Lesson Plan

All “Coins” Lead To Rome: Roman symbols that can be found on U.S. coins

Main Subject Area: Social Studies

Additional Subjects: Art, Language Arts, Science

Duration of Lesson:  90 minutes

Keywords:

• Ancient Coins
• Coins
• Greece
• History
• Rome
• Symbols
• U.S. Coins

Brief Description:

Students will compare and contrast modern U.S. coins to those of ancient times, by looking at various coins on hand and through research in coin books that have been collected in the classroom.

National Standard(s):

• Time, Continuity, and Change
• People, Places, and Environment

Additional Subject Area Standard(s):

• Demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts
• Demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process
• Physical science
• Science as inquiry
• Use grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions

Objectives:

Students will compare and contrast modern U.S. coins to those of ancient times, especially Greece and Rome, by looking at various coins on hand and through research in coin books that have been collected in the classroom.

Students will observe carefully the various features of a coin including the portraits and symbols on the obverse and reverse, the edging, the metal(s) used, the diameter, the mintmark, and date. They will use these observations to classify and sort coins.

Materials (online):

Access to a computer classroom that has connection to the Internet.

The U.S. Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site - http://www.usmint.gov/kids

Materials (offline):

Handouts with images of ancient coins and currently circulating U.S. coins

Reference Materials:

“A Look Inside the U.S. Mint” Cobblestone. September, 1985.

Grant, Michael. Roman History From Coins. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1995.

Harper, David C., editor. North American Coins and Prices 9th edition. New York: Krause Publications, 2001.

Klawans, Zander. Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins. Racine, Wisconsin: Western Publishing, Co., 1995.

Krause, Barry. Collecting Coins for Pleasure and Profit. White Hall, Va.: Betterway Publications, 1991.

Lindheim, Leon. Facts and Fictions about Coins – an uncommon guidebook to the wonderful world of numismatics Cleveland, Ohio: World Publishing Co., 1967.

Official 2001 Blackbook Price Guide to United States Coins. Random House, Inc., 2000.

Reinfeld, Fred. How to Build A Coin Collection. New York: Sterling Publishing, Co., 1971.

Schwarz, Ted. Coins as Living History. New York: Arco Publishing Inc., 1976.

Sutherland, Carol H.V. Art In Coinage. New York: Philosophical Library, Inc., 1956.

Yeoman, R.S. A Guidebook of United States Coins, 53rd edition, 2001. Racine, Wisconsin, 2000.

Coins Used in Lesson:

All current circulating U.S. coins - You should have enough coins for each student in your class to have one.

Grade Level(s):   3-5     6-8  

Procedures (online):

Use the Internet to gather reference materials for your students relating to U.S. coins as well as Ancient Roman and Greek coins and symbols. (See step 1 of the offline procedures)

Procedures (offline):

1. Gather together many different types of U.S. coins of various denominations and types. Also obtain U.S. coin books from the library, materials from the U.S. Mint, or a coin dealer. Discuss some interesting points about Ancient Rome and Greece as well as points about symbols on coins with your students.

2. Break students into groups. In groups they should brainstorm all the ways they can classify the coins. What symbols are on the coin? What phrases are on the coin, and what do they mean for America? Who or what is on the obverse and reverse? What can you find out about the person or place or objects? What symbols may have been associated with Ancient Rome and Greece ? (Have students look at their handouts and see what images were actually used on ancient coins)

3. As a class, decide on the different categories that can be used to classify all of the coins. Examples include mint mark, date, symbols, etc.

4. Give each student his or her own coin. Have the students write as many observations as they can about their coin. Student can use the categories they agreed on as a class to classify their coin.

5. Students should then get back into their groups and put all of their coins in the middle of the table.

6. Have students exchange descriptions within their group and see if their coin can be picked from their group based on the description they wrote.

Assessment / Evaluation:

Teachers can assess the coin descriptions created by the students. Other students can also comment on the writing when they exchange descriptions and try to find the correct coin.

Differentiated Learning Options:

The new state quarters have symbols on the reverse that are important to each state. Research why a state committee selected those symbols to represent the state. The U.S. Mint has a Fifty States Quarters Program that provides free educational materials on the state quarters. Much of the state quarter information is also available at the U.S. Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change(TM)Web site.