Materials

• Map of the Roman Empire at most expansive
• Current map of Europe or the world
• Class notes (see bolded text in Instructional Activities below)
• Overhead projector (optional)
• Resources on current events (e.g., newspapers, news magazines, television, radio, Internet)
• Teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other activity

Instructional Activities

1. Review content covered to this point in the unit.
   
   
2. Display a map of the Roman Empire at its most expansive.
   
   
3. Ask students to locate Rome on a current map. Also, ask students to comment on the international political power of Rome in current events.
   
   
4. As students identify that Rome has no substantial power, point again to the map of the Roman Empire at its most expansive and encourage students to suggest reasons the Roman Empire, once a dominant power, no longer has any significant power in the world.
   
   
5. Put the following notes on the board or overhead and have students discuss each cause of decline:
   
   Decline of the Roman Empire
   • Economy – The cost of defense and devaluation of Roman currency
   • Military – Army membership starting to include invaders, resulting in decline of discipline
   • Moral decay – People’s loss of faith in Rome and the family
   • Political problems – Civil conflict and weak administration
   • Invasion – Attacks on borders
   
   
6. Encourage students to use current events to identify weaknesses in modern-day countries that could result in the countries’ destruction.
   
   
7. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.