|
PROJECT: ROME vs. THE UNITED STATES MRS. BROWN
|
hermitage museum
|
hermitage museum |
|
Introduction: We live in a "global" world. People of different cultures, languages, and regions are connected to and influenced by each other. We travel more or less freely from country to country as immigrants, business people or tourists. We communicate across national boundaries and have windows into each others' lives through entertainment and news. Ideas and culture travel too: there are McDonald's in Moscow and Sushi can be found in most American cities and towns. All of this is new--or is it? Consider ancient Rome. Is it a dead civilization, or one that can be seen as: a force that shaped the world we live in? a mirror of some of our own strengths and weaknesses? How much were the ancient Romans like us? How much did they have to do with who we are? The patriots who carried out the American Revolution knew a great deal about the ancient Romans, and drew inspiration from their history. This is part of our past as a nation. Your task will be to make some comparisons between ourselves and ancient Rome, discover what we've admired and imitated, and find evidence that Rome is still in some ways, alive in the world around us. Keep in mind these Questions for Reflection: What makes a civilization strong? What makes a civilization great? Why do civilizations "fall?" Why does one culture imitate another? What are the qualities of a great leader? How can a culture deal successfully with other cultures? How can/should a culture deal with ethnic, racial and religious diversity Begin by getting a clear understanding of the tasks you'll be doing and the process you'll be following in your investigation. You will need to use Internet resources and other reliable information sources in the course of your research. You will provide the results of your investigation in both a final group presentation and individual written pieces. Process Work in a group, deciding on your topic focus as you explore the resources. Your research goal is to gather information that will allow you to 1. Compare Roman civilization to our own (United States) civilization. 2. Explore the influence Roman civilization has had on us. Though you will work with your group to choose a topic and do your presentation, you will do your own research. You are individually responsible for identifying, gathering information and reporting back to the group about something still to be found in the modern world that shows the influence of Rome or a strong similarity to ancient Rome that you can validate through your research. Steps in the Research Process: While there is a basic sequence for research, you sometimes need to go back to a previous step to get a clearer focus, make corrections or changes, or fill in gaps. For example, as you find information in your resources, you might find you need to revise and develop new questions or subtopics for investigation. Don't get discouraged or stalled if this happens! It's a natural part of the process. Keep all your individual and group written work, including bibliography forms, in a portfolio. 1. Survey the resources to get a general understanding of the Roman world and come up with a list of terms for keyword and subject searching in your information sources. As you survey, be on the alert for similarities and differences between our culture and Roman culture. 2. Choose a topic area. Here are some suggestions : ENTERTAINMENT (including sports and recreation): Some Romans felt that the people would be happy and not cause trouble if they were provided with entertainment. If true, how does this compare with sports and entertainment today? How important are they to us? ARCHITECTURE/SCULPTURE/ART: The Romans borrowed from other cultures, particularly the Greeks, when it came to the arts, but they developed the forms and interpreted them in ways that expressed Roman values and talents. Explore this area, comparing our own arts with theirs. Think about the types of buildings and statues you see that remind you of Roman buildings and statues. Why might the builders/sculptors have imitated the Romans in designing these? LEADERS: Romans had definite ideas about what made someone a good leader. Think about our own values--what do we admire in a leader? GROWTH AND PROTECTION OF THE EMPIRE Some historians have made comparisons between the "American Empire" and the Roman Empire. Others note that while the United States does not have an empire, it has an interest in what happens in other countries and in preserving stability and peace beyond our borders. This makes us take on a role similar to that of the Romans in the ancient world. What was their role? What issues did they have to deal with in establishing, managing and maintaining their empire? 3. Develop questions to use in gathering information. 4. Identify relevant resources that are likely to contain good information relevant to your questions. Start with the links provided. 5. Take notes that reflect your accurate understanding of the information you've gathered. Remember to check back for accuracy and details such as spelling. If your notes are based on observation--of a picture, a museum artifact or a building you see, for example--include information about the object from a caption, sign or knowledgeable adult. 6. Record your sources using the appropriate forms. Make sure you've been complete and accurate (including spelling everything correctly). This goes for Internet resources too! 7. Share the information you gathered as a group; make a Venn diagram for your topic comparing and contrasting ancient Rome and the modern United States. 8. Decide on a way to present your information. Presenting the Results of Your Investigation: In developing both your group and individual presentations, keep in mind the "Questions for Reflection" posed in the introduction. Address at least one of them in some way in your final products. Group Presentation (choose 1) * A video, in which you identify things in our world that are like or imitate ancient Rome. It will need narration or an accompanying written description to make clear what the images mean. * A play in which you demonstrate somehow the similarities and/or differences between our world and the Roman world * A timeline that has a written explanation of some of the events in Roman history and allows for comparison with events in U.S. history * A map or maps, appropriately captioned, that represents some aspect of Roman history or culture and allows for comparison with events or features of U.S. history or culture Individual Written Reflection In addition, each of you must do--on your own--a written piece that addresses at least one of the questions. Your piece can be in any of the following forms: * an editorial in a newspaper * letters to the editor of a newspaper * journal entries * a recommendation to a friend about to embark on time travel Finally, do a written evaluation of your best, most helpful information resource. What, in particular (give specific examples), made it helpful? What qualifies it as "best". This assignment is based on a Webquest created by Kathy Foulke July 31, 1997 |
 |
Links: |