with 3 sections, front and back(templates are on Word)
letter should include appropriate greeting and closing

Works Cited

MLA Format (remember to export to Word from NoodleTools)

Getting Started with Research

Homework #2

Step 1: Find an article on Grolier

Go to the LHS Library home page: Google LHS library or type the address into your browser: If this isn’t bookmarked on your home computer already, do so now. Seriously!
Click on Databases (on the left)
Click onEncyclopedias, find and click on Grolier Online
If you are using a computer outside of school, you’ll need the user name and password, which is “lexstu” “lexstu” (Both are the same)
Type the name of your assigned emperor into the search bar.
When your search results appear you can choose whatever article looks like it would be helpful (it should be several paragraphs in length)
Don’t waste a lot of time finding the “perfect” article. This is your starting place. It is important that the article be several paragraphs in length and at appropriate reading level.
Save the article by emailing it to yourself

Step 2: Create a citation using NoodleTools

Go back to the LHS Library home page:
Select Research Tools (on the left)
ClickonNoodleTools and sign in
Select Create New Project (in the top right hand corner)
Select MLAand Junior, create a name for the project in the Description box (Rome project, Emperor project), and select Create Project
Select Bibliography from the menu at the top of the page
Create a citation for the Grolier article
Check that the citation you created is identical to the one at the end of the article

Tips for generating your Grolier citation

All the info you need is in the MLA citation found at the end of your Grolier article
Grolier is a Reference Source
Grolier is a Database (click on Database tab)
Grolier is an E-publication
Date of access is the day you printed the article
Date of publication is 2014
Grolier is an Encylopedia(type of reference source)
You do not need to fill in every box. For example, you don’t need to enter the URL

Step 3: Share your project with Ms. McEvoy

Make sure you are on the Dashboard
Click on Share project with a teacher’s drop box
Start typing McEvoy
Select McEvoy – Roman Emperor Hall of Fame or Shame
Click Share Project (it’s up to you whether you want to share your Google Drive paper or not)

Step 4: Read and annotate or take notes on the article.

Focus on the emperor’s background and what he did during his reign

Continuing with Research

Databases

To access the database World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras database through ABC-Clio follow these directions:

Go to the LHS Library home page:
Click on Databases (on the left)
Click on Social Science in the yellow bar at the top
Click on ABC-Clio Social Studies Database (this should be the top choice)
If you are using a computer outside of school, you’ll need the user name and password which is “lexstu” “lexstu” (Both are the same)
Select theWorld History: Ancient and Medieval Erasdatabase under the Database Links (on the right hand side)
Type the name of the emperor or another related phrase into the search bar
Print the article that is most helpful to you
Create a citation usingNoodleTools
Take notes on electronic note cards

Other databases and encyclopedias that may be helpful are:

Encyclopaedia Britannica
World Book Encyclopedia
Marshal Cavendish Digital
Biography in Context

To find a list of the database and encyclopedia usernames and passwords

Go to the LHS Library home page:
Click on Databases (on the left)
At the top of the page on the right hand side select Passwords
Enter lhslibrary

Finding Books Using the LHS Catalog

Go to the LHS Library home page:
Select Lexington High under Search Catalog on the left hand side of the homepage
Select Lexington High
Search for print sources in the catalog that are related to the Roman Empire (try several different search broad terms)

Look over the search results. You can see more about the book if you click on it or by selecting Details.
If the book looks like it will be useful, click on Add to This List.
Search some more. Your goal is to have at least 4 books. You don’t necessarily have to use all 4 for your project, but this many will give you a good assortment of books to choose from.
When you are done, click on In this List, select Printable in the top right hand corner. Print the list and bring it to class

What should I be taking notes on?

Background Information

Before deciding whether this Roman emperor deserves to be in the Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame, you need to know a little bit about him. Some questions to get you started:

Who is this emperor?
When did he rule?
How did he come to power?
What was going on in Rome during his lifetime?
What kind of person was he?
What kind of family was he from?
Who were his allies and enemies?
How and why did he leave office?

Accomplishments

The big question is:

Does this emperor belong in the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Shame?

Some questions to consider as you make your decision:

Did this leader help Rome grow in power and influence? In other words, did he increase the legitimacy of the Roman Empire?
Did he contribute to Rome’s downfall and ultimate collapse? In other words, did he put the empire’s legitimacy in danger?
Did he make a unique contribution to the world?

You need to have solid reasons to back up your answers to these questions. In other words, you need evidence to support your nomination. You need to know what this emperor did, so your notes should include descriptions of this emperor’s actions, decisions, speeches, political motivations. You will also need to provide in text citations (at least 1 paraphrased statement and 1 direct quote) so be mindful of this as you take notes.

In addition to describing what the emperor did, you also need to provide analysis. As you’ve learned this year, analysis is an explanation. Analyzing begins with asking why and how.

Why did the emperor take certain actions or say certain things?
Why did his actions matter?
How were his actions judged by people of his time?
How do we judge his actions today?

Your sources may give you different answers to these questions. Your sources may not answer these questions at all. Whether you find these answers or not, your job is to draw your own conclusions based on the evidence. The more evidence you can find, the stronger your case will be that this leader deserves to be in the Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame.

PERSIA GEM

Politics:Government

What is the system of government? Who makes the decisions or laws? Does the system work? How does it impact people?

Economics:Management of material wealth

What resources, goods, or services are produced? What do they import? Export? With whom do they trade? Who makes the decisions about the economy?

Religion:Supernatural belief, morals

What do people believe about god? What ethics guide people’s ideas about right and wrong? How does religion influence the society? Are the beliefs written down?

Society: Individuals living as members of a community

How is society organized? Is there a caste or class system? How are classes decided? What are the common traditions?

Intellect:Education, Learning, and Philosophy.

What knowledge is valued? What new ideas are embraced? How is knowledge passes on? Are there schools? Who attends? Who are the intellectuals? How much status do they have?

Arts:Music, Sculpture, Painting, Theater

What kinds of art are created? How is it valued? Who are the artists? How does one become an artist?

Geography:Physical features, Land, Climate

Where is the society located? How do climate and landforms affect the ways people live and work? How do people interact with nearby societies?

Engineering: Tools, Technology, Inventions

How do people use science and math to make work easier? What do people build? How do they build things?

Military:Soldiers and armed forces.

How are the armed forces organized? How and why do they fight? What place does the military have in society? What weapons do they use? What are their tactics or strategies?

Notecards

For each notecard you should only enter information into the Direct Quoteand/ or Paraphrase field. Most of the time you should be using the Paraphrase field only.

If want to record a direct quote, write or copy/paste the information into the Direct Quote box. You are then required to paraphrase the meaning of the quote in the Paraphrase field
If you are taking bullet point notes, add notes to the Paraphrase box.
You should only write down notes related to the heading of the notecard

The Title field will only let you use the same title once. If you want to use the same title for multiple sources then add a different number next to the title. For example: Improving Infrastructure 1, Improving Infrastructure 2

The My Ideas field (scroll down; it’s just under the area captured in the screen shot) is where you can record ideas, ask questions, brainstorm and/or comment on your notes.

SAVE your work.

After you save your notecard, you can then create Piles on the Notecard Table. The Piles created should be based on notecards with similar titles and/or notes (consider using PERSIA GEMs/subcategories of PERSIA GEMs). The titles of the piles can then serve as possible categories for your paragraphs.

Citing Sources

In history essays, sources are credited in a broad, general way and a specific, detailed way

Broadly Credit Sources by including a Works Cited page at the end of the essay

show reader where information came from
give credit to historians who have written on the topic
use NoodleTools to be sure information is presented in proper format

Specifically Credit Sources by citing sources within the essay to support your claims

Direct quotations are used when…
Quoting from a primary source because your claim is based on the specific words used by people from the time period
Using specific interpretation or analysis that is unique to the historian whose work you read
At least one direct quote is required for this project

Paraphrased information is cited when…
Using evidence that includes highly specific details such as statistics, a particularly detailed description of people, places or events
Using evidence that differs from information you read in another source (cite only the source you are using)
You should have a total of two or more citations in this essay

Remember: Citations support your claim, but not every claim needs a citation

Do NOT cite the source when…
similar information is found in multiple sources. This is called common knowledge.

The way to cite sources in the text:
Use quotation marks only for direct quotes

One of his advisors said Shi Huangdi had “the heart of a tiger or a wolf” (Paludan 16).

Put information into your own words (paraphrase); don’t need quotation marks
Put first word or phrase of Works Cited entry in parentheses (followed by page number if it’s a printed source)
Punctuation (comma, period) goes after the parentheses

Highways were 300 feet wide with pine trees planted on the side (“Quin Shi Huang-Di”).

NoteCard Rome Rubric

Exemplary / Proficient / Developing / Limited
Sources /

Uses 3 or more highly appropriate print and on-line sources including library databases

Gathered information for Works Citedaccurately

Uses 3 relevant print and on-line sources including library databases

Most information gathered for Works Cited is accurate

Has only used 2 print and on-line sources

Some information gathered for Works Citedis accurate

Uses too few sources; has not yet used print or on-line sources

Did not gather enough information for Works Cited

Notes /

Takes high quality notes that are extensive, rich and thorough; My Ideas box shows thoughtfulness

Consistently uses clear, descriptive titles that show analytical thinking

Has met or exceeded expected number of note cards

Takes accurate notes that provide sufficient information; uses my ideas box appropriately

Uses some titles that make analysis easier

Making good progress toward expected number of note cards

Takes notes that do not provide enough information

Uses vague, general titles making analysis difficult

Needs to make more progress in order to have expected number of note cards

Takes poor quality notes

Does not use titles on note cards

Making poor progress toward expected number of note cards

Electronic Note Cards /

Most notes paraphrase information from sources; direct quotations are well-chosen and paraphrased

Uses both direct quotations and paraphrasing in notes

Most notes are direct quotations cut and pasted into note cards

All notes are direct quotations cut and pasted into note cards