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Year 11 · Extended response writing · Lesson 1 of 4

Unpack the Question

Case study: the Great Fire of Rome, AD 64

Hubert Robert's 1785 painting of Rome burning: flames seen through a great stone arch, people fleeing in the foreground.

Hubert Robert, The Fire of Rome, 1785 (detail). Public domain.  ·  Teacher: press N for notes, → to advance.

Do Now · gesture vote · thumbs up = true, thumbs down = false

True or false?

  • 1“Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” FALSE — the fiddle (violin) wasn’t invented until the 1500s. Ancient writers say he sang … and even that is disputed.
  • 2The fire destroyed or badly damaged most of Rome. TRUE — of 14 districts, 3 were levelled and 7 left as half-burnt ruins (Tacitus).
  • 3Nero was in Rome when the fire started. FALSE — he was at Antium, about 50 km away (Tacitus).
  • 4Historians agree that Nero started the fire. FALSE — it is still debated. That debate is our lesson.

The big idea

If the evidence is weak, why does everyone “know” Nero did it?

Answering that takes more than facts. It takes an extended response: weighing evidence and making a judgement.

Where we are going

Four lessons, one extended response

Lesson 1 · today
Unpack the question
Lesson 2
Build the argument: thesis & introduction
Lesson 3
Body paragraphs that analyse
Lesson 4
Conclude, write, check
The question we will answer

To what extent was Nero responsible for the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64?

Learning intention & success criteria

We are learning to

unpack an extended response question so that our answer responds to exactly what it demands.

I can
  • identify the directive, key terms and scope of a question
  • explain what “to what extent” demands
  • define “responsible” in more than one way
  • state a one-sentence working position

Build the field · worksheet Part A — fill the gaps as we go

The story in six moments

19 July AD 64
Fire breaks out in shops full of flammable goods at the Circus Maximus.
Days 1–5
Wind drives it through narrow, winding streets. Nero is at Antium.
Nero returns
Only when it reaches his own house — which burns. He opens shelters, brings food, cuts grain prices.
Day 6
Stopped by a firebreak — then restarts on land owned by Tigellinus, Nero’s guard commander.
AD 64–68
Nero builds the Golden House on burnt land; blames the Christians.
AD 65 · AD 68
An officer calls him an “incendiary”. Three years later Nero is dead.

Look closely

Hubert Robert's painting: Rome burning at night, seen through a stone bridge arch; a statue silhouetted against flames; people fleeing with belongings.

Painted in 1785 — 1,700 years after the fire. Every source we use was made by someone, at a time, for a reason.

Key vocabulary · say it with me

History words

conflagration — a huge, destructive fire
arson / incendiary — deliberately setting fire / a fire-raiser
Praetorian Guard — the emperor’s bodyguard
Golden House — Nero’s palace on the burnt land
scapegoat — someone blamed to protect another

Argument words

responsible — caused it · had a duty · deserves blame
culpable — deserving blame
extent — how far; degree
exploit — use for your own advantage
directive · scope — see the next slides

Who tells the story?

Our accounts were written 50 to 150 years later

AD 64The fire
AD 65Subrius Flavus accuses Nero (recorded by Tacitus)
c. 115–120Tacitus, Annals — “uncertain”
c. 121Suetonius, Life of Nero — Nero did it
c. 200–230Cassius Dio, Roman History — Nero did it
Notice

The later the writer, the more certain they sound. Hold that thought for Lesson 2.

I do · watch, then copy into Part B

To what extent was Nero responsible for the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64?

Directive — the thinking demanded

“To what extent” = how far? A judgement of degree, weighed against the counter-evidence.

Key term — must be defined or tested

“Responsible” can mean more than one thing. Defining it opens up your argument.

Scope — who, what, when

Nero · the Great Fire · AD 64 — and its aftermath, because that shaped who was blamed.

I do · the directive

“To what extent” means: land on the line — and prove it

Entirely
Largely
Partly
Minimally
Not at all
◄ Nero more responsibleNero less responsible ►
NESA: assess

“Make a judgement of value, quality, outcomes, results or size.”

NESA: evaluate

“Make a judgement based on criteria; determine the value of.”

I do · the key term

Nero could be “responsible” in four ways

Started it

Did he cause it — directly or by giving orders?

Made it worse

Did his actions or absence let it spread?

Exploited it

Did he use the disaster for his own benefit?

Was blamed for it

Is he responsible for the belief in his guilt?

A sophisticated answer can say: not responsible in one sense, but responsible in another.

We do · worksheet Part C · cold call

Assess the reliability of the ancient sources for Nero’s role in the Great Fire of Rome.

Find the directive, key terms and scope with your partner — 2 minutes

What it demands

A judgement of how reliable the sources are — not a summary of what they say.

Hinge question · hold up 1, 2, 3 or 4 fingers

Which opening sentence actually answers “to what extent”?

  • 1In AD 64 a terrible fire broke out in Rome and burned for many days.
  • 2Nero was a cruel emperor who had his own mother killed.
  • 3Nero was minimally responsible for starting the fire, but largely responsible for exploiting it.
  • 4There are many ancient sources about the Great Fire of Rome.

Only 3 makes a judgement of degree. 1 narrates · 2 is off-question · 4 describes the sources.

You do · worksheet Part D · 12 minutes

Sort the evidence: TO Nero, or AWAY from him?

Foundation

Tick TO or AWAY for all 12. Circle the strongest card on each side and finish the frames.

Standard

Sort all 12. Star the two strongest each side. Explain why one starred card beats an unstarred one.

HPGE

Also classify by type of responsibility and rate reliability. Which type has the strongest evidence? Which cards are ambiguous?

Use your Case Study Pack. Press K for the timer.

You do · worksheet Part E · 4 minutes

Your working position

Nero was (extent word) responsible for because .

entirelylargelysubstantiallypartlyto a limited extentminimallynot at all
Example

Nero was minimally responsible for starting the fire because he was at Antium and his own house burned.

Exit ticket · sticky note

Before you go

1. What does “to what extent” require you to do?

2. Your working position, in one sentence.

Next lesson: turning your position into a thesis and an introduction.