Watch a Slideshow: Colosseum Close-Up
Discuss: How was the Colosseum similar to a modern sports arena?
Students will get an inside look at the Roman Colosseum, the most famous sports arena in history.
Lesson Plan - Secrets of an Ancient Arena
Learning Objective
Students will get an inside look at the Roman Colosseum, the most famous sports arena in history.
Text Structure
Description
Content-Area Connections
Ancient History
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1
NCSS: Culture
TEKS: Social Studies 3.13
1. Preparing to Read
Watch a Slideshow: Colosseum Close-Up
Discuss: How was the Colosseum similar to a modern sports arena?
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about why historians and others are so interested in the Colosseum.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. Based on the article, describe the empire that the Romans controlled long ago.
The empire was land that that Romans controlled in what is now Europe, Asia, and Africa. The empire was powerful.
(RI.3.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)
2. Name four things you might have seen if you went into the tunnels under the Colosseum in 80 A.D.
You might have seen gladiators preparing to fight, doctors treating gladiators’ wounds, sets and costumes being stored, and animals that fought in some events.
(RI.3.2 KEY DETAILS)
3. According to the caption, why would the floor of the Colosseum sometimes be flooded?
The floor of the Colosseum would sometimes be flooded so that ships could be brought in. Then people could watch “battles at sea.”
(RI.3.3 CAUSE AND EFFECT)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Write a News Article
Use “Headline From History” to have students write a news article about a gladiator match.
(W.3.2 INFORMATIVE WRITING)