Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here.

The year 5/6 class visited Julius Caesar's camp before he invaded Britain in 55 BC. I wanted the children to get a clear and full picture of what the Roman army was like, before we worked on Caesar's short-lived invasions of 55 and 54 BC and the Claudian conquest of 43 AD.

We moved through time and space, using a magic cauldron and an invisibility cloak, to visit both Caesar's camp and a Roman battlefield. The battlefield was the one shown in the opening scenes of Gladiator.

The resources and teachers notes are attached at the bottom of this page.

We had introduced the course three weeks earlier with a Mystery suitcase and continued with an investigation into Celtic Britain, where the children had written travel brochures about Celtic Britain.

Primary teaching methods (including sections on reading books; the visual image; drama and role play; questions and questioning) A sequence of lessons First we did Mystery suitcase Then a sequence of lessons on Caesar's invasion of Britain. Celtic Britain: the land the Romans conquered The Roman army: Spy! Caesar lands Background information for teachers Romans: a brief history