Build Rome in a Day
Ancient History or Latin Lesson Plan
Designed by Katie Ward, Polytechnic School, Pasadena, California
Rome Lesson Plan
CONSTRUCTING THE MONUMENTS
Time management
Teachers may choose to give the students class time to work on constructing their models, or they can have the students build their monuments at home.
Teachers should check the students’ blueprints about one week after the assignment was first given, to make sure they have drawn their scale correctly.
Three to five weeks is a reasonable amount of time to give the students to complete their models, depending on the age of the students, and whether they are writing a paper along with their constructions. (A writing component is not described on this website.)
The Student Assignment Packet includes a "Parent Signature Form," which lists the deadlines for the different components of the projects. By having the parents sign off on the deadlines, the teacher can be certain that the parents are aware that their child has a project due and they will not be surprised by a child announcing that the assignment is due next week.
Materials
Foam board is the most commonly used material for the construction of the monuments, but students have also successfully used Styrofoam, clay and cardboard. Popsicle sticks, straws, coffee stirrers and small wooden dowels make good columns. I do not let my students use edible materials, but that is a personal preference.
(Optional) I tell my students not to paint or color their monuments, to just leave them white. I find that when they try to paint, texture or otherwise color the buildings, it makes the construction more complicated and difficult, and it can ruin a good model if the coloring goes wrong. It also can add significantly to the expense of making the models. Furthermore, I like the uniformity of the look of the monuments when they are all white. Students may draw details like columns or arches on their monuments in black or grey ink or paint. I tell them that there are exceptions to my rule. If there is greenery in the form of landscaping on or around the building, they can make that green, and if there is water (like a pool or fountain), they can make that blue. They may also paint statues metallic colors, if this is appropriate.
Parental assistance
I tell the students that this project is for them to build, not for their parents. It can be very tempting for parents to want to help. It would be a fun project for a parent to do with their child and they want their child to do well, but the students need to tell their parents to let them make their own projects.
As always, there are some exceptions. If there is a task that a parent feels is dangerous, like cutting with a utility knife or a saw, the parent may help. However, any direct assistance that a parent gives must be recorded on an index card an attached in a visible spot on the project: "Thank you to my dad for cutting out the arches with a utility knife." I tell the students that they will not be penalized for receiving parental assistance, but that they will not get credit for the work that a parent did. They generally agree that this is fair. I also tell them that they will be doing an important thing in giving credit where it is due for any assistance given. I then get bombarded with “what if” questions about whether they need to give credit if a parent drove them to the store to purchase materials, or gave them an idea, or held something down while they glued it. Teachers should use their judgment in answering those questions, but my rule of thumb is that they only need to write a card if a parent physically changed the project in some way with their contribution.
In my experience, this policy works well. The projects come in looking good, but also looking like they were made by kids and not by professionals, which is exactly what I want.