Romulus and Remus Analysis

Overview

In this 50-minute lesson, Year 3 students will explore the characters of Romulus and Remus from Roman mythology. They will engage in activities that develop their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and speaking skills by analysing motivations, relationships, and character traits. This lesson aligns with the English National Curriculum, focusing on developing pupils’ ability to participate in discussions, understand narrative texts, and write descriptively.

National Curriculum Links

English – Key Stage 2: Years 3 and 4

Reading
- Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
  - Listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, and plays
  - Recognising themes and conventions in a wide range of books (NC, Reading, Year 3)
- Understand what they read by:
  - Asking questions to improve understanding of a text
  - Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions (NC, Reading, Year 3)
Writing
- Plan, draft and write by:
  - Writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional)
  - Using descriptive language to create settings, characters and atmosphere (NC, Writing, Year 3)
Spoken Language
- Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates (NC, Spoken Language, Years 3-4)

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

Identify key character traits of Romulus and Remus.
Discuss and compare the motivations and relationships of the two characters.
Support their ideas with evidence from the text.
Use descriptive language to write a paragraph analysing one of the characters.
Participate confidently in group discussions and role-play activities.

Resources

Extract from a simplified Roman myth about Romulus and Remus (prepared in advance, accessible reading level)
Character Analysis Worksheet (with prompts: appearance, actions, feelings, motivations)
Whiteboard and markers
Paper and pencils
Role-play masks or headbands (optional) for Romulus and Remus

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Recap (8 minutes)

Welcome the class and briefly recap prior learning on Roman myths, focusing on previous lessons about the story of Romulus and Remus.
Ask the children what they remember about Romulus and Remus, writing a few key points on the board (e.g., brothers, raised by a wolf, founders of Rome).
Explain today’s lesson focus: exploring the characters in more depth to understand why they behaved as they did.

2. Guided Reading and Text Exploration (12 minutes)

Distribute the Romulus and Remus text extract.
Read the passage aloud as the class follows, modelling clear expression and pausing to explain new vocabulary.
Invite children to highlight or underline words/phrases that tell us about the characters’ feelings, actions or motivations.
Discuss as a class:
- What are Romulus and Remus like? (What words describe them?)
- Why do they do what they do? (Motivations)
- How do they feel about each other? (Relationship)

3. Character Analysis Activity (15 minutes)

Hand out the Character Analysis Worksheet.
Pupils work independently or in pairs to fill in the worksheet, focusing on:
- Appearance (what the text says or what they imagine)
- Personality traits (brave, jealous, caring, etc.)
- Motivations (why do they act the way they do?)
- Relationship (how do they interact and what does it tell us?)
Encourage children to find evidence from the text and write or draw their ideas.
Circulate to support and probe deeper with questioning.

4. Role Play and Discussion (10 minutes)

Organise a short role play in pairs or small groups, assigning pupils to be Romulus or Remus.
Act out a simple scenario where the characters discuss their goals or feelings (e.g., deciding who will lead Rome).
After role play, hold a class discussion:
- How did it feel to be Romulus or Remus?
- Did you understand why they acted as they did?
- What have you learned about their motivations and relationship?

5. Independent Writing (5 minutes)

Ask pupils to write a short paragraph describing either Romulus or Remus, using descriptive language and evidence from the lesson.
Remind them to focus on character traits and motivations.
Collect writing for assessment.

6. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

Invite a few volunteers to share their paragraph.
Recap the key learning points of the lesson: character traits, motivation, relationships.
Use a quick thumbs up/down or colour-coded cards to assess confidence with today’s objectives (self-assessment).
Provide positive feedback and set a simple question for reflection at home:
“If you met Romulus or Remus, what advice would you give them?”

Assessment for Learning

Observation of pupil participation in discussion and role play.
Review of completed Character Analysis Worksheets for understanding of motivations and traits.
Marking of independent writing for descriptive language and use of text evidence.
Self-assessment at plenary to gauge confidence.

Differentiation and Inclusion

Provide sentence starters on the worksheet for pupils who need additional writing support.
Pair less confident readers with stronger peers during reading activities.
Use visual aids and role play to support understanding for EAL or SEN pupils.
Challenge more able learners by asking them to compare Romulus and Remus with characters from other myths or stories they know.

Extension Ideas

Create a ‘Romulus and Remus’ comic strip illustrating key moments showing character traits.
Write a diary entry from the perspective of Romulus or Remus reflecting on their feelings during the story.
Research real historical facts about Ancient Rome to contrast with the myth.

This lesson plan offers an engaging, curriculum-aligned approach to exploring character through Roman myths, developing key English skills through active reading, critical thinking and expressive language.

Teaching Instructions