'When in Rome' Becomes Real to Sophomores

Sophomores from Cindy Santana's world history class and Kathy Binder's English class joined forces in presenting snapshots of life from the Roman Empire. As they studied Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in English and the Roman Empire in history, students collaborated in research, writing a newspaper, and presenting a satirical skit about characters from a particular class of Roman society.
"I liked it. [The project] had different ways of learning the same thing. We wrote a research paper and we did a satire about slaves," said Caleb Belleau.
Whether students wrote from the perspective of a slave, a plebeian, a soldier, or a head of state, Kathy Binder was happy with the results. "I think it went very well. Students saw life from a different perspective," she said. 
Sydney Michalenko described how they wrote a newspaper with 2 articles--one factual and one opinionated. The editorial focused on requesting the Roman government to support them and their class situation. Sydney's group was given 'slaves' to write about, and they especially enjoyed presenting their satire. "We were all slaves [in our skit] and decided to visit the Roman Colosseum. They built the Colosseum, but weren't allowed inside. We all died."
A field trip to see local church member Dick Stenbakken's private collection of Roman artifacts provided further insights to Roman life. 
 
Jenny Sigler teaches English at Campion Academy
photos: Don Reeder

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