Rome, Then and Now G3 PDF

1.5 TAKE-HOME “Rome, Then and Now” “This is Rome,” said Mrs. Teachwell, pointing to a black dot on the classroom map. “But this is Rome, too,” she added, as she traced a circle that was so large it seemed to touch all four sides of the map. The stu...

1.5 TAKE-HOME “Rome, Then and Now” “This is Rome,” said Mrs. Teachwell, pointing to a black dot on the classroom map. “But this is Rome, too,” she added, as she traced a circle that was so large it seemed to touch all four sides of the map. The students looked confused. “How can it be both?” Charlie Chatter shouted out. “I’ll explain,” Mrs. Teachwell said, “but please raise your hand if you would like to speak.” Charlie Chatter nodded. It was not the first time he had heard this. In fact, Mrs. Teachwell had asked him to raise his hand many times, but it was hard for Charlie. His mouth seemed to be faster than his hand. “Rome started out as a little town along the Tiber River,” Mrs. Teachwell explained. “Like Egypt on the Nile?” Charlie asked. “Yes,” said Mrs. Teachwell, “but let’s see that hand!” The students giggled. “As Charlie has just reminded us,” Mrs. Teachwell said, “many civilizations sprang up along the banks of a river. Rome was no exception. It sprang up here, on the banks of the Tiber River, among seven hills. At first, Rome was just a few houses on a hill. Then, it grew and grew and grew. After a while, people started building houses on other hills nearby. Then, the little towns on the hills grew together to make a big city. In fact, to this day, Rome is known as the ‘City of Seven Hills.’ “Then, the Romans fought wars with their neighbors. The Romans won most of these wars. They defeated the Etruscans, who lived north of them. They conquered the Greeks, who had settled to the south, as well. It wasn’t long before they controlled most of this piece of land that we call Italy.” Grade 3 Activity Book | Unit 4  Mrs. Teachwell traced the outline of Italy with her finger. “Check it out!” Charlie Chatter shouted. “Italy looks like a boot!” “Yes,” said Mrs. Teachwell. “Italy does look like a boot, but, please, Charlie, raise your hand! This is your last warning. Now, does anyone know what this body of water that the boot of Italy sticks out into is called?” Rachel Readmuch, who always had her nose in a book, raised her hand. Mrs. Teachwell called on her. “It’s called the Mediterranean,” said Rachel. “That’s right!” said Mrs. Teachwell. “This is the Mediterranean Sea. Rome grew so much that, at its peak, the Romans controlled all the land around the Mediterranean Sea. They took over most of Spain and France. They took over this area that we call the Balkans. They took over Greece and much of Turkey. They took over the Middle East, Egypt, and the coast of North Africa.” Tim Timetable, who loved to learn about when things happened, put up his hand. “When was all this happening?” “Rome started growing about 2,500 years ago,” Mrs. Teachwell explained. “It started growing about 500 years before the birth of Jesus, in the years we call BCE. It was still growing when Jesus was born. In fact, Jesus was born here, in a part of the Middle East that was controlled by the Romans.” Tim Timetable made a note of the date. Mrs. Teachwell went on: “We will be studying Rome for three weeks or so. Each day, we will have a report on a topic connected to ancient Rome. I’ll give the first few reports. Then, each of you can do some research and give the next few. How does that sound?” The kids cheered. They were eager to learn more about Rome. Rachel Readmuch already knew quite a lot. Tim Timetable had lots of questions about what happened when. As for Charlie Chatter, he was looking forward to the day when he would get to give his report. Then, he would get to talk without having to raise his hand first! Unit 4 | Activity Book Grade 3