Towns in Roman Britain
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how many Roman towns in Britain were designed.
Key learning points
- The largest settlements built by the Celts were small hillforts.
- The Ancient Romans introduced towns, connected by roads across Britain.
- Cirencester (Corinium Dobunnorum) was Roman Britain's second largest town.
- Towns like Cirencester were designed in grids with the forum in the centre and some had aqueducts.
- Some big towns like Cirencester had amphitheatres which were used for public entertainment.
Keywords
Hillfort - a Celtic hillfort was built on top of a hill and surrounded by wooden fences for protection
Amphitheatre - an amphitheatre was a large arena that hosted public entertainment like gladiator fights
Forum - a forum was an important area in the middle of an Ancient Roman town where people would meet
Aqueduct - an aqueduct was a series of bridges used to transport clean drinking water to towns
Common misconception
Pupils may think that all people in Roman Britain lived in Roman towns.
Make it clear to pupils that although many people came to the towns, Britain remained largely rural, with lots of small Celtic settlements.
Teacher tip
Spend time drawing out the rich details of Senovara's story. Although she is not real, the description of Corinium is based on the archaeological record.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The remains of Ancient Roman buildings have been found in ...
Q2.Match the building material to where it was used in a Celtic roundhouse.
walls
roof
Q3.What sort of structure did the Emperor Hadrian order to be built across northern Britain?
Q4.Rich Romans built in the countryside.
Q5.The Romans sometimes combined their own gods with Celtic ones, creating hybrids such as ...
Q6.A hypocaust system was ...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The largest settlements the Celts built were called ...
Q2.The Romans connected their towns with paved ...
Q3. was Roman Britain's second largest town.
Q4.An amphitheatre was ...
Q5.Match the part of the town to the correct description.
series of bridges used to transport clean drinking water to towns
large arena for public entertainment
the most important meeting area in a town
Q6.The streets in Ancient Roman towns were in a pattern.
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Towns in Roman Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Towns in Roman Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the The Romans: what impact did the Romans have on Britain? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.