1. Government and the Law

• government structure, politicians, the "citizen", the Senate, a Senator's job, the Emperor, famous Emperors, Laws, Crime, Punishment, judges, juries, the 12 tables.

2. The Military

   1. 1. • the army, a soldier's life, forts, battles, weapons, uniforms, training, the Navy

3. Building

   1. 1. • architecture, building materials, builders, concrete, the arch, roads, walls, aqueducts, sewers, craftsmen, famous buildings

4. Religion

   1. 1. • beliefs, gods/goddesses, temples, priests, festivals, daily worship, Christianity, myths

5. The Games at the Colosseum

   1. 1. • the Colosseum, the games, gladiators, spectators, a day at the games

6. Chariot Races

   1. 1. • the Hippodrome, the races, the drivers/teams, spectators, a day at the races

7. The Baths

   1. 1. • the building, the activities, the purpose, the workers, the people who went, a day at the baths

8. Food

   1. 1. • food, farming/agriculture, the kitchen, meals, preparation of food

9. Clothing and Appearance

   1. 1. • clothing, fashion, materials, make-up, hair, jewelry, rich vs poor, women vs men

10. Homes

    1. 1. • houses (domus), villas, insulae (apartments), layout/appearance, furniture, rich vs poor

Challenging Topics:

• Art: Pottery, Metal, Glass, Wood, Mosaics, Painting, the job of an artist

• Medicine: Doctors, Medicine, Disease and Treatment, surgeries, tools

• Trade: Merchants (Store owners), Markets (forums), Trade, Money, the economy

• Education: rich vs. poor, curriculum, tools, literature, language, writing, thinking

• Women: Women’s roles, their daily life, rich vs poor, marriage

Use the books in the library to read about your topic. As you build your understanding of the topic, write down notes about this topic, then organize and connect some of the information into sub-topics. These groupings, or sub-topics can be areas your want to research more. They can be the basis of your research questions.

TAKE NOTES

Background Research and Questions Sheet (BLUE SHEET)

• Lined Blue Sheet

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SOURCES

Works Cited (PINK SHEET) - click and then print if you need another copy

Review your background notes. Think about how the big topic can be broken down in to sub-topics. You can develop further research questions around those sub-topics.

Sometimes creating concept maps or outlines help you organize your thinking about your big topic. See the examples below.

Once you have some sub-topics, you can develop questions for further research. See Step 2.