Grade 6 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 15, Lesson 4

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A Message of Ancient Days

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 15 Lesson 4: The Fall of Rome (pp. 475-481)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Continuity Even after the fall of the Roman Empire, important Greco-Roman achievements continued to influence Western culture.

Describe the fall of Rome under the continuing advance of barbarians from the north. Have students look at the map on page 476 and tell you the names of the barbarian tribes. Talk about growth of the Christian church while Rome declined, pointing out that some northern tribes even converted to Christianity.

Summarize historians' ideas of the reasons for the fall of Rome. Talk about the effect on Europe of the loss of the Roman Empire. Describe the ways in which Greek and Roman accomplishments were preserved and passed down through the ages.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have students chose one of the reasons for the fall of Rome listed in the lesson and write a brief newspaper story describing the role it played in the end of the empire. Have students share and discuss so that all reasons are explored.
Have each student draw a cartoon showing either a Roman from a barbarian's point of view, or a barbarian from a Roman's point of view. Discuss what the students chose to express and how.

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