I Got a Lava Livin' to do in Pompeii!

A WebQuest for 6th Grade
(Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts)

Designed by Robin McCulley and Kim Castagna

robinmc7@earthlink.net
castagnak@vcss.k12.ca.us

Introduction

This lesson was developed as an integrated unit combining social studies, science, and language arts.  The lesson combines the study of ancient Rome, which includes the history of Pompeii, with the study of volcanoes.  

In this lesson students will utilize the 6 components of culture (daily life, technology, religion, government and economy, communication and art/entertainment) to create
journal entries from the point of view of several given roman identities.  Using these identities, students will write about what it was like to actually be in Pompeii on the very day that Vesuvius erupted.  They will use knowledge learned in their study of volcanoes to identify warning signs the people of Pompeii may have seen and accurately describe the eruption.  In effect they will act as Pliny the Younger only from different points of view because of the different characters and places.  This unit is designed to suppliment the active learning being done in the classroom.  

Learners

This lesson is anchored in sixth grade social studies, and involves science and language arts to a lesser extent.  

Students will be familiar with the 6 components of culture in Rome.  They will be familiar with city structure, architecture and lifestyle of Roman people at the time Vesuvius erupted.  They will also be familiar with the structure of volcanoes, types of eruptions, warning signs, and land formations.  Students will be asked to write journal entries from several different points of view.  

Curriculum Standards

Social Studies Standards Addressed

• Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures during the development of Rome.
• Discuss the legacies of Roman art and architecture, technology and science, literature, language, and law

• Students know evidence of plate tectonics is derived from the fit of the continents; the location of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mid-ocean ridges; and the distribution of fossils, rock types, and ancient ancient climatic zones.
• Students know that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults and that volcanoes and fissures are where magma reaches the surface.
• Students know major geologic  events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions. 
• Students know earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods change human and wildlife habitats.

• Students use and identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first and third person narration.
• Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits students'  awareness of the audience and purpose.  Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through the stages of the writing process. 
• Students write narrative and descriptive texts of at least 500 to 700 words.  Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and research, organizational, and drafting strategies. 
•  Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level.  
  

Students will also be involved in:

• creative production as they create their journal entries
• problem solving as they look at how the tragic effects of the eruption could have been modified through preparation or even awareness  
• critical thinking and observation skills as students look at artifacts and act as archaeologists to draw conclusions about the daily life of early Romans  
• teamwork and cooperation in completing this project 

Process

Time limits depend upon availability of computer time.  We plan to use the computer lab on an everyother day basis, and class time will be given for compilation and editing.  This webquest will run concurrent with the classroom study of ancient Rome and would come after the study of volcanoes.  This webquest will span a two week period.  This  may vary depending upon your situation and student capabilities.  

Teachers will need to have a level 1 proficiency in working with computers.  

To begin, students will need to be separated into groups of three or four.  Teachers will pass out fate cards that tell what position in life that student will hold.  For example they might be a soldier, a farmer or something else.  There are 8 life positions so in a class of 32 there would be four cards per life position, but there may be less than 4 in a group if your class is not full.  An attempt should be made to balance the group sizes.  Students who have the same life position will be working together to find information, but each student is responsible for writing their own journal entries.  

Another way to divide into identity groups would be to let students begin an independent reading of the webquest.  After this, have them choose their top three identities and write them on a piece of paper submitted to the teacher.  The teacher then looks at their choices and assigns research groups.  

Here is where students will start:

Pompeii is a bustling port city of 20,000 people.  Citizens through out are relaxing in the bath houses, buying and selling wares at the forum market place, participating in games at the local sports arena, reading campaign slogans in anticipation of the upcoming election, listening to speeches (some exciting and some boring!) in the government building, being entertained at dinner parties, grabbing a quick bite at the local "fast food vendor", or serving their masters wishes (8,000 people were slaves).

Before you begin to write in your journal, you must learn to which lifestyle you were born.   Draw a fate card to give you your postion in life.  You will draw one of the following identies:

*    Bread Maker
*    Housewife
*    Soldier
*    Slave
*    Farmer
*    Weaver
*    Child
*    Physician

We felt that it was important for students to look at a primary document by Pliney who actually observed the eruption of Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii.  This should help with the authenticity of their own journal entries.  
1.    Pliney has left us a true detailed diary of his observations during the eruption.  He and his family were actual witnesses to the destruction of the city of Pompeii, Italy on August 24, A.D. 79.  You will definately want to read these to get a true feeling of the event.

This is a teacher created example of what their diary entry should look like to focus students and give them an example.  Once again the purpose of this example is to motivate students to include facts from the culture categories as they begin to speak about the daily lives of their identity.  By seeing an example, they will see how to make the diary entries come to life and sound realistic.  
2.    You will also want to check out a farmer's diary the archelogists were able to recover. This one would be a good model for your own diary entries.

Next students will need to gather background information about what life was like in Pompeii before they begin to write.  In order to sound realistic, students need to have a broad base of background information about Pompeii and what historians know about what life was like there.  Once again, the purpose of this step in the lesson is to give them tools to make their diary entries sound realistic and historically accurate.  
3.    Find out more about the life and times of Pompeii by visiting the sites found here. These links will provide background information on the setting and events. You need to read these to become familiar with the life you will live in Pompeii so your journal entries will be full of factual events.  

To make their  journal enties sound realistic, we wanted students to have a broader understanding of the daily life in Rome.  Here students will visit places they may want to visit in their journal entries, giving them background information and a broader understanding of what daily life might have actually encompassed for Romans.  The main purpose of  this activity is to build an understanding of daily life.  
4.    Walking around the city will take you to the many places the citizens visited daily.  You too will want to stop by the baths, grab a quick bite to eat at the food vendor and work out at the outdoor gym.

To write accurately from the point of view of their given identity, students will need to become experts in their identity's job and lifestyle.  Here students are given the opportunity to research, for example, what it means to be a Roman housewife.
5.    Your station in life was determined by your fate card.  You will want to join others who share your station so you can compare notes and help each other be complete in journal entries.  To learn of your life, each of you will read about a different aspect of the life in Pompeii.

*    Bread Maker
*    Housewife
*    Soldier
*    Slave
*    Farmer
*    Weaver
*    Child  
*    Physician

Now that students have collected all the background information they need, they are ready to start writing.
You are now ready to begin writing your journal.  To make your entries realistic, you will want to refer back to research sites.

1. Most citizens belonged to groups of some kind.  Craftsmen most likely met to share their craft techniques, polical leaders met to share ideas, etc.  You will also meet with like minded citizens to better your craft.  Find Pompeiians who have your interests and conduct your research together, while writing your own journal.  
2. Requirements of your journal entries is a good place to visit.  You should stop in frequently to be sure you are on the right track.   
3. When all journals are completed, each identity group will split up and share their writings with others.  You will represent your station in life.  Each group will ideally be attended by one person from each identity group.  You will each read excerpts of your diaries aloud and use this to lead a discussion about the life and times of Pompeiian citizens.

After students have finished working with their identity group and have completed their individual journal enties, they need to peer edit and make a final copy.  The final copy will be hand written in black ink on paper made to look like it was Pliney's actual document.  It will include three pictures, imbedded into their writing they have picked while researching.  We are not allowing students to cut and paste any writing because we want the work to be done in students' words, not just copied.  

After the journal entries are complete, students will regroup into four groups of eight students to share parts of their journal entries.  Each identity needs to be represented in each group.  In this way, students will hear how the daily life of a soldier might be different, for example, from a slave's experience.  

Finally, students will complete a self evaluation of their work.  

Variations

Ideally you will have access to a complete computer lab, with a computer per student.  Given this isn't always the way it is, you will need to be creative in creating on-line time for your students.  Once students are grouped into Pomeii identity groups, some research can be done in text books or library books.  If several computers are available in your classroom, you could create a sign up and allow teams of students to work on-line throughout the day. 

We have also included an extra credit assignment that could become manditory.  We have given students the opportunity to write a newspaper page with several articles using knowledge and technology that we have today and applying it to the 79 A.D. eruption of Pompeii.  

Resources Needed

• Computers!
  
• Reference material in the classroom or school library on Pompeii, volcanoes, and Rome
• Class sets of books in 6th grade social studies and earth science
• Materials to create journal entries
• Printed copies of the evaluation rubric to pass out to students to be turned in with the finished product.
  

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on their performance in their Pompeii groups as an individual.  Their finished product, diary entries, will be the basis for their final individual grade.  A printed copy of the rubric evaluation will be passed out to students to do a self assessment before the final teacher rubric evaluation is completed.   

Credits & References