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JULIUS CAESAR, FATHER OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: We introduce students to the flesh-and-blood Caesar, based on ancient accounts from Sallust, Appian, Dio Cassius, and Plutarch, as well as Cicero's letters and Caesar's own writings.

NOBLEST ROMAN: We explore the human side of the relationships between the real Brutus, Caesar, Cassius and Portia, which dramatically heightens student interest and understanding of Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR.

AFTERMATH OF THE ASSASSINATION: We link the historical Mark Antony, Octavius/Augustus and Cicero to the play.

BLOOD OF THE REPUBLIC, BATTLE OF PHILIPPI: To bring Act V of the play to life, we take students through a powerful, narrative re-enactment of the battle based on ancient accounts and modern scholarship.

GRUESOME GAMES-THE GLADIATORS & ARENAS OF ROME: (with a SUPPLEMENT on Spartacus). Building on the interest in gladiators generated by Ridley Scott's film, we examine the Roman games and their political functions as employed by Julius Caesar and the emperors of Rome.

SHAKESPEARE, CAESAR & MYSTERIES OF THE MIND: Students learn to link Shakespeare's and Julius Caesar's (from The Civil War) human insight passages-passages that reveal aspects of human nature-to their own lives. They will also explicate metaphors and other figurative language in the play and in Caesar's writings.

LOVE LESSONS, CENSORSHIP & THE POLITICS OF ROMAN POETRY: We focus on Latin poems by Ovid, Horace and Catullus (many of them humorous) that reflect Roman life and help students better understand Caesar's time.

CATAPULTS-ROMAN WAR MACHINES: Students learn the physics of the catapult, including how to extract cube-roots using calipers, as the Romans did, and how to calculate firing distances based on the weight of armatures, etc.

ROMAN ART-REALITY OF MIRAGE: We look at myth-based mosaics that include visual metaphors, symbolism and contrast, as well as Roman portraiture and sculpture. With the NEXUS interactive approach, students learn to read and interpret the mosaics, thereby reinforcing their figurative language reading skills visually.

SUPPLEMENTS:

THE EMPIRE & THE SUN: (Science/History SUPPLEMENT): A fascinating article on ancient solar heating in Roman homes, aqueducts and baths.

SPARTACUS, THE GLADIATOR GENERAL: An exciting narrative re-enactment of the battle between Spartacus' Slave Army and the legions of Crassus.

VIRTUE & RAGE-SENECA'S INFLUENCE ON SHAKESPEARE: (AP SUPPLEMENT) We explore how Seneca the Stoic, whose plays were probably never meant for the stage, influenced Shakespeare and the culture of Renaissance England.