I don’t know about you, but there’s been times in my life where I’ve wondered ‘what if.’ What if we didn’t choose the house we’re in? What if we had taken this job instead of that one? History can be the same way. How would history be different if the Americans lost the war of independence or if the Roman Empire never fell in the 5th century? These kinds of questions got me thinking. How could I use this natural curiosity to help my students?
I had taught the curriculum many times, year after year. Then one day it hit me. What if I used the ‘what if’ idea to get my students thinking. Not just answer questions from rote memorization, but actually encourage a deeper understanding of the past and how it affects us today? After tinkering around with some ideas, I came back to the Roman Empire. What if the Roman Empire was even bigger than it actually was? I knew Rome had ventured outside her borders and it always intrigued me as to why they didn’t conquer these areas as well.
That’s when I came up with a document based question assignment. This DBQ asks the question, which area would you conquer if you were emperor? The choices are Caledonia, Germania, or Mesopotamia. Put your students in the driver’s seat as they examine both primary and secondary sources from each region, ultimately to decide which area to conquer. It’s a great chance for students to practice their critical thinking skills as they make a claim and then support it with evidence and reasoning.
Ryan Wagoner
The Lyceum of History
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.” — Alexander the Great
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Lyceum of History 
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