The sixth grade is living into the past, all the way back to 753 BCE with the founders of ancient Rome. The students heard about the seven kings of Rome and how these men helped shape the Republic. Ms. Hopkinkson told the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps and invading Rome in the Punic Wars. The students have been hearing about the Roman government, the role of the Plebians and Patricians, and have been making their own links to today’s modern government.
We are looking at Latin roots and prefixes such as PRO and SONOS. This week the students began their initial research for their newspaper projects, working on highlighting essential information in the text. Next week we’ll work on paraphrasing and putting sentences into their own words.
The students have been both delighted and repulsed by the biographies of Roman leaders. They openly cheer whenever someone does anything for the good of the people such as enact a law that helps the poor or allows plebians to elect someone to the senate. It is not uncommon for me to overhear snack time conversations that start, “Who is your favorite Gracchi brother?” More than any other class I’ve taught this period in history to, these kids seem particularly able to make links between the similarities of ancient Rome and modern day social issues and government. They are inquisitive, engaged, funny, and earnest.
