Sharon Arnold

West Middle School

Arnolds@binghamtonschools.org

Introduction

Background:

In a republic, citizens who have the right to vote select their leaders. The leaders rule in the name of the people. However, in the Roman Republic the patricians (members of wealthy, upper-class families) made up the senate, the most powerful part of the government. Ordinary citizens, called the plebeians, could not hold office or be part of the government. The patricians and plebeians had many differences. The patricians thought of themselves as leaders and wanted control over the government. The plebeians wanted to be respected and treated fairly and they weren’t.

Scenario:

The patricians have come to the plebeians and have asked them to join the Roman army.

You are a plebeian who is tired of being treated poorly! You haven’t been treated fairly by the patricians since they have been in control of the senate. You’ve experienced poverty, hunger, and powerlessness and now it is time t stand up for yourself and your fellow plebeians!

In this Web Quest you will be following the steps of the GHPPA to assist you in evaluating the effectiveness of the Twelve Tables. You and your group of plebeians must identify the problem with equity in the Roman Republic, gather evidence, and determine the cause(s) of the problem. As you discuss this information, think about the problems in Ancient Rome before the creation of the Twelve Tables, how this public policy solved the problems you identified, and if it created new ones.

Task:

You and your fellow plebeians now have a chance to meet and discuss some concerns you have about the Roman Republic. Once you have met and discussed your concerns, you (independently) will either:

1) Write a letter to the members of the senate explaining to them why you

refuse to join the Roman Army. You will then provide them with a list of

demands/ proposal for new laws in exchange for your participation in the

army. (Before the creation of the 12 Tables)

2) Write and read a speech to the plebeians (your classmates) convincing them that the 12 Tables have not solved all of their problems. In your speech you must include at least 3 examples of dissatisfaction with the 12 Tables and 3 new proposals to make it better. (After 12 Tables creation)

Process

You will be assigned to a group of 3-4. Using a variety of resources (textbook, class notes, handouts, websites), your group will research inequalities within the Roman Republic. You and your group will use the provided GHPPA worksheets to record your findings and develop your individual letters or speeches. Once you have researched together and discussed the information you have gathered, you will then independently develop your own letter or speech. In addition to the resources you have, use the websites and the GHPPA worksheets provided below to further assist you in your research.

GHPPA Steps (See PPA Power Point to better understand the steps)	GHPPA Assignment (Click the Worksheets below to record your answers. Remember to save it as a Word Document and print when you have completed them)
Identify the Problem	Research inequalities within the Roman Republic and complete Worksheet 1
Gather the Evidence	Research your problem and complete Worksheet 2
Determine the Causes	Identify the causes of the problem and complete Worksheet 3
Evaluate the Policy	Explain what is causing the inequalities and provide ideas to make improvements. Complete Worksheet 4

Website Resources

Topic	Website
What are Patricians and Plebeians?	http://rome.mrdonn.org/plebs.html
To help you understand the difference of views between the Patricians and Plebeians go to this site	http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeancientrome/a/12tablets.htm
The Conflict of Orders	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_the_Orders
The Basis of Roman Law	http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/twelvetables.htm
The Twelve Tables	http://rome.mrdonn.org/12tables.html

Evaluation

Expectations for Task 1: Letter to the senate

Letter-Writing Rubric: Inequalities in the Roman Republic

CATEGORY	4 -Above Expectations	3 - Meets Expectations	2-Approaching Expectations	1  - Below Expectations
Group GHPPA Worksheets	GHPPA worksheets are submitted, neat, and answers are thoughtful and complete.	GHPPA worksheets are submitted, neat, and answers are complete.	GHPPA worksheets are submitted and complete.	GHPPA worksheets are not submitted.
Salutation and Closing	Salutation and closing have no errors in capitalization and punctuation.	Salutation and closing have 1-2 errors in capitalization and punctuation.	Salutation and closing have 3 or more errors in capitalization and punctuation.	Salutation and/or closing are missing.
Format	Complies with all the requirements for a letter.	Complies with almost all the requirements for a letter.	Complies with several of the requirements for a letter.	Complies with less than 75% of the requirements for a letter.
Content Accuracy	The letter contains 3 or more accurate facts about the topic.	The letter contains 2 accurate facts about the topic.	The letter contains 1 accurate fact about the topic.	The letter contains no accurate facts about the topic.
Ideas	Ideas were expressed in a clear and organized fashion. It was easy to figure out what the letter was about.	Ideas were expressed in a pretty clear manner, but the organization could have been better.	Ideas were somewhat organized, but were not very clear. It took more than one reading to figure out what the letter was about.	The letter seemed to be a collection of unrelated sentences. It was very difficult to figure out what the letter was about.
Grammar & spelling (conventions)	Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling.	Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar and/or spelling.	Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar and/or spelling	Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar and/or spelling.

Expectations for Task 2: Speech to fellow plebeians

Written and Spoken Speech to Fellow Plebeians

CATEGORY	4 - Above Expectations	3 -Meets Expectations	2 – Approaching Expectations	1 - Below Expectations
Group GHPPA Worksheets	GHPPA worksheets are submitted, neat, and answers are thoughtful and complete.	GHPPA worksheets are submitted, neat, and answers are complete.	GHPPA worksheets are submitted and complete.	GHPPA worksheets are not submitted.
Attention Grabber	The speaker has a strong hook or attention grabber that is appropriate for the audience. This could be a strong statement, a relevant quotation, statistic, or question addressed to the audience.	The speaker has a hook or attention grabber, but it is weak, rambling or inappropriate for the audience.	The speaker has an interesting introductory statement but the connection to the topic is not clear.	The introductory statement is not interesting AND is not relevant to the topic.
Main Purpose of Speech	The speaker names the topic of the speech and outlines the main points to be discussed.	The speaker names the topic of the speech.	The speaker outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic.	The speaker does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed.
Support for Position	Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence that support the main purpose of speech The speaker anticipates the reader's concerns, biases or arguments.	Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence that support the main purpose of speech.	Includes 2 pieces of evidence that support the purpose of the speech	Includes 1 or fewer pieces of evidence.
Evidence and Examples	All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that shows how each piece of evidence supports the speaker's position and 3 new proposals are provided.	Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that shows how each piece of evidence supports the speaker's position and 2 new proposals are provided.	At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the speaker's position and 1 new proposal is provided.	Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained. No new proposals are provided.
Written Speech: Sentence Structure	All sentences in written speech are well-constructed with varied structure.	Most sentences in written speech are well-constructed and there is some varied sentence structure in the essay.	Most sentences in written speech are well constructed, but there is no variation is structure.	Most sentences in written speech are not well-constructed or varied.
Written Speech: Grammar & Spelling	Author of speech makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.	Author of speech makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author of speech makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author of speech makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.

Conclusion

After completing this Web Quest, you should have identified at least one issue in the Roman Republic that contributed to the social inequalities that existed. You should have also been able to research the purpose of the Twelve Tables and evaluate the policy’s effectiveness by using the GHPPA. Did it solve the social inequalities in the Roman Republic? Why or Why not? What if any changes should have been made to prevent the inequalities and unfair treatment?

Learning standards

(Retrieved from: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/nysatl/standards.html)

NYS Social Studies:

Standard 2:   World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Key Idea 1:The study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.

Key Idea 3: Study of the major social, political, cultural, and religious developments in world history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

Key Idea 4: The skills of historical analysis include the ability to investigate differing and competing interpretations of the theories of history, hypothesize about why interpretations change over time, explain the importance of historical evidence, and understand the concepts of change and continuity over time.

NYS English Language Arts:

Standard 1

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 3

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.