Building Ancient Rome

Whoever said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” was right: The 2023-24 iteration of ancient Rome at FWCD was built over the course of 11 class periods in the TEAM [Technology Engineering Art Maker] Room. Seventeen eighth grade Latin students created the sprawling layout. Combining ancient culture with computer-aided design and manufacturing, the project featured more than 30 buildings. 

Middle School Latin Teacher Clint Hagen and Director of Technology Dr. Steve Uhr have been teaming up for years to help students bring this project to life. With Hagen, the students each researched two buildings and wrote descriptions of each, created a blueprint of the city as a class, interpreted how tall buildings should be (which required the use of the Pythagorean Theorem), and with Dr. Uhr, they created scale models of their particular buildings. “The math that is incorporated into this project to determine the scale of each building and the city itself and then how to rescale it all so it’s palatable and easy to view by our community is a task unto itself,” Hagen noted. “You really get a sense of how big the structures are, and students are amazed at how much larger the Circus Maximus is than the Colosseum.” 

Students designed their buildings using a computer-aided design (CAD) program called Easel. Their files were then imported into Glowforge laser cutters for processing on foam and poster boards. The final architectural models were assembled with glue, hot glue and tape. These programs provide students a unique opportunity to learn about vector files and gain real-world skills used in architecture, engineering, technology and art.

The Building Rome Project is one of Hagen’s favorite projects, and it gives students the opportunity to shine beyond reading, writing and speaking Latin. “This type of hands-on project allows students to use a different side of their brain and invoke their creative side a bit more,” Hagen said. The final city was displayed in the Amon G. Carter Foundation Commons the week of December 11.