Latin Class Craft Ancient Roads from Candy

Seventh-grade Latin students in Katie Swinford’s class are studying a comprehensive unit that encompasses Roman roads and their impact on the Roman Empire and beyond. “We’re learning about the movement of immigrants and war refugees into Rome from the far reaches of the Roman empire,” Swinford said. “As Rome expanded its empire into Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, its army focused on building and maintaining a well-engineered and long-lasting system of roads. We looked at the network of roads that led to Rome, hence the saying, ‘All roads lead to Rome.’” Swinford asked students to recreate a Roman road, which has several layers, using candy and cookies. Students constructed the roads in a cup and enjoyed a sweet treat when they were finished! Swinford noted that Roman roads are well constructed, and some are still in use in Europe today.