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The Roman Career Ladder — Cursus Honōrum

Sixth graders learn the cursus honōrum — the ladder of public offices an ambitious Roman climbed (quaestor, aedile, praetor, consul, censor) — a window into how the Roman Republic was governed.

Grade 6Cursus Honōrum50 minutes1 class periodClassical LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the cursus honōrum.
  • ✓Know the offices.
  • ✓Order the ladder.
  • ✓Explore Roman government.
Essential Question

How did a Roman rise in politics? By climbing the cursus honōrum — the ladder of offices. What was the order?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Cursus Honōrum

Project this and have students put the Roman offices in order, from first to highest.

🏛️ Put the Roman career ladder in order!Try it
Tap the first office!
The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Climbing the Ladder

5 min

How did a Roman rise in politics? By climbing the cursus honōrum — in what order?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask how leaders rose.
  • Ask about the offices.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wonder.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Cursus Honōrum

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present each office.
  • Note what each did.
  • Note the order.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Order It

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Cursus Honōrum.
  • Put it in order.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

12 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name an office.
  • Say what it did.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the first office.
  • Name the highest elected.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Name it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Standards for Classical Language Learning (ACL/ACTFL, Introductory).

ACL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Roman government.

ACL
Cultures 2.2

Explore Roman institutions.

ACL
Connections 3.2

Connect to civics and history.

ACL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare to modern offices.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Office cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Use a ladder diagram.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with quaestor and consul.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Use a diagram.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Explain each office’s job.
  • Compare to US offices.
  • Research a consul.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🏛️A ladder diagram
  • 💻Order the Cursus Honōrum
  • 📚History books
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

cursus honōrumcourse of officesquaestorfinancial officeraedīlispublic works officerpraetorjudgecōnsulchief magistratecēnsorcensormagistrātuspublic officerēspūblicarepublic
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What was the FIRST office in the cursus honōrum?
Quaestor (a financial officer).
QUESTION 2
What was the highest ELECTED office?
Cōnsul (two served each year).
QUESTION 3
What did the praetor do?
Served as a judge and magistrate.

Reflect: cursus honōrum.

Have students name the first and highest offices in the Roman career ladder (quaestor → consul). A printable cursus sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 The Roman Career Ladder (Cursus Honōrum)Flip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 The Roman Career Ladder (Cursus Honōrum)Quiz
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ The Roman Career Ladder (Cursus Honōrum)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: aedīlis, cursus honōrum, cēnsor, cōnsul, magistrātus, praetor, quaestor, rēspūblica
  1. financial officer
  2. course of offices
  3. republic
  4. judge
  5. censor
  6. chief magistrate
  7. public works officer
  8. public office

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What was the FIRST office in the cursus honōrum?
  2. What was the highest ELECTED office?
  3. What did the praetor do?
Answer key — Part A: 1) quaestor · 2) cursus honōrum · 3) rēspūblica · 4) praetor · 5) cēnsor · 6) cōnsul · 7) aedīlis · 8) magistrātus
Part B: 1) Quaestor (a financial officer). 2) Cōnsul (two served each year). 3) Served as a judge and magistrate.