Byzantine Empire - Beginnings

Teachers: Mr. Ott - Period 1 & 2 /Mr. Ott (General Ed.) & Mr. Tieri (Special Ed.) Period 5,6

Aim:Why was the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) successful while the Western Roman Empire, was not?

Do Now: List at least three (3) causes of the fall of the Roman Empire?

Lesson Overview:

Item	Approx Time
Do Now	3-5 Min
Mini Lesson	10 Min
Activity	20 Min
Discussion	10 Min

• Disease - Plagues, etc
• Poor Leadership - Corruption
• Unemployment
• Inflation
• Barbarian Invasions
• Weak Military
• Urban Decay
• Few Technological Advances
• High Taxes
• Poor Food Production

Common Core Standards

The CCR anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Grades 9 & 10

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3

Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

Craft and Structure

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.5

Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6

Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7

Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9

Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.10

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

---

The Byzantine Empire - Overview

When the Roman Empire divided under the Emperor Diocletian in the late 200s CE. The Eastern half of the empire became known as the Byzantine Empire, as its new capital was built on the site of the old Greek city Byzantium. When the western half was overrun in the late 5th century CE, the Byzantine Empire became supreme. The Byzantine Empire preserved much of the Greco-Roman culture, and helped spread it across a vast region. Maintaining control over much of the old Roman territories, the Byzantine Empire also spread its power and influence into new areas, such as Russia. Byzantine missionaries spread the Orthodox Christian religion to Russia, and also adapted the Greek alphabet to provided the Slavic speaking peoples a written language called Cyrillic, after the monk Cyril who helped create it. Russia and Eastern Europe also adapted art and literature from the Byzantines, as well as architecture. In return, these areas became important trading partners for the Byzantines.

Constantine the Great

Being the first Roman Emperor to profess Christianity. Constantine's support of the religion would help transform it into the institution it would remain through the Middle Ages. Although Constantine lived more than a hundred years before the traditional beginning of the Middle Ages, he is included in this reference because of the significant and far-reaching impact he and his reign had on Christianity and society in Medieval Europe.

Constantine the Great was the first Roman Emperor to profess Christianity. He established the new capital of Rome at the old Greek town of Byzantium, which he renamed New Rome, and which the people came to call Constantinople after him (probably with some encouragement from his supporters). This would become the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

Constantine raised Christianity (which had not long been legal in the empire) to the status of a "permitted religion." He took a direct interest in matters of doctrine, setting a precedent for future emperors, and called the first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church (at Nicaea). He had churches built after the pattern of Roman temples and public buildings. He restored to Christians the property they had lost during the persecutions of his predecessors, and he promoted and favored Christians in government jobs. His sponsorship of the religion made it suddenly advantageous to be a Christian.

Though the sincerity of Constantine's conversion has been debated, the impact of his actions on the subsequent history of the Church is undeniable.

Classwork & Homework

Lesson PowerPoint: The Byzantine Empire - Constantine

Lesson Activity: Byzantine Empire & World History

Homework: Assignments

Special Education Modifications

• Teaching Model: Co-Teaching
• Special Education Teacher will work with All students General Ed and Special Ed.
  • Special Ed Students:
    • Teacher will read-aloud to students when necessary.
    • Teachers will break down assignments into smaller tasks.
    • Teachers will work with students on vocabulary acquisition by breaking down words into prefixes/suffixes and etymology.
    • Teachers will group students according to learning style inventory as a homogeneous group.
    • Teachers will keep students on-task by managing distractions and on-task behavior.
    • Teachers will modify note-taking by modeling notes from PowerPoint to chalkboard/whiteboard.
    • Teachers will differentiate lessons by using; verbal cues for auditory learners, graphic organizers for visual learners, and hands-on cues for kinesthetic learners.