Lesson by: Cliff Hannon
Lesson: Decline of Rome and the Rise of the Empire Twitter PBL
Length: Four 45 minute periods
Grade Intended: World History and Civilization
Academic Standards:
WH.2.9
Describe Roman Republican government and society and trace the changes that
culminated in the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.
(History, Government, Sociology)
Performance Objectives:
Students will create/present a Twitter Timeline detailing the events of the beginning of the
Roman Empire from different important actor’s viewpoints using teacher provided biographies
with an 80% score on a teacher created rubric.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed through a number of different ways. Weekly Bell Work quizzes and
daily exit tickets will provide consistent and immediate assessment over the student’s grasping of
the material. The final assessment will come after the students have presented their Twitter
Timeline to the class. The teacher will assess the student using a teacher created rubric that
clearly outlines the expectations for the project. The final Twitter Timeline and the presentation
of the Timeline should show that the student has a firm understanding of the events that changed
Rome from a Republic to an Empire.
Advanced Preparation for Teachers:
1. Introductory PowerPoint
2. Clips from Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire – Revolution
3. Twitter Project Directions
4. Twitter Project Rubric
5. Biographies
6. 11” by 17” paper
7. Craft Materials (Colored Pencils, Markers, etc.)
Procedures:
Introduction/Motivation: After Bell Work, students will begin by working in their small
groups to complete a list of possible positives and negatives that would come to Rome following
the Punic and Hellenistic Wars (Bloom – Evaluation) (Gardner – Interpersonal). We will then
come together as a whole class and create a class wide T-chart using the lists that the small
groups created (Gardner – Visual).
Step-by-Step Plan:
Day 1
1. Students will then watch the first 15 minutes of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an
Empire – Revolution.
2. Throughout the video, students should add negatives that see in the Roman Republic to
their T-chart.
3. Take breaks in the video to discuss the appearance of different negatives that the students
created on their list. Some negatives that the students should be able to see are a military
spread thin, a corrupt government bureaucracy, massive economic divide, urban
unemployment, slavery, and the problems of the Latifundia system.
4. Go through the first 4 slides of the Decline of Rome PowerPoint. Students should take
notes in their binder.
5. End the first period with an Exit Ticket asking the following questions
a. What are the positives that the Roman Republic gained from the Punic and
Hellenistic Wars? (Bloom – Knowledge)
b. What are the 3 problems that led to the decline of the Roman Republic? (Bloom –
Knowledge)
Day 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Begin with Bell Work.
Finish going through the Decline of Rome PowerPoint.
Ask students, “Who has a Twitter?”
Read through the instructions and rubric of the Rise of the Republic Twitter Timeline
Project (Bloom – Synthesis) (Gardner – Linguistic, Visual).
Give a brief, exciting introduction to each of the historical figures the students can choose
from.
Students should then pick their biography and grab necessary materials.
Allow the remainder of the period for students to work independently. Students should be
reading their figure’s biography and planning their Timeline.
Exit Ticket
a. What was the goal of the reforms purposed by Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?
(Bloom – Knowledge)
b. What did the massive population of slaves in the Roman Republic cause? (Bloom
– Knowledge)
Day 3
1. Allow the full period for student work (Gardner – Intrapersonal).
2. Teacher should be actively walking around assisting students and grading student’s effort
by making notes in the grade book.
Day 4
1. Students will spend the period presenting individually as teacher grades their presentation
using the rubric.
Closure: Have students turn in their Twitter Timelines before they leave the room.
Introduce tomorrow’s lesson in which we will discuss different Emperors of Rome and the Pax
Romana, or Roman Peace.
Adaptations/Enrichment:
Students with Reading LDs: For students with Learning Disabilities the teacher should do
everything possible to reduce the literacy requirement for the student. The student should be
provided with a biography of a historical figure that matcheds the student’s Lexile level. The
teacher should also work individually with the student to go through the biography and help the
student to dissect the information.
Students that are High Ability: The teacher should provide biography material that will challenge
the students Lexile reading level. For enrichment, students who are high ability and fast finishers
can supplement their Timeline with independent research to enhance their presentation.
Rise of the Empire Twitter Project
Name
Period
Objective:
Students will use their book and the biography of a famous person during the rise of the Roman
Empire to create a satirical Twitter page that tells the involvement of that person in the rise of
the Empire. Students will then present their Twitter page to the class.
Procedure:
1. Students will select the person they want to study: Julius Caesar, Crassus, Pompey,
Augustus Caesar (Octavian), Mark Antony, or Cleopatra.
2. Students will then have 2 days to create a satirical Twitter account using facts from the
biography and their book to make 10 Tweets for their famous person’s Timeline.
3. Students should be creative with their Tweets, and pay close detail to the neatness and
presentation of their page.
4. Students will then present the Twitter page poster to the class with a quick (1-2 minute)
presentation explaining the Tweets they added to their Timeline and the importance of
the person in the rise of the Empire.
Checklist:
I. Twitter Page
1. Picture (Either drawn or printed off the internet)
2. Personal Description
3. Creative Twitter name
4. 10 Tweets on Timeline
5. Creative writing of Tweets, hashtags, and Twitter names
6. Neatness
II. Presentation
1. Explanation of each Tweet and the event that it correlates with
2. Explanation of the person’s importance
III. Full name and period in the upper right hand corner on the back
You will be graded using the rubric on the back
Rise of the Empire Twitter Rubric
Twitter Page
Creativity
Beginning
Developing
Accomplished
Examplary
None of criteria
met, events on
Timeline lack
importance, zero
effort put into
project (0-5
points)
A minimum of
the criteria on
the check list
were met,
events on
Timeline lack
importance,
poor effort in
class and on
final product (515 points)
The majority of
the criteria on the
check list were
met, events on
Timeline are
important, effort
in class and on
final product were
good (15-20
points)
All criteria of
the check list
are met, events
on Timeline are
important,
effort in class
and on the final
product went
beyond
expectations
(20-25 points)
No effort put
into the
creativity of the
final product
Minimal effort
put into the
design and
writing being
creative
The design and
writing so an
attempt at
creativity
The design and
writing are
creative, final
product appears
well thought
out (8-10
points)
(0-3 points)
Neatness
No effort
towards
neatness or
organization
(0 points)
Student does
not present
Presentation
(0 points)
(3-5 points)
Final product
falls below
expectations in
neatness and
organization
(5-8 points)
Final product is
neat and
organized
(2-4 points)
(1 point)
Student does
not cover all of
the necessary
points
(1-5 points)
Final product is
neat and well
organized
beyond
expectations
Score
____/
25
____/
10
____/
5
(5 points)
Student meets
requirements
(5-8 points)
Student is
accurate and
engaging
meeting the
requirements
____/
10
(8-10 points)
Total __________ / 50