Subject Mid- Term Planning, Year 3, Topic: Romans

History Lesson 1 A day in the life of a roman. Focus on writing an account of what life was like from
different points of view. Post visit to the British museum.
Lesson 2 Focus on the Roman Army, and what life was like for them.
Areas for focus could include:
-Who was in the army?
-What a legion was?
-What other soldiers did romans have?
-What armour and weapons did the romans have?
-How well trained were the soldiers?
Art Lesson 1- Roman Mosaics.
Using inspiration from the trip and images in class, children could explore creating their own mosaics
using small bits of square coloured card. This could contribute towards a class display.
Areas of focus could include:
- The shapes created
- Colours used
- Geometric nature of the mosaics, and symmetry.
Lesson 2- Painting Roman pottery/ creating own pots/ painting
Inspiration could be taken from sites such as: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/art/ars.htm.
This lesson could cover 2 days. Day one could involve drawing, planning and then creating with clay
or painting. Day two could include decorating their pots (either the ones they made of clay or painted
ones with additional detail).
Points of discussion:
Discuss what different containers might have been for: wine, vinegar, water, honey, olives, fish sauce
(garum), etc. Ask chn to give opinions on the pots they see. Discuss how they are made, just for use
or made to look beautiful? How are they decorated? Are they all decorated? What material did they
use? Clay. Where does clay come from? The ground. Use internet (session resources) and/or non-
fiction texts to find more pictures of Roman pottery and ask chn what features are common in Roman
 pots pictures, shape, design, colours, etc. List on f/c. Encourage chn to be critical, to make detailed
comments. Is it art or craft? What is the difference? Explain to chn they will be making Roman pots
using clay. We will make mini pots replicas but we will try to make them look like real Roman
pottery. Show chn clay, discuss different ways of making pot/jug shapes, rolling it flat and making a
cylinder, hollowing out a shape, etc. If it has handles, etc, chn will need to think about how they will
form those, by rolling sausage shapes and attaching them with slip (clay water mixture), etc.
A third lesson could be used to decorate the pots.
Geograph Lesson 1 Roman Roads and the extent of the empire
y - This activity could include looking at maps and identifying countries, which made up the Roman
Empire.
- Perhaps show the children a video of different ruins and roads that still exist today.
Could have a class debate surrounding the issue of empire.
Lesson 2 Roman settlements and rivers.
Identify and talk about the importance of rivers at that point in time. Can compare and contrast to the
use of rivers today.