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LESSON PLANS
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Ancient Greek democracy
Is inquiry focuses on the government of Ancient Greece, specifically the creation of the Greek democracy. The questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry asks students to consider the meaning of democracy and whose voices were heard in the original democracy and whose were not.
Through analysis of videos, photographs of ancient artifacts, political cartoons and graphs students develop an argument supported by evidence that answers the compelling question, “Was Greek democracy a success?”
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Fall of the Qin DynastyAfter centuries of war among the states of ancient China, the Qin conquered all others in just twenty-five years. Under the rule of Qin, China saw sweeping reforms and massive public works projects. Despite these achievements, the Qin dynasty lasted only fifteen years. In this lesson, students read three documents to answer the question: What caused the fall of the Qin dynasty?
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Roman RepublicFor hundreds of years, people have drawn connections between the political systems of the Roman Republic and the United States. In particular, they've pointed to both governments' systems of checks and balances and elections of representatives. Yet historians continue to debate whether the Roman Republic can accurately be called a democracy. In this lesson, students investigate the question: How democratic was the Roman Republic?
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China and RomeIn this inquiry, students examine the extent to which the Chinese and Romans had knowledge of and interacted with one another. Knowledge of one another accumulated over time, and a long history of interaction was part of the process that led to the establishment of regular trade and cultural relations along the Silk Road. This inquiry is about the historical antecedent to the Silk Road. The compelling question asks, “Did Chinese and Romans know each other?” Although this is a yes/no question, the complexity lies in between those poles. Students will likely find themselves answering “maybe” and needing to explain why.
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AugustusCaesar Augustus was arguably the most important Roman Emperor, restoring the empire and overseeing a period of relative peace, prosperity, and expansion. Historians have noted the apparent contradictions of Augustus, who could be at once ruthless and forgiving, rash and calculating. In this lesson, students corroborate evidence and arguments from a set of primary and secondary sources as they investigate the question: What kind of leader was Augustus?
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Cleopatra
Much of history is chronicled and understood in terms of myth and legend. Such “historiography” certainly applies to Cleopatra, whose supposed beauty and tragic death have been immortalized in art and media across centuries. In this lesson, students consider whether or not Cleopatra actually died from a self-inflicted snakebite through evaluating the reliability of various types of secondary, historical sources.
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Roman Empire and ChristianityBefore Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Christians were subjected to brutal punishments, including death, under nine Roman emperors. In this Opening Up the Textbook (OUT) lesson, students explore accounts from a present-day textbook, a Roman historian in 116 CE, and a professor of theological studies in 1998 to answer the question: Why did the Roman Empire persecute Christians?
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Attila and Pope Leo
In 452, Attila the Hun led an army to attack Rome. In order to protect the vulnerable city, Pope Leo met with Attila. It is unclear exactly what was said between the two leaders. What we do know is that at the end of the meeting, Attila and his army departed, leaving Rome untouched. In this lesson, students develop the skill of sourcing as they consider the question: What happened at the meeting between Pope Leo and Attila the Hun?
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Other useful resources
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