Discovery and Preparing for Conquest
Episode of the series Roman Britain
The episode
This episode details Julius Caesar's initial expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC, explaining why he didn't launch a full-scale conquest, and setting the stage for the later invasion.
Episode worksheets (2)
- Student sheet In your teacher account
- Teacher sheet In your teacher account
Teaching guide
Objective & content
This documentary episode tells the early story of Romans in Britain. It follows Julius Caesar's two trips in 55 BC and 54 BC, then Augustus, Caligula and Claudius, and explains why Rome did not keep the island at first. The language focus is the past simple (was/were and common verbs such as came and went), with vocabulary for historical dates, famous people and government (legion, emperor). Learners practise listening for key facts and ordering events in time. A line to quote: "He put it on the map."
Materials & prerequisites
- A student sheet and a teacher sheet (PDF and HTML versions) are available in the episode printables.
- Learners should know the present simple, the articles a/an/the and basic prepositions of place and time. The script introduces the past simple in context.
Curriculum alignment
The tags link this episode to the cycle 3 axis "child and passing time" (c3-child-and-passing-time), for 6e. It targets CEFR level A1-.
Possible adaptations
- Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
- Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
- Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.
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