Gladiatorial Shows on Trial

A WebQuest for 7th Grade (Social Studies)

Designed by Miss Windle

sarah_windle@sd63.bc.ca

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits  

Introduction

As council for the Emperor Constantine the Great you have been selected to prepare arguments as to whether gladiatorial shows should continue or be banished from the Roman empire.  It is your responsibility to research gladiatorial shows and come up with arguments to be used in a courtroom trial, which will help Emperor Constantine the Great decide whether or not to ban the shows.  Keep in mind that lawyers who fail to perform their duties to the highest standards face prison or in some cases, death.  Many of the arguments for gladiatorial shows has already been prepared by the first legal team and it is your responsibility to develop the counter-arguments.  As council for the Emperor you will not know which side of the argument you will be presenting until the day before the trial (Insert date here) so consider all aspect of this argument.  Research in small groups of two or three and prepare your counter-arguments well, for your life may depend on it!

Task

You as legal council to the Emperor must prepare counter-arguments against the continuation of the gladiatorial shows.

Following this preparation, the Emperor's legal team will be randomly divided into two separate groups and prepare arguments in a courtroom, to determine the fate of gladiatorial shows.  The emperor himself will preside over this special trial and after hearing all arguments will determine if gladiatorial shows shall continue or not.

Process                                                   

Councilor your assignment is as follows:

1. First you'll be assigned to a team of two or three.
2. Once you've formed your sub-legal group you must first study how to create effective counter-arguments.  Click here to learn about counter-arguments and how to make them effective.
3. You are now prepared in the art of forming counter-arguments and must begin the research process, visit the sites below to learn about the Roman gladiatorial shows.  This is what lawyers describe as a first reading.  The first reading will allow you to absorb the main details of the situation and provide you with enough knowledge to begin the drafting stage.  You will have to revisit these sites after stage 6 to gain more detail.

Reading Resource

http://www.salariya.com/web_books/gladiator/index.html

http://vroma.org/%7Ebmcmanus/arena.html

http://ga.essortment.com/romangladiators_rfye.htm

http://fortunecity.com/underworld/straif/69/enggladiat.htm

http://abacus.bates.edu/~mimber/Rciv/gladiator.htm

http://www.murphsplace.com/gladiator/glads.html

http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gladiators.html

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/reference.aspx

Consider trying your own search:

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.google.ca/

4. You must now begin the drafting process.  Due to the large number of sub-legal groups working on the same task it will be more efficient if you all use the same layout.  Click here to view and print out the Counter-argument layout.
5. Read over the arguments made for the continuation of gladiatorial shows.  Begin conferencing with your sub-legal group colleagues. You may need to keep a separate sheet for initial/additional notes.  
6. Brainstorm counter-arguments.  Refer back to step 3's resource sites as often as need and don't forget the tips outlined in step 2 (fair to everyone, side effects, consequences if everyone acted the same, less damaging solutions).  
7. Head council for the emperor will review your final drafts on (insert date here) for criteria listed under Evaluation.  You may want to examine the criteria before beginning your final draft.
8. Record your final draft on the sheet provided.  Click here.  
9. Complete Group-evaluation form.

Evaluation                                          

Your project will be evaluated in three stages.

First, in the final stage of the project you will complete an individual self-evaluation and a group self-evaluation.   Click here to see  Individual self-evaluation form.  Click here to see group self-evaluation. 

Second, the head council (teacher) will complete the following rubric as a group marked project.

Third, you will receive an individual participation mark for your participation in the trial.  Your Participation mark will be out of three and the criteria is as follows.

0 = Did not participate in trial  1 = participated in preparation but did not speak   2 = participated in preparation and spoke at least one argument.   3 =  participated in trial preparation and spoke to more than one argument/point.

Conclusion

Congratulations you are finished!  The Emperor looks forward to the next debate/trial and hearing your input.  

How do you feel about this law...

1. A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed.

Consider these questions:

Given the attitudes toward life and death at the time, should we excuse the rulers for their promotion of gladiator shows?

Is it fair to apply modern standards of right and wrong to people living in different conditions many hundreds of years ago? 

Credits & References

Images acquired from the following sites:

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Roman_Colosseum.html

http://www.esc2.net/TIELevel2/projects/rome/

http://www.42explore.com/rome.htm

http://www.ettc.net/contest00/ferguson/home.html

http://www.barker.nsw.edu.au/library/Webquests/History/Gladiators/Index.htm

Resources:

Harrison, Smith, and Wright, eds. Critical Challenges in Social Studies for Upper Elementary Students. Critical Challenges Across the Curriculum Series. The Critical Thinking Cooperative, 1999.

Thanks:

Thank you to Holly Mair for her encouragement and input.

Thank you to The WebQuest Page for so many great ideas and tips.

  The WebQuest Page 

 Design Patterns  

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