Andiamo a Pompei!
Italian Education kit
These education materials were developed for teachers and students of Italian visiting
the Melbourne Winter Masterpiece exhibition, A Day in Pompeii which was held at
Melbourne Museum in 2009.
Acknowledgements
Melbourne Winter Masterpieces is a Victorian Government initiative and is exclusive to
Melbourne, Australia.
Presented in association with the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di
Napoli e Pompei.
The LOTE Italian education kit was developed by Rosaria Zarro, Co.As.It. Education
Officer, Museum Victoria with Liz Suda, Program Coordinator-Humanities, Melbourne
Museum.
Many activities relate directly to the story told in the exhibition so some activities may
need to be adapted for use in the classroom.
The activities may be reproduced for teaching purposes. Permission to reproduce any
material for other purposes must be obtained from Museum Victoria.
© Museum Victoria 2009
Teacher Notes
The exhibition A Day in Pompeii, takes us back in time to experience life and death in
this cosmopolitan Roman city. For teachers and students of Italian, the exhibition
provided the rare opportunity to view extraordinary artefacts in an exhibition which
explores the experience of that day in Pompeii, in August 79 AD.
The online education kit Andiamo a Pompei! is a resource for teachers of Italian and
includes the following—
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Materials that unpack the key themes in the exhibition - food and dining, religious
practices, recreation and entertainment, social structure, business and trade,
luxury and beauty, baths, architecture, technology, volcanic activity and much
more.
Tuning in activities with student worksheets and ICT research projects.
Pre/ Post activities for beginner and intermediate levels of Italian accompanied
by a slideshow presentation of signature objects with questions in Italian.
The objects in the exhibition focus on the question, ‘What can we learn about
daily life in ancient Pompeii by studying the material culture of its people?’
Background information for teachers and students on the themes and gallery images of
objects and multimedia elements can be found at the A Day in Pompeii portal at
http://museum.victoria.vic.gov.au/Pompeii
Establishing Prior Knowledge
For students’ orientation and assessment of prior knowledge, teachers should select
some of the Tuning In activities provided. In particular students need to understand three
key concepts before they visit the exhibition.
1. Time period and location of Pompeii
What does Pompeii look like then and now?
See Pompeii Today slideshow (PDF) for a visitors view
2. The study of material culture as a way of understanding the past
Signature Objects- Notes for teacher (PDF)
See Signature objects slideshow (PDF) for images of key exhibition objects
Web Quest – Archaeology
3. The nature of volcanoes
Web Quest – Could it happen again?
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Extension activities
Follow-up and reflective sessions with students are essential. Teachers could consider
the Signature objects, slideshow and post-visit questions.
Post-visit lessons could also include some of the following taxonomic activities:
Using Anderson’s revised Bloom’s taxonomy approach, have the students move through
a range of activities such as:
Remembering
 Make a time line of the events leading to the destruction of Ancient Pompeii.
 Create and recite a poem based on the main theme of Ancient Pompeii.
Understanding
 Make a cartoon strip showing the sequence of events on 24 August 79AD.
 Write and perform a play based on the day of the eruption in Pompeii
 Write a summary report on the day of the eruption.
 Prepare a flow chart to illustrate the sequence of events.
Applying
 Make a scrapbook about Ancient Pompeii
 Write some text and compose some probing questions about the topic of Vesuvius
for others.
 Present your findings in a data show for others, and raise questions for discussion.
Analysing
 Construct a graph to illustrate selected information.
 Make a family tree showing relationships.
 Write a biography of an important person, such as Pliny the Elder, based on your
research.
 Prepare a report about Vesuvius and the likelihood of another eruption.
 Research the role of gladiators in public entertainment in Pompeii.
Evaluating
 Write a letter to the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e
Pompei outlining your concerns for the preservation of Pompeii.
 Prepare a case to present your view about …
Creating
Plan a marketing campaign for an exhibition about Ancient Pompeii.
Design a book or magazine cover about Pompeii.
Devise a campaign to raise awareness about the preservation of Pompeii.
Create an advertising campaign for the museum to promote the study of Pompeii.
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http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Il vocabolario
le stanze della casa (rooms of the house)
Atrium (in latino) ―― l’atrio (in italiano) ―― entrance
Triclinium (in latino) ―― la sala da pranzo (in italiano) ―― dining room
Cubiculum (in latino) ―― la camera da letto (in italiano) ―― bedroom
Tablinum (in latino) ―― il soggiorno (in italiano) ―― lounge room
Peristilium (in latino) ―― il cortile (in italiano) ―― internal garden
gli oggetti della casa (household objects)
le decorazioni (decorations)
la pentola- pot
la padella- fry pan
il piatto - plate
la scodella- cup
la coppa per bere- drinking cup
la brocca- jug
il coltello- knife
il cucchiaio- spoon
la cisterna- water container
la macina- grinder
il mortaio- mortar
il fornello- oven
la casseruola- casserole
il vassoio- tray
la teglia- cake tin
la ciotola- bowl
l’affresco- fresco
la statuetta- small statue
la statua- statue
i mobili (furniture)
il tavolo- table
lo sgabello- stool
il letto tricliniare- tricliniar couch
il letto cubicolare- bed
il braciere- brazier
il portalucerna- lamp holder
il candelabro- candelabra
la lampada- oil lamp
la bellezza (beauty)
la spatola- spatula
lo specchio- mirror
l’ago crinale- hair pin
lo strigile- metal curved object used to scrape oil and dirt of the skin before bathing
il pettine- comb
il portaunguenti- container for oils
il bracciale- armband
la collana- necklace
gli orecchini – earings
l’anello a serpente – ring in the form of a serpent
i profumi- perfumes
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Il divertimento (entertainment)
i dadi- dice
i giochi- games
lo scudo- shield
l’elmo - helmet
la spalliera-shoulder guard
lo schiniere- greave
Il cibo (food)
il pane- bread
il formaggio- cheese
l’aglio- garlic
le uova- eggs
il miele- honey
la frutta- fruit
il pesce- fish
i legumi- legumes
la verdura- vegetables
i cavoli- cabbages
i porri- leeks
gli uccelli selvatici- wild birds
la pesca- peach
le olive- olives
i fichi- figs
le noci- walnuts
il garum- fish sauce
le ostriche- oysters
Il commercio (trade)
l’amo- fish hook
la bilancia- scale
la stadera- lever scales
i pesi - weights
il sigillo- seal
l’anfora vinaria- amphora for wine
l’anfora- amphora
l’aureo - gold coin
il denario- silver coin
il sesterzio- bronze coin (large size)
l’asse- bronze coin (small size)
gli edifici (buildings)
la bottega- shop/workshop
la casa- house
il tempio- temple
il mercato- market
la basilica- town hall
il teatro- theatre
le terme- baths
il termopolium (latino)- fast food store
l’anfiteatro- amphitheatre
lo stadio- stadium
il macellum (latino)- abattoir
il comitium (latino)- a place where
local elections were held
il foro- city square
i materiali (materials)
di terracotta- made of ceramic
d’argento- made of silver
di marmo- made of marble
di metallo- made of metal
di bronzo- made of bronze
d’oro- made of gold
di legno- made of wood
di vetro- made of glass
di gesso-made of plaster
in mosaico- made with mosiac
la vita e la morte (life and death)
l’urna funeraria- cremation urn
la statua funeraria- funerary statue
il calco- cast
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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gli abitanti di Pompei (people of Pompeii)
il nobiluomo -nobleman
la nobildonna- noblewoman
lo schiavo- male slave
la schiava- female slave
il ragazzo- boy
lo studente- student
il panettiere- baker
il gladiatore- gladiator
l’insegnante- teacher
il liberto- freedman
la liberta- freedwomen
Source: Alfredo and Pio Foglia
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Victorian Essential Learning Standards
This education kit can be used to assess students’ achievement against a range of
Victorian Essential Learning Standards. The table below shows how some Level 4- 5
standards might be applied to the education resources.
Strand
Domain
Dimension
Key elements of standards
Physical,
personal and
social
learning
Interpersonal development
Working and
learning in
teams
…accept responsibility as a team
member and support other members to
share information, explore the ideas of
others, and work cooperatively to
achieve a shared purpose within a
realistic timeframe. They reflect on
individual and team outcomes and act
to improve their own and the team’s
performance.
Historical
knowledge and
understanding
… analyse and describe key events in
ancient and medieval societies. … use
a variety of sources to describe key
aspects of these societies. They
describe aspects of daily life in these
societies such as work, the division of
labour, family, clothing, housing and
education… They analyse the ways
that ancient and medieval societies
were governed, identify political
features and explain the nature of the
political system, the dominant groups
and how they established and
maintained power.
Historical
reasoning and
interpretation
…frame key research questions, plan
their investigations, and report on their
findings. They use a range of primary
and secondary sources including visual
sources that record features of the
societies in their investigations. They
identify the content, origin, purpose and
context of historical sources…
Disciplinebased
learning
Humanities (History)
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Discipline-based
learning
LOTE (Italian)
Communicating
in a language
other than
English
Level 4 – Pathway 1:
Read and respond to simple and
familiar text; write in the language
using modelled texts; use basic
structures to respond to simple
questions; understand new words
introduced into familiar written texts,
predicting from clues.
Level 5 – Pathway 1:
Students recall most of the ideas,
objects and details presented in the
language; students participate
effectively in role-plays and
conversations on simple topics; they
create simple original text for specific
audience in print and electronic form;
write paragraphs and linked
sequences.
Level 5 – Pathway 2:
Students make logical attempts to
decipher meaning from written and
spoken input; students communicate
by referring to a range of models and
responding to the teacher; write
paragraphs and linked sequences
initially with a model and then
independently; students read a range
of short texts for meaning; they express
themselves in writing through print and
electronic form.
Discipline-based
learning
LOTE (Italian)
Intercultural
knowledge and
language
awareness
Level 4 – Pathway 1:
Explore a topic of interest through the
language that relates to the Italianspeaking community— the Ancient
Romans exploring the themes of Food,
Housing, Commerce, Religion, Values
and Beliefs and Social structure of
Pompeii.
Level 5 – Pathways 1 & 2:
They interact with a variety of speakers
of the language from communities, to
explore the world of the Ancient
Romans exploring the themes of Food,
Housing, Commerce, Religion, Values
and Beliefs and Social structure of
Pompeii.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Level 6 – Pathway 1:
Students identify general cultural
patterns that flow across specific
settings and times. They demonstrate
an understanding of variations in
cultural perspectives between speakers
of the language in different settings, by
effectively interacting with members of
the language community in Australia.
Level 6 – Pathway 2:
Students demonstrate their language
and cultural understandings by
adapting their skills and knowledge to
their own uses. They use a range of
learning tools, including multimedia
tools, to encounter a wide range of
language and cultural forms and
practices.
Interdisciplinary
learning
Thinking
Processes
Reasoning,
processing and
inquiry
Creativity
Reflection,
evaluation and
metacognition
…use a range of appropriate strategies
of reasoning and analysis to evaluate
evidence and consider their own and
others’ points of view. …use a range of
discipline based methodologies.
…complete activities focusing on
problem solving and decision making
which involve an increasing number of
variables and solutions.
…apply creative thinking strategies to
explore possibilities and generate
multiple options, problem definitions
and solutions. They demonstrate
creativity, in the ways they engage with
and explore ideas in a range of
contexts.
…explain the purpose of a range of
thinking tools and use them in
appropriate contexts. They use specific
language to describe their thinking and
reflect on their thinking processes
during their investigations.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Resources
Books for Teachers in Italian
A.Ciarello & E. De Carolis, Lungo le mura di Pompei, Electa, Milan 1998
Domenico Rea, Pompei e la sua pittura, DeAgostini, Novara 1998
Salvatore Ciro Nappo, Le guide white star archeologial Pompei, Italy 2003
Books for Teachers in English
Joanne Berry, Unpeeling Pompeii, Electa. Milan,1998
Joanne Berry, The Complete Pompeii, Thames and Hudson, United Kingdom 2007
Carol C. Mattusch, Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Thames and Hudson, New York, 2008
Claude Moatti, The Search of Ancient Rome, Thames and Hudson, 2001
K. Cameron, J.Lawless, Secrets of Vesuvius, Thomas Nelson, Victoria 2006
Dr. Glenn Davies, Ancient Rome for Senior Students, Thomas Learning, Victoria 2008
Antiquity 2. Interpreting the Past, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 2008
Eva Cantarella & Luciana Jacobelli, A day in Pompeii, Daily life, Culture and Society,
Gruppo Mondadori Electa, Italy, 2003
Sally Grainger, Cooking Apicius, Roman Recipes for Today, Prospect Books, USA 2006
Books for Students
Peter Connolly, Pompeii, The Roman World, Oxford University Press, 1979
Richard Dargie, A Roman Villa, Wayland Publishers LTD, England 2000
100 facts on Ancient Rome, Broadfield Press, Essex, 2006
Dr. Paul C. Roberts, Ancient Rome, Weldon Owen Pty Ltd, 1997
Edith Kunhardt, Pompeii. Buried alive, Random House, New York 1987
Richard Platt, Pompeii One Roman City, One House….over 2000 years of change,
Kingfisher, London 2008
Documentaries on DVD
Marcellino de Bagis, Study Guide: Herculaneum: diaries of darkness and light,
The History Channel In Search of History: Pompeii Secrets Revealed
National Geographic In the Shadow of Vesuvius
National Geographic Volcano: Nature’s Inferno
PBS Secrets of the Dead: Herculaneum Uncovered
Some of the resources mentioned are available for loan at the Co.As.It. Resource
Centre, University Place, Carlton. Tel: 9349 9022, including the
January Orrizzonti Pompei www.coasit.com
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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Web-links
Ancient Rome
The BBC website for ancient Rome is filled with excellent resources on all aspects of
Roman life, with maps, timelines and key events
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/
Eye witness to history provides excellent resources for Rome in general and Pompeii.
Includes eye witness account of the eruption of Pompeii
http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/awfrm.htm
Primary students are well provided for on the BBC site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/
Also for quicklinks, see this website
http://usbornequicklinks.com/int/int_entity_pages/int_all_links.asp?lvl=1&id=2286
Private life of Romans
Comprehensive website that covers many aspects of Roman life and how material
culture, particularly frescos uncovered in Pompeii, provide clues into the daily practices
of Roman life. http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston.html
See also the Maria Milani site which explores similar themes and provides insight into
architecture, clothing and daily life.
http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/ancient_roman_homes.htm
Clothing
Detailed information on the clothing worn by people in Roman times makes this site a
useful starting point for students. McManus includes sources used to create the
narrative, which provides an insight into how archaeologists and historians piece
together information about life in the past
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing2.html
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing_sources.html
Gladiators
How the gladiators lived and fought. This page has links to all the information you might
need about gladiators in ancient Rome
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/gladiatr/index.htm
Also worth looking at
http://www.murphsplace.com/gladiator/glads.html
Water in Pompeii
Water and bathing are a big feature of Pompeii. This site provides easy access for
students to find out about water in Pompeii
http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/pompeii_6.html
Volcanoes and Vesuvius
The national Geographic Website provides general information on volcanoes and how
they work
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/interactive/index.html?section=v
The Vesuvius Observatory provides the latest information about the state of Vesuvius
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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http://www.ov.ingv.it/index_eng.htm
The Could it happen again web quest has many other links
Papyrus making
These two websites offer students insight into how papyrus was made
http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/manufacture.html
http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/papyrus_making/
Archaeology’s Interactive Dig
This site provides a detailed story of one archaeological team who has kept field notes
and journals.
http://www.archaeology.org/interactive/pompeii/
Science and Technology
This site provides information about the sophisticated scientific and technological
practices of the technicians of Pompeii. Weights, measurements and the water story of
Pompeii
http://www.imss.fi.it/pompei/index.html
Literature and Pompeii
This site provides a list of popular children’s books on Pompeii
Pompeii Bibliography
For access to authentic writing in Roman times, this website has snippets from all the
well known writers of letters and accounts including Seneca, Tacitus and Pliny the
Younger who witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/special/library.html
Cross curricular websites
Birmingham Art Gallery
http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/siteactivities/romandress.pdf
http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/siteactivities/timelinerome.pdf
Art
http://ancientcoinsforeducation.org/tsr/zap_bulla.pdf
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/mosaic/index.htm
Source: Alfredo and Pio Foglia
http://museumvictoria.com.au/Pompeii
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