Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was the centre  of one of the largest empires on earth. It was an empire that, at its largest, included the north coast of Africa, half of Europe, and part of the Middle East. It included millions of people who spoke many different languages and had many different customs. It lasted for almost 1,000 years and greatly influenced the civilization in which we live.
Historians say there are many reasons why the Roman Empire ended.  Some of those reasons are listed below. As you read them, think of how they compare to the problems our society faces today.
Why did Roman civilization fall?
­ – dependence of towns and cities on the central government
­ – weak leaders who did not understand how to take care of the economy
­-  some very rich people and many very poor people, without many people in between
­-  cheap metal used in coins instead of valuable metals
­ – more and more taxes to pay for government needs
­-  luxurious living
­-  assassination of leaders
­ – not enough strong leaders
–  violence in public amusements

­ – many people who claimed they should 
– receive food and clothing without having to work for it
­-  destruction of newborn babies
­-  frequent plagues and diseases
­ – more and more people moving into the empire (unlimited immigration)
­ – civil wars
­ – no improvement in technology
­-  a bigger and bigger army to take care of threats to the empire
­-  people who did not want to work
Process of Learning
1. Divide these problems into 3 or 4 groups.
2. Explain how you decided on these groups.
3. Highlight the problems that you have noticed in our own civilization.
 
Higher Process
1. Choose one problem that also appears in our society.
2. Find 5 to 7 examples to prove that it occurs in our society.
3. Provide a reliable source of information for each example.
Possible reliable sources:
­-  informed adults
­-  World Book Online
­-  books from the library
­-  newspapers and journals
 
Highest Process
Write 1 ­ 3 paragraphs describing the 
problem you researched and providing 
real­ life examples
Criteria:
­ – deep thinking, insightful comments
­- concrete examples as evidence
­-  good organization: topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence
­-  smoothly flowing style with transition words
­-  perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation
­- neat and attractive
­-  bibliography of sources of information
 
A Problem from Ancient Rome
A. The Problem:
B. Signs Today
 1.
        Citation: (Use the online citation builder.)
 2.
     Citation: 
3. 
     Citation:
4.
     Citation:
5. 
     Citation
C. A Thoughtful Paragraph
 1. Introductory sentence/s
  2. 5 – ­10 supporting sentences
  3. Concluding sentence/s
 

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