"Why Do Civilizations Fail?" Lesson Plan for 7th Grade Students

Topic: "Why do civilizations fail?"

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to explain why the Roman Empire collapsed, and the factors that played a role in its decline.
• Students will be able to identify the factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire, and how they relate to other civilizations throughout history.

Materials

• Maps of the Roman Empire and its surrounding regions
• Images of Roman architecture and art
• Documents or articles about the economic, geographic, and religious factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire
• Pens and paper for taking notes

Warm-up

• Begin the class by showing images of Roman architecture and art. Ask students to make observations about the material and style of the architecture. What do they notice about the art? What objects or figures do they see?
• Next, have students make a list of any words or phrases that come to mind when they think of the Roman Empire. Encourage them to be creative and think of any associations they have with the Empire.
• Once the class has finished making their list, go through the list as a class and discuss any interesting or surprising associations or ideas that were mentioned.

Direct Instruction

• Begin by explaining that the Roman Empire was a vast, powerful civilization that once ruled over much of Western Europe and parts of Asia.
• Next, introduce the topic of why civilizations fail and discuss the factors that can contribute to a civilization falling apart. Examples may include environmental factors, such as natural disasters or climate change, as well as political, economic, and social factors, such as internal unrest or outside invasion.
• Use the handouts and any additional materials to further discuss the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and have them research one of the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire.
• Have each group present their finding to the class and discuss how it contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
• Can you think of any other factors that contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire?

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one of the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire and create a project that illustrates how this factor contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
• Possible project ideas could be: a presentation, a poster, a song, a short story, etc.

Closure

• Review the factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire.
• Ask students to reflect on what they learned about the fall of the Roman Empire and how they can apply this knowledge to the present day.

Assessment

• Observe student participation in class discussions and projects.
• Collect and grade the written reports.
• Evaluate the presentations made during the class activity.