Rome Primary Source Stations

Ancient Rome Primary Source Stations engage students with Roman aqueducts, coins, and Pompeii frescoes through student-friendly readings, comprehension questions, writing activities, and evidence-based analysis for middle school history.

This resource helps middle school students step into the shoes of archaeologists while building critical thinking, inquiry, and evidence analysis skills.

What’s Included

• 3 Ancient Rome Evidence Stations:
• Aqueducts – Roman engineering and public water systems that show how Rome supplied cities with water and built on a massive scale.
• Roman Coins – currency that helps students see Roman emperors, trade, and political power across the empire. The British Museum’s Money and Medals collection is a great vetted source for this.
• Pompeii Frescoes – wall paintings that reveal daily life, art, homes, and Roman culture in a way students can picture easily. The Naples museum’s fresco collection is especially strong here.
• Student activity sheets with guiding questions
• Teacher directions for quick setup

Benefits for You and Your Students

• Less Prep, More Learning: Print-and-go format saves you time
• Active Engagement: Students move, think, and discuss instead of passively listening
• Critical Thinking: Learners question, infer, and draw conclusions like real historians
• Flexible Use: Works for whole-class, small groups, stations, or independent work
• Primary Source Analysis: Made Easy

Perfect For

• Ancient Rome Units
• Ancient civilizations introduction
• Archaeology and evidence analysis lessons
• Middle school social studies

By the end of these activities, your students won’t just know about the Roman Aqueducts, Coins and Frescoes—they’ll feel like they’ve uncovered history themselves.

_________________________

Copyright © Teach Like Midgley

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.