Curriculum Overview
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Lesson |
Subject |
Lesson Title |
Skill |
Core Knowledge |
Lesson Brief |
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1 |
Physical education |
Invaders! |
In this lesson children will: Respond positively to challenges and other team members, showing the ability to listen to and act on feedback. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: A challenge is an activity that tests a person's abilities. Challenges can be met using different strategies, such as applying learnt skills or tactics, asking for help, working well with others and listening to and acting upon helpful feedback. |
Divide the children into two groups and give each a different coloured tag. Tell one group that they are the Celts, tribespeople who lived in England over 2000 years ago. The second group are the Romans, a vast and sophisticated army who have travelled from Italy to invade Great Britain. Provide each army with different coloured bands and work collectively to create attack and defence scenarios. Work outdoors, on the school field or playground, or in a wooded area, allowing trees and foliage to offer shelter and hiding places to add to the atmosphere of surprise. Find different ways to sneak up upon each other, surround the enemy or capture prisoners. Who won the battle? The Romans or the Celts? |
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2 |
English |
Soldiers vs warriors |
In this lesson children will: Listen actively to maintain attention and respond to the instructions, contributions or viewpoints of others. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Active listening skills are ways that people listen and respond that go beyond words. A speaker's tone of voice can indicate their feelings, opinions or intent. A speaker's body language can show how they are feeling. Positive verbal cues, such as 'I understand', and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, can show the speaker that you are listening carefully and understand what they are saying. A speaker can adjust their approach based on the verbal and non-verbal cues they observe. |
Work with a partner to look at a range of images of Roman soldiers and Celtic warriors, discussing how they are similar and different. Use the images to make observations and inferences about each warrior, such as the type of men they were and how they might have fought. Note: Children could compare features, such as the warriors’ weapons, armour, footwear and physical appearance. |
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3 |
English |
Fearsome opponents |
In this lesson children will: Retrieve and record information from age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts, deciding on an appropriate level of detail for their purpose. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Fiction texts are usually narratives organised into paragraphs. A narrative is a sequenced account. Non-fiction texts use organisational devices to help you to locate information quickly, such as headings, bullet points, boxes and tables. Skimming and scanning can help you to retrieve information from sections of fiction or non-fiction texts. Skimming is looking over a text quickly to get the gist without needing to read every word. Scanning is looking over a text quickly, line by line, to find key words. The level of detail required from a retrieval answer can dictate whether to record in sentence or note form. |
Using a range of historical resources, including non-fiction books and the web, work in two opposing teams to find out about either the Celtic warriors or the Roman army. Explore how each group was organised, how they fought, their reputations and their armoury. Note: At the end of the session, each group should feed back why their group were the most fearsome opponents. Encourage children to listen to each other’s opinions and views and respond with reasoned comments and arguments. |
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4 |
English |
An unknown warrior |
In this lesson children will: Describe settings and characters in detail and create well-developed plots, using inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Narrative fiction is a mixture of action, description and dialogue. Narrative fiction can begin with action, description or dialogue. Settings can be described in detail by referring to the five senses and using expanded noun phrases. Characters can be described in detail by referring to their appearance, actions, behaviour, personality traits and dialogue. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. Plots can be developed by carefully planning to include a problem, small steps leading to a climax and a resolution. The correct punctuation of direct speech includes inverted commas, commas with reporting clauses, capital letters and end punctuation. |
Imagine that they are either a Celtic or Roman warrior. Draft a short soliloquy entitled ‘I am Warrior’, presenting their thoughts as they prepare for battle. Imagine what they would feel, think and fear. Create a digital mind map to organise their thoughts and ideas. Note: A soliloquy is an act of speaking your thoughts aloud when alone, a device generally used by characters in a play. Begin by modelling a short soliloquy from an unknown warrior and ask the children to guess which side they are on. How can they tell? What clues lie in the soliloquy? What kinds of words and phrases make the account powerful and memorable? |
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5 |
English |
Reciting our soliloquies |
In this lesson children will: Speak with an increasing command of Standard English. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Standard English uses correct grammar, punctuation, verb inflections and spelling. Informal speech tends to be less organised and uses contractions, colloquialisms, hesitation markers and question tags. Formal speech requires preparation, well-considered vocabulary and the use of Standard English. Sentence stems, or openers, can help you to formulate grammatically correct sentences. |
Edit and refine their soliloquies, reading them aloud to ensure that they make sense. Read and learn their soliloquies so that they can recite them by heart, just as if they were performing them in a play. Note: Children could work together to refine and choreograph their work. A dramatic group performance could be created with individuals, in battle formation, speaking their thoughts in turn. |
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6 |
History |
Chronology of the Roman Empire |
In this lesson children will: Sequence significant dates about events within a historical time period on historical timelines. |
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Use a range of historical source materials to read, research and organise a timeline, showing the chronology of the Roman Empire from 753 BC to AD 476. Focus on the dates that the Romans were in Britain. Work with a partner to sequence significant events, battles, invasions and individuals on their timeline. Note: For each date, children could summarise the information found into a short paragraph. Other events and details can be added to the timeline throughout the project. |
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7 |
Art and design |
Clay coins |
In this lesson children will: Use clay to create a detailed or experimental 3-D form. |
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Explore patterns and shapes on Celtic and Roman coins by looking at a range of photographic or real examples. Make drawings and sketches of the different patterns and images, creating an original design for an ancient coin. Create their coin from a clay slab, rolling, cutting, imprinting and layering to create interesting effects. Decorate their dried coins with gold, silver or bronze paint. Note: Children could create a coin which shows the profile of a Celtic warrior or Roman soldier. |
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8 |
Geography |
Locations of hillforts |
In this lesson children will: Study and draw conclusions about places and geographical features using a range of geographical resources, including maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping. |
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Look at a range of aerial images showing sites of ancient Celtic hillforts and describe what can be seen. Include descriptions of the shapes, sites and positioning of ruins, including other geographical features nearby, such as woods and rivers. Make a sketch map to show the shape of a ruin and its neighbouring geographical features and explain why the Celts chose to build a fort in that particular spot. Note: Ask the children to explain why the Celts built their forts on hilly sites. How did this help them to defend themselves? How did this make invasion difficult for the Romans? What geographical features of Britain would have hampered the Romans as they invaded? |
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9 |
Design and technology |
Weaponry! |
In this lesson children will: Choose from a range of materials, showing an understanding of their different characteristics. |
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Design and make either a shield for a Celtic warrior or a scutum (shield) for a Roman soldier. Investigate the materials, shapes and patterns used for each and make sure that their design is sturdy and decorative. Work in pairs to evaluate whether their designs would survive a brutal and bloody battle. Note: Children might also make other weapons, such as a Roman pilum (throwing spear), a pugio (Roman dagger), cassis (Roman helmet) or Celtic javelins, hammers, axes and swords. Encourage the makers to work safely and avoid any pre-battle injuries. |
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10 |
Physical education |
Invasion games |
In this lesson children will: Play a well-known or invented competitive game, communicating with others, and developing and using team tactics. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Competitive games, such as badminton, basketball and football, involve two players or teams playing against one another, where one player or team wins and the other loses. Competitive games require the use of different attack and defence tactics. |
Take part in a range of physical invasion games, practising the skills of attacking and defending. Use their physical agility and ball skills to play games such as tag, small sided hockey, five a side football and other games that they create for themselves. Note: Encourage children to use the appropriate vocabulary when discussing tactics and play, including words such as possession, repossession, attack, defend, marking, covering, supporting, team play and positions. |
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11 |
English |
Queen and ruler |
In this lesson children will: Listen actively to maintain attention and respond to the instructions, contributions or viewpoints of others. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Active listening skills are ways that people listen and respond that go beyond words. A speaker's tone of voice can indicate their feelings, opinions or intent. A speaker's body language can show how they are feeling. Positive verbal cues, such as 'I understand', and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, can show the speaker that you are listening carefully and understand what they are saying. A speaker can adjust their approach based on the verbal and non-verbal cues they observe. |
Listen to and read independently the story of Queen Boudicca, ruler of the Iceni tribe and the territory of East Anglia. Discuss why they think Boudicca initially made peace with the Romans and why she later changed her mind. Note: Provide lots of images for the children to get a visual impression of Boudicca. |
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12 |
English |
Boudicca's timeline |
In this lesson children will: Retrieve and record information from age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts, deciding on an appropriate level of detail for their purpose. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Fiction texts are usually narratives organised into paragraphs. A narrative is a sequenced account. Non-fiction texts use organisational devices to help you to locate information quickly, such as headings, bullet points, boxes and tables. Skimming and scanning can help you to retrieve information from sections of fiction or non-fiction texts. Skimming is looking over a text quickly to get the gist without needing to read every word. Scanning is looking over a text quickly, line by line, to find key words. The level of detail required from a retrieval answer can dictate whether to record in sentence or note form. |
Read and sequence what happened as Boudicca fought the Romans in Colchester, St Albans and London. Use their reading and research to create a timeline of events in Boudicca’s story. Note: Ask children to present their timelines using illustrations and notes. |
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13 |
English |
Freeze frame! |
In this lesson children will: Identify and summarise the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph in longer texts. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Texts are organised into paragraphs. Paragraphs follow on from each other. A group of paragraphs can be about the same point in longer texts, but each paragraph adds new information. A summary is a short account of the main points of a text. |
Work in groups to create freeze frames, which depict each part of the Boudicca story. Use different areas around school to pose for their freeze frames, taking digital images of each scene. Discuss where each freeze frame will appear in Boudicca’s story: at the beginning, the middle or the end? Note: Give each group a scenario card, describing the scene that they will present. Work together to show their scenes in order and decide if any scene needs changing or improving for content or continuity. |
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14 |
English |
Sequencing our stories |
In this lesson children will: Organise sentences with the same theme into paragraphs. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: A theme is an idea or message that a writer explores. Paragraphs can be planned around a theme before writing. Fiction tends to be written as a narrative, and non-fiction tends to be non-narrative, though there are exceptions. For example, recounts and autobiographies are non-fictional narratives. In narratives, a new paragraph often indicates a change of place, time, subject or event. Non-narrative writing is not sequenced and might include paragraphs under headings. A topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph of non-fiction. It states the main idea that will be expanded upon in the paragraph. |
Look at the digital images taken and sequence them according to the order of the story. Draft a sentence or paragraph for each image, retelling the story in their own words. Note: Highlight the need for adverbial phrases to join each of the scenes. Model how this can be done effectively using adverbial phrases, such as ‘in the beginning’, ‘a few years later’, ‘in the end’, and others suggested by the children. |
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15 |
English |
Adding dialogue |
In this lesson children will: Describe settings and characters in detail and create well-developed plots, using inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Narrative fiction is a mixture of action, description and dialogue. Narrative fiction can begin with action, description or dialogue. Settings can be described in detail by referring to the five senses and using expanded noun phrases. Characters can be described in detail by referring to their appearance, actions, behaviour, personality traits and dialogue. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. Plots can be developed by carefully planning to include a problem, small steps leading to a climax and a resolution. The correct punctuation of direct speech includes inverted commas, commas with reporting clauses, capital letters and end punctuation. |
Discuss what is happening in each of their scenes and consider what the characters in the photograph might be saying or thinking. Use speech and thought bubbles to add dialogue to their photo story. Note: Children could use ICT to create digital photo stories, downloading the images, adding text boxes and inserting speech and thought bubbles to each image. |
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16 |
Art and design |
Sketching poses |
In this lesson children will: Explore and develop three-dimensional art that uses the human form, using ideas from contemporary or historical starting points. |
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Look at drawings, paintings and statues of Boudicca and discuss how she is portrayed. Consider what her stance and posture tell us about her. Make quick sketches of a classmate posing as Boudicca. Use props, such as a shield, a spear and a cloak. Try to capture her personal qualities. Note: Change the model and encourage them to recreate the poses seen in the various artworks and images. Encourage the children who are drawing to look for the shapes created by Boudicca’s poses and draw quickly, using only lines. |
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17 |
Geography |
Wish you were here… |
In this lesson children will: Describe and compare aspects of physical features. |
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Find out about similarities and differences between Italy and Britain, including climate, landscape, size and weather. Use maps, globes and geographical information books to research their information and record their findings using appropriate software to create a table to illustrate the differences that they discover. Note: Children could report their findings by writing an imaginary postcard from the point of view of a Roman soldier, newly arrived in Britain, to his family in Rome. |
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18 |
PSHE |
Brave or foolhardy? |
In this lesson children will: Outline aspirations and ways to achieve them, including how to manage setbacks. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Aspirations are things that an individual hopes to achieve. These can involve education, jobs, personality, hobbies or lifestyle. For example, a person may aspire to become more confident or eat a healthier diet. |
Think about a time when they were brave or daring. Explain to others what they did and how it felt. Explain what happened as a consequence of being brave. Note: Children could also explore the idea of taking a risk: Boudicca took a risk by rebelling against the powerful Romans. Did her risk pay off or not? |
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19 |
Art and design |
3-D modelling |
In this lesson children will: Explore and develop three-dimensional art that uses the human form, using ideas from contemporary or historical starting points. |
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Develop their initial sketches of Boudicca into a 3-D model or statuette made of soft wire. Use simple shapes and lines to create the figure, looking at the figures sculpted by the artist, Giacometti, to support their ideas. Note: Once formed, children could cover their wire forms using strips of modroc to create a Giacometti effect. |
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20 |
History |
Character descriptions |
In this lesson children will: Construct a profile of a significant leader using a range of historical sources. |
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Read the description of Boudicca written by the Roman, Dio Cassius. Discuss how he describes her and how this reflects some of the images that they have seen of Boudicca. Consider why the writer uses words like ‘terrifying’, ‘harsh’, ‘fear’ and ‘huge’. Choose and read other texts and descriptions of Boudicca and compare similarities and differences between the descriptions. Note: Discuss with the children how the first-hand account helps us to understand what the Romans thought about Boudicca. |
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21 |
English |
I am Spartacus! |
In this lesson children will: Listen to, read independently and discuss a range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction, reference books and textbooks, making increasingly effective contributions in turn that show their understanding and provide reasoned justifications for their views. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: A textbook is a book containing detailed information for people who are learning about a subject, such as a science textbook. Readers can justify their opinions about books by giving examples from the text. |
Listen to, read or watch the story of the real life gladiator, Spartacus, who was captured by the Romans and sold as a slave to fight as a gladiator. Discuss what kind of a man Spartacus was, given that he escaped, attracted over 100,000 slaves to run away and join him and evaded the Romans for over a year until, it is thought, he died in battle. Note: Children could watch extracts from the 1960 film Spartacus (certified PG rating), particularly the capture scene where all of the slaves claim to be him. Discuss what this says about how the other slaves thought and felt about Spartacus. |
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22 |
English |
Gladiators! |
In this lesson children will: Listen actively to maintain attention and respond to the instructions, contributions or viewpoints of others. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Active listening skills are ways that people listen and respond that go beyond words. A speaker's tone of voice can indicate their feelings, opinions or intent. A speaker's body language can show how they are feeling. Positive verbal cues, such as 'I understand', and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, can show the speaker that you are listening carefully and understand what they are saying. A speaker can adjust their approach based on the verbal and non-verbal cues they observe. |
Provide pairs of children with a set of gladiator picture cards. Explain that the pictures are taken from Roman mosaics and show the armour, weapons and fighting positions of Roman gladiators. Ask the children to discuss the images and encourage them to gather words and phrases to describe what they can see. They could also imagine what the gladiators might be thinking or feeling in each situation. Encourage the children to use a dictionary and a thesaurus to extend their vocabulary and make lists of words, sorting them into adjectives and verbs, and discussing and comparing their choices with other pairs. |
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23 |
English |
Combat commentary |
In this lesson children will: Plan, discuss and record increasingly detailed notes on a range of given planning formats, using similar writing to support structure, vocabulary and grammar. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: There are a range of planning formats, such as storyboards, story mountains, spider diagrams, mind maps and flow charts. |
In pairs, imagine that they are Roman commentators watching gladiator combat at the famous Colosseum in Rome, either gladiator versus gladiator, or gladiator versus animal. Consider and collect ideas as to what kinds of things a Roman commentator might see and report on, making notes on a battle from the entry into the arena to the grisly end. Note: Before writing, listen to examples of commentary for different types of sports, including horse racing, football, swimming and athletics. What are the features of commentary? What is its purpose? |
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24 |
English |
Practising our commentary |
In this lesson children will: Orally compose and write sentences, including dialogue, using increasingly varied and rich vocabulary and sentence structures. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. Using specific topic vocabulary can enhance a sentence. Using noun phrases, adverbials and conjunctions can lead to a wider variety of vocabulary and sentence structures. A phrase is a group of words that does not include a verb, such as 'the small, red fox'. * Phrases can be deliberately placed at certain positions within a sentence to vary the sentence structure, such as a fronted adverbial phrase. |
Draft a script for two commentators as they observe and report upon gladiatorial combat. Refer back to their verb and adjective lists and try to weave these words into their scripts. Practise reading their scripts aloud to see how they sound. Note: The Romans found it very entertaining to watch men being killed. The Colosseum could seat 45,000 spectators. Some people were not lucky enough to have a seat and would either stand or listen from afar. The children’s commentary could be used to inform those Romans who were unable to enter the Colosseum to watch the fight. |
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25 |
English |
Creating suspense |
In this lesson children will: Read aloud their own writing to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling their tone and volume so that the meaning is clear. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: The tone of voice is how something is said, such as happily or aggressively. Projecting your voice makes it travel further. This can be achieved by speaking from the diaphragm while keeping your chin raised. |
Practise reading their commentary aloud in pairs, making it sound as authentic and entertaining as possible. Consider how best to read the exciting or gruesome sections and how to create suspense or capture the horror of a gladiator battle. Note: Record the children’s commentaries on ‘Radio Rome’ and listen back to them for entertainment. Add Roman jingles and interviews with gladiators to spice up their programmes. |
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26 |
History |
A gladiator's life |
In this lesson children will: Present a thoughtful selection of relevant information in a historical report, fictional narrative, in-depth study or by answering a range of historical questions. |
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Find out about the life of a gladiator using the web and a range of historical artefacts, images and texts. Research a range of topics, such as food, exercise, weapons, the lifestyle of slaves, combat and, ultimately, their fates. Note: Provide children with a good range of historical books and other source materials, so that they can research independently. Ask the children how they would like to record their findings: perhaps a mind map, a mini book or a digital presentation? |
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27 |
Art and design |
Mosaics |
In this lesson children will: Explore and develop three-dimensional art that uses the human form, using ideas from contemporary or historical starting points. |
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Look at and compare mosaics depicting gladiator scenes. Talk about what the mosaics show and the evidence that they give us about the Roman era. Design a mosaic showing a gladiator battle scene. Note: Children could use squared paper to plan their mosaic design. Mosaic tiles can be bought from art material suppliers. |
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28 |
Physical education |
Gladiator school |
In this lesson children will: Combine movements, actions and balances and equipment, individually or collaboratively, to create a fluid routine. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: A fluid gymnastic routine means having smooth links between the movements, actions and balances in a sequence. |
Enrol in Ludus Gladiatorius, the gladiator school where slaves, criminals and other vulnerable people learn to fight as gladiators. Be ready to train with a lanista, an old gladiator whose fighting days are over. Take part in daily exercises to build up their body strength and agility. Practise fighting with a fake or wooden sword until they can be trusted with a real sword. Note: Lay down ground rules for safe combat and remind children to warm up, just like the real gladiators did before taking part in strenuous exercise. If possible, film children performing exercises and mock fights and analyse performance to decide how it could be improved. |
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29 |
History |
Famous gladiators |
In this lesson children will: Construct a profile of a significant leader using a range of historical sources. |
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Find out about famous gladiators, including Spartacus, Commodus, Crixus, Carpophorus, Marcus Attilius, Priscus and Flamma, Spiculus, Verus and Tetraites. Create a poster about their chosen character, advertising their powerful qualities to other gladiators. Note: Famous Roman gladiators won widespread fame and acclaim. In fact, many Romans considered them to be heroes, even worshipping their idols and painting graffiti in their name across the city of Rome. |
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30 |
Geography |
Street maps of Rome |
In this lesson children will: Describe a range of human features and their location and explain how they are interconnected. |
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Use contemporary maps of Rome to locate a variety of its significant human features. Look for the Colosseum, the Vatican City, the Pantheon, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Square, Trevi Fountain and the Roman Forum. Use a street map to plan a route around the city that includes all of the above attractions. Make suggestions for ways that features are interconnected, for example, by function, type or transport links. Note: Ask the children to consider questions, such as ‘Which of the attractions originate from the Roman period? How has the city of Rome changed from Roman times?’ |
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31 |
English |
Roman and Celtic foods |
In this lesson children will: Retrieve and record information from age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts, deciding on an appropriate level of detail for their purpose. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Fiction texts are usually narratives organised into paragraphs. A narrative is a sequenced account. Non-fiction texts use organisational devices to help you to locate information quickly, such as headings, bullet points, boxes and tables. Skimming and scanning can help you to retrieve information from sections of fiction or non-fiction texts. Skimming is looking over a text quickly to get the gist without needing to read every word. Scanning is looking over a text quickly, line by line, to find key words. The level of detail required from a retrieval answer can dictate whether to record in sentence or note form. |
Watch an information presentation or read a range of information texts about food and diet of the Romans and Celts. Make a list of the types of foods eaten by each and tick those that are still eaten today. Note: Provide children with a range of historical drawings and images of artefacts depicting eating scenes and photographic images of reconstructions and foods to look at. Are there any weird and wonderful foods that they don’t recognise or would like to try? |
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32 |
English |
Celtic recipes |
In this lesson children will: Check that longer texts make sense to them, confidently explaining their understanding and word meanings. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Discussion can enhance your understanding of a text or word's meaning. Explanations can be clear or confusing. Planning, sequencing and oral rehearsal can add clarity to explanations. A definition is a description of what a word means. Some words have more than one definition. |
Discover an ancient Celtic recipe and read carefully to find out what meal it makes. Using the recipe, decide what ingredients they would need and whether the recipe has been written in the correct order or whether it needs reorganising. Then make a delicious Celtic meal using fresh ingredients following their updated recipe. Note: Provide an authentic looking recipe card for an ancient tasty soup or warming casserole using vegetables, such as leeks, turnips, onions and carrots, seasoned with garlic or herbs, such as parsley and fennel. The recipe card should mix up the preparation and cooking steps, so that the children must look for clues to make sense of the instructions. For example, the card may begin with, ‘Finally, take your soup from the stove…’ |
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33 |
English |
Roman mealtimes |
In this lesson children will: Plan, discuss and record increasingly detailed notes on a range of given planning formats, using similar writing to support structure, vocabulary and grammar. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: There are a range of planning formats, such as storyboards, story mountains, spider diagrams, mind maps and flow charts. |
Read a range of first-hand historical accounts and non-fictional source materials, describing how wealthy Romans ate. Discover what the terms ientaculum, prandium and cena mean, and which foods were eaten at each. Record their research in note form. Note: Encourage children to find out about some of the mealtime rituals and customs that took place, such as the washing of hands and reclining on a specially designed couch for wealthy Romans. |
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34 |
English |
Planning a Roman banquet |
In this lesson children will: Use a range of organisational devices effectively to structure non-narrative writing. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Some organisational devices reduce the need for lots of text, such as numbered steps, tables, diagrams, images and graphs. This enables the reader to understand lots of information or complex information quickly and easily. Numbered steps clarify the order in which instructions should be followed. A table is an arrangement of numbers or words in rows and columns. |
Plan a cena menu for a party of wealthy Romans. Decide what would be eaten for each course, referring back to their notes and source materials to ensure their ideas are factually correct. Consider any rituals or customs relevant to the eating of the courses, such as the washing of hands and serving or seating arrangements. Use presentation software to create their menu, adding border decorations and appropriate font for their Roman guests. Note: Remind the children that the wealthier you were, the more extravagant and elaborate the menu would be. Maybe peacocks’ brains, snails fattened on milk or a baked swan with a duckling inside it. |
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35 |
English |
RSVP! |
In this lesson children will: Use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Some joined handwriting can be read easily because the joining strokes are neat and consistent. Joining letters together helps you to write more smoothly, quickly and neatly. Downstrokes should be parallel and equidistant. A downstroke is when your pen moves downwards on the page. |
Design an invitation for a fellow general, commander, chief or Julius Caesar to attend their grand cena banquet. Use a Latin greeting, such as Salveta omnes, specifying the location and the time and date (in numerals) of the event. Outline the dress code (toga, sandals and finery) and decorate their work with an elaborate Roman pattern or mosaic border. Note: Ask children to check through their drafts before writing onto a scroll or decorated paper. Hold a Roman banquet, inviting children to wear togas, recline, eat grapes and dates and drink juice from golden goblets. |
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36 |
Design and technology |
Poor Romans! |
In this lesson children will: Identify and use a range of cooking techniques to prepare a simple meal or snack. |
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Follow a recipe for the staple food of a poor Roman family. Make simple porridge or bread, following original recipes. Compare this fare with the foods of the rich. Who would they rather be? Note: Poor Romans ate bread, vegetable soup, and porridge. Meat was a luxury, unless they lived in the countryside and could go hunting or fishing. |
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37 |
History |
A day in the life |
In this lesson children will: Present a thoughtful selection of relevant information in a historical report, fictional narrative, in-depth study or by answering a range of historical questions. |
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Find out about the everyday life of a Roman child, using a selection of historical source materials. Work in research teams to find out about homes, clothes, schools, entertainment, religion and meal times. Come to school dressed as a Roman child for the day. Note: Divide children into groups to carry out their research. Each group could present their findings to the whole group. |
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38 |
History |
Roman numerals |
In this lesson children will: Describe the 'Romanisation' of Britain, including the impact of technology, culture and beliefs. |
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Spend time identifying the use of Roman numerals in modern life. Take turns to write the date in Roman numerals and sell snacks or fruit at break time in a Roman shop. Work out their prices and tell the time from a Roman numerals clock. Note: Children could also use Roman numerals to record their birthdays, do sums and play Snap. |
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39 |
Art and design |
Artistic activities |
In this lesson children will: Develop techniques through experimentation to create different types of art. |
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Take part in a carousel of artistic activities that include making Celtic fabric dyes and paints using natural ingredients; Celtic body art and making Roman jewellery from wire, plastic and coloured glass beads and foil. Note: Display lots of images, books and artefacts to inspire the children. |
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40 |
Design and technology |
Roman legacy |
In this lesson children will: Investigate and identify the design features of a familiar product. |
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Look at images showing modern day appliances and objects, such as bridges, toilets, sewers, baths, theatres, concrete, a water wheel and a calendar, along with other items which did not originate in Roman design. Work in pairs to sort items into two groups: Roman and non-Roman origins. Note: Encourage the children to compare their ideas with others in the class and to explain their thinking and reasoning. What surprised the children? How can we check if our judgements are correct or not? |
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41 |
English |
Step 1 |
In this lesson children will: Describe settings and characters in detail and create well-developed plots, using inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Narrative fiction is a mixture of action, description and dialogue. Narrative fiction can begin with action, description or dialogue. Settings can be described in detail by referring to the five senses and using expanded noun phrases. Characters can be described in detail by referring to their appearance, actions, behaviour, personality traits and dialogue. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. Plots can be developed by carefully planning to include a problem, small steps leading to a climax and a resolution. The correct punctuation of direct speech includes inverted commas, commas with reporting clauses, capital letters and end punctuation. |
Claudius has called upon you to become one of his valiant warriors. Create a Roman persona. What is your name, your rank, your dress and your ‘story’? Send Claudius a picture of yourself in your fighting finery and tell him all about yourself. Will you be accepted to join his legions? |
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42 |
History |
Step 2 |
In this lesson children will: Construct a profile of a significant leader using a range of historical sources. |
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Who was Emperor Claudius? Find out a little more about your new general. Where was he from? What was he like? What did others think about him? Share what you find out with the other soldiers. Did you all reach the same conclusions? |
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43 |
Physical education |
Step 3 |
In this lesson children will: Examine how changing variables can refine skills. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Skills can be advanced during training and practise time by changing different variables, such as the equipment, distance, height or technique used. |
Off to boot camp! You’ll be taking part in a series of physical challenges that will prove to Claudius you have the strength, agility and tactics to become one of his most valued warriors! Record your fastest time over 100m, your furthest throw, your longest leap and your highest jump (on a Roman spreadsheet of course!). Compare your data with other soldiers… Who would make the best all-rounder? |
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44 |
History |
Step 4 |
In this lesson children will: Use more complex historical terms to explain and present historical information. |
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Find out about the different battle formations used by the Roman army. Can you make a line, a phalanx, a tortoise and a wedge? Practise these formations until they are perfect… Claudius will be inspecting you! |
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45 |
Design and technology |
Step 5 |
In this lesson children will: Use annotated sketches and exploded diagrams to test and communicate their ideas. |
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Milites, ut parati! Roman soldiers wore a uniform and armour to protect them in battle. Make a ‘cassis’ or ‘galea’ to protect you from deadly blows to the head! Draw out your design, making sure it’s in keeping with the traditional designs! |
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46 |
Geography |
Step 6 |
In this lesson children will: Use four or six-figure grid references and keys to describe the location of objects and places on a map. |
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You are invading from the south, landing in Kent, in Britannia’s south east. Then you’ll march on to Colchester, Lincoln, Bath and Exeter! Can you identify these places on a map using four or six-figure grid references? |
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47 |
Design and technology |
Step 7 |
In this lesson children will: Identify and use a range of cooking techniques to prepare a simple meal or snack. |
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Rest a while and cook yourself some hearty bread and broth. Can your camp cooks rustle up a meal to fill a hungry and weary warrior? |
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48 |
Geography |
Step 8 |
In this lesson children will: Study and draw conclusions about places and geographical features using a range of geographical resources, including maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping. |
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Look at aerial images of different Celtic hillforts. Draw a plan to show how you would attack, listing and drawing the weapons you would use as part of your siege! |
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49 |
English |
Step 9 |
In this lesson children will: Orally compose and write sentences, including dialogue, using increasingly varied and rich vocabulary and sentence structures. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. Using specific topic vocabulary can enhance a sentence. Using noun phrases, adverbials and conjunctions can lead to a wider variety of vocabulary and sentence structures. A phrase is a group of words that does not include a verb, such as 'the small, red fox'. * Phrases can be deliberately placed at certain positions within a sentence to vary the sentence structure, such as a fronted adverbial phrase. |
Your battle has been won and fought bravely. Write a short victory speech and translate it into Latin! |
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50 |
Physical education |
Step 10 |
In this lesson children will: Respond positively to challenges and other team members, showing the ability to listen to and act on feedback. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: A challenge is an activity that tests a person's abilities. Challenges can be met using different strategies, such as applying learnt skills or tactics, asking for help, working well with others and listening to and acting upon helpful feedback. |
Now the south is in Roman hands, Claudius and his legions can return to Rome triumphant. March in a victory procession through the streets to celebrate your conquest of Britannia! (Did you know that Claudius rode on an elephant?) |
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51 |
Design and technology |
Step 11 |
In this lesson children will: Choose from a range of materials, showing an understanding of their different characteristics. |
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Make a plaque to commemorate your part in the invasion. Photograph yourself, with your ‘cassis’, and inscribe your plaque with your Roman name and date (in Latin and with Roman numerals of course!). Display your plaques in the Forum in Rome. CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed your Innovation Challenge. |
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52 |
English |
After the invasion |
In this lesson children will: Draw inferences, such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, justified with evidence from the text. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Evidence used to support inferences can be referred to in your own words or quoted directly from the text. |
The children have discovered an ancient letter sent by a Roman soldier (who has settled in Britain) to relatives living at home in Rome. They can find out from the letter about where the soldier is living, his work and everyday life. Discuss what evidence the letter gives about life for those Romans settling in Britain. Begin to research life after the invasion by reading a number of non-fiction books and other historical resources. Note: Provide a letter for the children to read, including historic detail of life after the invasion. |
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53 |
English |
Post-invasion Britain |
In this lesson children will: Retrieve and record information from age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts, deciding on an appropriate level of detail for their purpose. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Fiction texts are usually narratives organised into paragraphs. A narrative is a sequenced account. Non-fiction texts use organisational devices to help you to locate information quickly, such as headings, bullet points, boxes and tables. Skimming and scanning can help you to retrieve information from sections of fiction or non-fiction texts. Skimming is looking over a text quickly to get the gist without needing to read every word. Scanning is looking over a text quickly, line by line, to find key words. The level of detail required from a retrieval answer can dictate whether to record in sentence or note form. |
Use information books and web research to find out information about Britain after the Roman invasion. Make notes to collate their information using headings, such as work, homes, building and trade, to structure their ideas. Note: Encourage children to share their findings, comparing ideas and notes as a group. |
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54 |
English |
Drafting our letters |
In this lesson children will: Plan, discuss and record increasingly detailed notes on a range of given planning formats, using similar writing to support structure, vocabulary and grammar. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: There are a range of planning formats, such as storyboards, story mountains, spider diagrams, mind maps and flow charts. |
Begin to draft a letter as their Roman persona, explaining to a family member about daily life in Britain. Decide which town they have settled in and use the web to research the town’s features, so that they can imagine and describe their new hometown. Note: They may have chosen to settle in a Roman town, such as Manchester, Leicester, York or Doncaster. Other towns can be identified by name endings castrum or castra, the Latin words for fort. |
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55 |
English |
Far from home |
In this lesson children will: Describe settings and characters in detail and create well-developed plots, using inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Narrative fiction is a mixture of action, description and dialogue. Narrative fiction can begin with action, description or dialogue. Settings can be described in detail by referring to the five senses and using expanded noun phrases. Characters can be described in detail by referring to their appearance, actions, behaviour, personality traits and dialogue. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. Plots can be developed by carefully planning to include a problem, small steps leading to a climax and a resolution. The correct punctuation of direct speech includes inverted commas, commas with reporting clauses, capital letters and end punctuation. |
Continue to develop their letters, describing how their character feels, as well as including historical facts. Discuss how these soldiers might have felt about being so far away from home in a foreign country. Note: Provide opportunities for children to reflect on the soldiers' feelings, considering all that they had experienced from travel, war and living away from home. |
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56 |
English |
Reading our letters aloud |
In this lesson children will: Speak with an increasing command of Standard English. |
By the end of this lesson children should know: Standard English uses correct grammar, punctuation, verb inflections and spelling. Informal speech tends to be less organised and uses contractions, colloquialisms, hesitation markers and question tags. Formal speech requires preparation, well-considered vocabulary and the use of Standard English. Sentence stems, or openers, can help you to formulate grammatically correct sentences. |
Read their letters, checking on grammar, spelling and punctuation. While reading aloud, change sentences and phrases to make them sound more effective. Make up an address in Rome where they can send their letters and write out a neat copy for display. Note: Perform their letters aloud in the role of their Roman character. The children might like to dress up to make their performances more authentic. |
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57 |
History |
Art gallery |
In this lesson children will: Explain how the design, decoration and materials used to make an artefact can provide evidence of the wealth, power and status of the object’s owner. |
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Create a Roman art gallery, showcasing all of the artwork created throughout their project. Invite parents to visit their exhibition and give guided tours and explanations of their work. Respond to parents’ questions about their work during their visit. Note: Perhaps write an invitation to parents, giving dates and times in Roman numerals and suggesting a Roman dress code. The children’s Roman gallery could include digital images displayed on a screen. It could also include the opportunity to see and hear other resources that children have created. |
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58 |
Geography lesson |
Roman towns |
In this lesson children will: Study and draw conclusions about places and geographical features using a range of geographical resources, including maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping. |
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Use online mapping tools to find out distances between Roman towns, such as Doncaster and Manchester or York and Bath. Record their findings in a simple table or spreadsheet. How many Roman towns can you find in the UK? Note: Children could use Ordnance Survey maps to identify any potential Roman roads that still exist in Britain today, such as Wheeldale Moor (North Yorkshire), Holtye (Sussex), and Blackstone Edge (near Littleborough, Greater Manchester). |
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59 |
History |
What did the Romans do for us? |
In this lesson children will: Describe the 'Romanisation' of Britain, including the impact of technology, culture and beliefs. |
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Explain, in their own words, what they think the Romans did for us. Consider how the world might be now if there had been no Roman influence on society. Note: Discuss this as part of a larger group, discussing their ideas and listening to others’ views. Work together to compile a top 10 list of things the Romans did for us. |
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60 |
History |
Who am I? |
In this lesson children will: Construct a profile of a significant leader using a range of historical sources. |
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Listen to descriptions of a range of different individuals that they have encountered in the project. Listen out for clues to help them decide who is being described. Can they share an additional fact or piece of information about each person? Note: Examples might include Julius Caesar, Claudius, Spartacus, Boudicca, a Roman soldier, a gladiator and a Celtic warrior. |