Home›Lesson Plans›World Languages›Latin · Grade 9

The Roman Republic — Rēspūblica

Ninth graders explore how the Roman Republic was governed — the Senate, elected consuls, patricians and plebeians, and the famous motto SPQR — a system that shaped modern government.

Grade 9Rēspūblica Rōmāna55 minutes1 class periodClassical LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACL
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson
Share to Google Classroom Share to Microsoft Teams

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the Republic.
  • ✓Know the Senate & consuls.
  • ✓Understand classes.
  • ✓Connect to modern government.
Essential Question

Before emperors, Rome was a Republic governed by elected leaders. How did the rēspūblica work?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Rēspūblica Explorer

Project this and tap each part. Have students learn how the Roman Republic worked.

🏛️ Explore the Roman Republic — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Before the Emperors

6 min

Rome was a Republic governed by elected leaders — how did it work?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show “SPQR.”
  • Ask what it means.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Rēspūblica

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Rēspūblica Explorer.
  • Note Senate and consuls.
  • Note SPQR.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Name.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain the Senate.
  • Explain the consuls.
  • Compare to today.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain.
  • Explain.
  • Compare.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe the Republic.
  • Compare to modern government.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Describe.
  • Compare.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a part of the Republic.
  • Say what it did.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Built to the standards you report on

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

ACL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Roman government.

ACL
Cultures 2.2

Explore Roman institutions.

ACL
Connections 3.2

Connect to civics.

ACL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare to modern government.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Government-part cards.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ did ___.”
  • Use a diagram.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Senate and consul.
  • Use one example.
  • Name one part.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare to the US government.
  • Explain checks and balances.
  • Research a consul.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🏛️A government diagram
  • 💻The Rēspūblica Explorer
  • 📚History books
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

rēspūblicarepublicsenātussenatecōnsulconsulpatriciīpatriciansplēbsplebeiansSPQRSenate & People of Romelēxlawpopuluspeople
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 Senate (Senātus)?
The council of leading citizens who advised on laws.
QUESTION 2
How many consuls were elected each year?
Two — to check each other’s power.
QUESTION 3
What does SPQR stand for?
Senātus Populusque Rōmānus — the Senate and People of Rome.

Reflect: rēspūblica Rōmāna.

Have students name two parts of the Roman Republic and what each did (like consuls → led the Republic). A printable Republic 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 Republic (Rēspūblica)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 The Roman Republic (Rēspūblica)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

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 Republic (Rēspūblica)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: cōnsul, lēx, patriciī, plēbs, populus, rēspūblica, senātus, SPQR
  1. senate
  2. Senate & People of Rome
  3. plebeians
  4. republic
  5. law
  6. consul
  7. patricians
  8. people

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What was the Senate (Senātus)?
  2. How many consuls were elected each year?
  3. What does SPQR stand for?
Answer key — Part A: 1) senātus · 2) SPQR · 3) plēbs · 4) rēspūblica · 5) lēx · 6) cōnsul · 7) patriciī · 8) populus
Part B: 1) The council of leading citizens who advised on laws. 2) Two — to check each other’s power. 3) Senātus Populusque Rōmānus — the Senate and People of Rome.