Lesson Plan - Man Versus Lion

Preview the Article

Have students preview the article’s headline and illustration and predict what they think the article will be about.

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• anthropologist
• amphitheaters
  (Note that the skill builder “Unlock Word Roots” explores additional vocabulary from the article.)

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about how gladiators are like today’s star athletes.

1. Based on the article, what were some of the reasons people became gladiators? 
Based on the article, people became gladiators for a number of reasons. The article explains, “Some were prisoners or enslaved men who were forced to fight. Others volunteered for the job, hoping to become rich and famous.” 
_{(RI.4.5 Cause/Effect)}

2. How did the researchers investigate whether the marks on the skeleton could have come from a large animal? 
Researchers investigated whether the marks on the skeleton could have come from a large animal by asking zoos for help. Zookeepers gave them bones that large animals had chewed on. The researchers then compared the bite marks on the chewed-up bones with the ones on the gladiator’s skeleton. 
_{(RI.4.3 Explaining Events)}

3. According to the sidebar, “Ancient Arena,” could people sit wherever they wanted in the Colosseum? Explain. 
According to the sidebar, people could not sit wherever they wanted in the Colosseum. Seating was based on social class. For example, women, enslaved people, and the poor sat at the highest level. This area was far away from the Colosseum floor, where the action happened. 
_{(RI.4.7 Text Features)}

FEATURED SKILL: Vocabulary (Word Roots)

Use the skill builder “Unlock Word Roots” to explore the Latin and Greek origins of some words in the article. Then challenge students to research the origins of the word Colosseum. (It originally came from the Greek word kolossós, which means “giant statue.” Rome’s Colosseum was near a big statue of the Emperor Nero.) 
_{(RI.4.4 Vocabulary)}