Lesson plan based on Hadrian

Define ancient Roman vocabulary using the dictionary writing sentences.

Skills and Focus: Vocabulary, Research

Subject Area: English Language Arts

Thematic Connection Connecting Past and Present

Grade Level: Middle School

Time Needed: 75 minutes

Objectives

• Define eight words that relate to ancient Roman cultural life.

• Use the dictionary to discover definitions that match the context in which each word was used.

• Write sentences for each word that use the words in their original and contemporary contexts.

Instructional Materials Needed

Stories: Who Was Hadrian? and How Was This Made?

Dictionaries for each student

Who Was Hadrian? Transcript

How Was This Made?Transcript

Activity

Step 1: Write the following words on the chalkboard, asking students to copy them onto a sheet of paper: successor, villa, excavate, cult, accession, pockmarks, boss, punch.

Show the stories Who Was Hadrian? and How Was This Made? and ask students to listen for these words and look for the images that accompany them.

Step 2: Ask students to use the dictionaries to find and copy the definition of each of these words. Students should look critically at all of the given definitions to find the one that matches the ancient Roman context. Punch, for example, is used in a very specific way in the stories. Encourage students to refer to the transcripts of the movies to determine context.

Step 3: When students have finished writing the definitions, ask them to write two sentences for each word. One sentence should use the word in its ancient Roman context, and the other should use the word in a contemporary context. Emphasize that sentences should illustrate the definition of the words without actually defining them. Ask students to share their sentences.

Goals

This activity meets Illinois State Goal 1: Read with understanding and fluency.

This activity meets Illinois State Goal 5: Use the language arts for inquiry and research to acquire, organize, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information.

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