Estimated time: 30 minutes

Think about and discuss these questions from your reading:

1. If you could travel back in time to Ancient Rome, what is the first thing you would want to see or do?
2. How do you think the changing size of Rome's territory affected the people living in the empire?
3. Think about the different cultures and communities that became part of the Roman Empire. What might have changed for them in terms of government, language, and daily life?
4. Do you think the geography of Rome was crucial to its success as an empire? Why or why not?
5. Which part of creating the map was the most interesting to you, and why?

Freewriting

After pondering and discussing these questions with your teacher, choose one to complete a freewrite on. If you are unfamiliar with freewriting, here are a few tips:

• Keep your pencil moving. Don’t stop. Just brain dump onto your paper
• Have a set amount of time. Set a timer and write for the full amount of time.
• Ignore all grammar and spelling. Don’t let editing slow down the process. The goal is to get thoughts on paper. Spelling and grammar are not important in this instance.
• Pen and paper aren’t the only ways to freewrite. Feel free to type on the computer. Not only does this accomplish the task, but it builds typing skills.

Share your freewrite with us in the comments below.