Roman Army Discussion and Debate

This afternoon in 3V the children have been researching different aspects of life in the Roman Army.  Why was the Roman Army so successful in conquering other lands?  What made Army discipline so brutal - and why would anyone choose to join the Roman Army in the first place?

Once they had conducted some research of their own, the children were presented with a selection of 'perks' enjoyed by Roman soldiers, which they used for a 'diamond nine' discussion activity.  The children had to organise the different statements into priority order, and then compare their choices to those of their partners, being ready to discuss and defend their ideas.  This kind of activity really gets the children thinking - as there are no set 'right' or 'wrong' answers - and helps them to articulate their ideas verbally.

As you can see, opinions differed about the priority order of the various benefits involved in being a Roman soldier.