The Roman Empire & the Pax Romana

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Phenomenon

A Mesopotamian wheat field, an Egyptian farmer's grain harvest, and the sheep that grazed on Mesopotamian stubble all illustrate one connected system. The sun powers it; water cycles through it; matter moves continuously among living and nonliving parts. Modeling this cycling is the foundation of ecology.

Question

How does matter cycle and energy flow through the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem? Build a model that traces both.

Materials

• Large piece of paper (poster size, or two letter-size sheets taped together).

• Markers in at least 4 colors.

• Index cards or sticky notes.

• Reference list of ecosystem components below.

Procedure

1. Choose an ecosystem to model. Suggested: a Mesopotamian wheat field with farmers and sheep; an Egyptian Nile floodplain; a Mediterranean olive grove. (Or any ecosystem your family knows well.)

2. On the poster, draw the major components: the sun (energy source), producers (plants), primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), decomposers (fungi, bacteria), and the abiotic factors (water, air, soil, sunlight).

3. With one color of marker, draw arrows showing the flow of energy. Energy flows in one direction only --- from sun → producers → consumers → (eventually lost as heat at each step).

4. With a different color, draw arrows showing the cycling of matter (carbon, water, nutrients). Matter cycles --- it does not get used up; it moves around.

5. Label key processes: photosynthesis (where producers capture sun energy), respiration (where energy is released), decomposition (where decomposers return nutrients to soil).

Observations

Examine your model. Note where energy is lost from the system, where matter cycles back, and whether anything is added from outside the boundary you drew.

CER Response

__________________ Score: _____ / 10

1. What is the smallest unit of life? _____

2. Which structure contains the cell's DNA and directs its activities? _____

3. Which cell structure converts food into usable energy? _____

4. Name two structures found in plant cells that are NOT found in animal cells: _____ and _____.

5. Why do plant cells need chloroplasts? (One sentence.)

6. In a food web, energy flows from _____ → _____ → _____. Fill in the three roles.

7. What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem? Name one example organism.

8. Why does energy flow in one direction in an ecosystem, but matter cycles?

9. True or False: Plants get most of the material for growth from the soil. Explain your answer in one sentence.

10. Pick one organism from a Nile floodplain ecosystem (farmer, wheat plant, sheep, decomposer fungus) and describe how energy reaches it from the sun.

__________________ Score: _____ / 15

Part 1: Multiple choice

1. Which of the following is NOT a type of rock in the rock cycle? (A) Igneous (B) Sedimentary (C) Metamorphic (D) Crystallized. Answer: ____

2. What happens to the mass of Earth's materials as they cycle? (A) It increases (B) It decreases (C) It is conserved (D) It changes randomly. Answer: ____

3. Which cell structure controls what enters and leaves the cell? (A) Nucleus (B) Cell membrane (C) Mitochondria (D) Ribosome. Answer: ____

4. In an ecosystem, energy moves: (A) In one direction (B) In a closed loop (C) Both directions equally (D) Only at night. Answer: ____

5. Which is an example of a primary consumer? (A) Grass (B) Sheep (C) Wolf (D) Mushroom. Answer: ____

Part 2: Short answer

6. Name two geoscience processes that helped shape the Nile valley.

7. Name three structures common to all cells (plant and animal).

8. Why do decomposers play a critical role in ecosystems, even though they are not visible most of the time?

9. Compare the time scales of mountain building versus a volcanic eruption. Why does this comparison matter when we study geoscience?

Part 3: CER response

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Prompt:

Write a multi-paragraph informative essay (4--5 paragraphs) titled: "Three Things to Know About Mesopotamian Scribes."

Requirements:

• An introduction with a thesis statement that previews the three things you will discuss.

• Three body paragraphs, each focused on one of the three things, with at least one specific fact per paragraph.

• A conclusion that briefly summarizes and ends with a thought-provoking observation.

• Use at least 2 facts from Reading Passage 1B ("Scribes of Mesopotamia") and cite them.

• Smooth transitions between paragraphs.

Use the 4-Point Writing Rubric from the front of this package. You will be scored on Ideas, Organization, Evidence, and Conventions.

__________________ Score: _____ / 20

Part 1: Reading comprehension (5 points)

Re-read this short excerpt before answering.

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Prompt:

Choose one major theme from Black Ships Before Troy (suggestions: the cost of glory, the power of fate, the limits of strength, the meaning of homecoming). Write a 3--4 paragraph informative essay explaining how Sutcliff develops this theme across the novel.

Requirements:

• Introduction that names the theme and previews two or three key episodes.

• Body paragraphs each focused on one episode. Quote at least one passage per paragraph.

• A conclusion that reflects on what the theme suggests about the ancient Greek world or about life today.

Use the 4-Point Writing Rubric.

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Prompt:

Write a multi-paragraph informative essay (5--6 paragraphs) titled: "Roman and Han Chinese Engineering: A Comparison." Use Reading Passage 3C and at least one other source.

Requirements:

• Introduction that frames the comparison and states a clear thesis.

• At least one body paragraph on Roman engineering (use Reading Passage 3C).

• At least one body paragraph on Han Chinese engineering (research a second source).

• A paragraph comparing the two --- what is shared, what is different.

• A conclusion that reflects on what we can learn from both.

• Cite at least two sources at the end of the essay.

Use the 4-Point Writing Rubric.