This week in History, Class Two learnt about why the Romans were so successful. We learnt about the different parts of protection the Roman soldier would wear, including the great, curved shield. The children went on to learn about the differences between the legionaries (soldiers from Rome) and the auxiliaries (soldiers from other countries who signed up to become a Roman soldier). The legionaries would have red shields, whilst the auxiliaries would have blue or black.

The soldiers would form solid, undefeatable formations to protect themselves from the barbarians, whilst also gaining land. Class Two headed to their groups to create their own shield, selecting whether they wanted to be an auxiliary or a legionary. This was then followed by a trip to the battle (play) ground where we re-enacted the Roman marching formations.

The children had a go at trying to keep in line without having anyone in front or behind them and found this difficult – gaps were forming and there was chances for the barbarians to shoot their arrows.

We then tested the tortoise formation and it was very successful!