Curriculum / ELA / 3rd Grade / Alternate Unit 2: Exploring Ancient Civilizations: Rome / Lesson 4
ELA
Alternate Unit 2
3rd Grade
Lesson 4 of 21
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Explain why the Romans were always ready for war.
Book: Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13 by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce (April 2006) pp. 41 – 54
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
The author states, "The powerful Romans were always ready for war."
What details from the text best support this statement? Explain.
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What evidence does the author give to support the point that "the Roman Empire would not have been possible without the army" (42)?
What additional information about the Roman army does a reader learn from the diagram on page 43?
How did battle formations help the Roman army?
In what ways did the Romans excel at "siege" warfare? Defend.
Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
triumph
n.
(p. 42)
an important victory
siege
(p. 48)
when soldiers or police surround something to take control of it
hurl
v.
to throw with force
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RI.3.2 — Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
RI.3.3 — Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
RI.3.5 — Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
RI.3.7 — Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.3.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.3.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
RF.3.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.3.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RI.3.1 — Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RI.3.4 — Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
RI.3.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.3.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W.3.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson 3
Lesson 5
Describe how the Roman army shaped the future of the Roman Empire.
RI.3.2 RI.3.3 RI.3.5
Explain how the authors use different text features and images to describe how the Roman Empire was founded.
RI.3.2 RI.3.3 RI.3.5 RI.3.7
Writing
Make sentences better and more informative by adding more details.
L.3.1.f L.3.1.i
Explain how the text features and illustrations help build a deeper understanding of the Roman army.
RI.3.2 RI.3.5 RI.3.7
Write multiple sentences using the conjunction because to explain how powerful and organized the Roman army was.
L.3.1 L.3.1.h RI.3.3
Describe the three groups of people in ancient Rome and explain why they were important for the success of the civilization.
RI.3.2 RI.3.5 RI.3.9
Write multiple sentences using the conjunctions but and so to explain why each role in society was important.
L.3.1 L.3.1.h L.3.1.i RI.3.3
Describe what the chapter "The Eternal City" is mostly about and why the structures described were important in ancient Rome.
RI.3.2 RI.3.7
Explain how the author uses different text features and illustrations to support the idea that gladiators and bath houses were an important part of Roman society.
RI.3.2 RI.3.5
Explain what family life was like in ancient Rome and what surviving artifacts show us about what ancient Romans valued.
Explain what life was like in ancient Rome and what daily routines and structures show us about what ancient Romans valued.
Write multiple sentences using the conjunctions "because," "but," and "so" to explain what life was like in ancient Rome.
L.3.1.f L.3.1.h L.3.1.i RI.3.3
Explain the role that gods and goddesses, worship, trade, and transportation played in the Roman Empire.
RI.3.3 RI.3.7
Describe Hannibal, Julius Caesar, and Octavian, including what type of leaders they were and why.
RI.3.2 RI.3.3
Explain what caused the fall of the Roman Empire.
RI.3.3
Explain the significance of the heading "What did the Romans give us?"
Compare and contrast both unit texts by comparing and contrasting the most important key details presented in both texts.
RI.3.9
Discussion
Discuss and debate Unit Essential Questions by stating a claim and using evidence from multiple texts to support and defend the claim.
SL.3.1 SL.3.1.a SL.3.1.d
Assessment
Informative Writing – 4 days
Research another ancient Rome topic and create a brochure and visual representation to show what you learned.
L.3.2.f W.3.2 W.3.2.a W.3.2.b W.3.7 W.3.8
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