Take a Virtual Field Trip to Pompeii to Better Understand Ancient Rome
Are you teaching Ancient Rome? Maybe you have students fascinated with Pompeii after reading a book about the destruction of Pompeii. We can learn so much about people of the past through the archeological excavations of Pompeii.
I've put together a virtual field trip that provides an opportunity for students to view the ancient city of Pompeii up close. With 360-degree Google Earth™ views, video content, and informational text, students have an opportunity to explore and learn about the city with this interactive tour.
In this tour, students gain background information about civilian life prior to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Students will tour homes, "walk" the streets of Pompeii and tour public buildings such as The Temple Apollo, public baths, and the amphitheater. Check out this video tutorial to get a glimpse of all that's included in this trip.
Students will also learn about the destruction of the city and some of the common misconceptions about how this city became buried. Through ongoing excavations, students will have a moment to look at some of the extensive pottery and cultural objects that have been uncovered.
Technology continues to advance, and it has allowed scientists to begin to piece together some of the human experiences. A video is included that focuses on the reconstruction of humans buried by volcanic ash, which your students are sure to find fascinating.
Everything is set up in Google Slides with clickable links that take students directly to specific 360-degree Google Earth™ views. Video links also take students to YouTube. Response questions are also included within the trip. Everything is streamlined to make this a stress-free learning experience.
This trip can be conducted whole-group as a teacher-led activity, or it can be assigned as independent work with each student working through the virtual field trip at their own pace. If devices are limited, or if your school firewall blocks YouTube or Google Earth™, doing this whole group and projecting the trip on the screen is one option teachers have found easy to implement.
The questions included throughout the trip are designed to help students think critically about what they are observing on the tour. The questions may also pertain to the video as well, but all of the questions are editable. Feel free to change the questions to meet your student's needs.
Here's what teachers are saying:
"Wow! I am blown away by the level of engagement in history that these lessons have provided my students. It has stepped up my geography lessons. I highly recommend these digital field trips." -B.V.T.
"This resource was used for in-person and remote learners simultaneously. The questions asked got the students thinking about the topics. They were amazed at how old some of the structures were! I also appreciated that the documents were editable. For my struggling learners, I was able to adapt the phrasing of the questions to fit their needs. Big fan of her resources!" -D.C.
World History Teachers:
If you teach an Ancient Rome Unit in your World History or World Civilizations course, this trip is also included in my Ancient Rome Virtual Field Trip Bundle which goes more in-depth into Ancient Roman geography, history, and key elements of Roman life.
Looking for books about Pompeii? Here are a few recommendations.
I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii
The Buried City of Pompeii: What It Was Like When Vesuvius Exploded
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links to make it easier for you find the books shared in this post.
