Summary
Introduces the Roman numeral symbols I, V, X and how they combine to make numbers. A fun look at how an ancient culture wrote numbers.
Viewer safety
All ages
Gentle animated educational content, safe to show cold; still worth a quick preview to match it to your lesson.
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
Romans used letters for numbers: I is 1, V is 5, X is 10. You add and subtract them depending on their order.
- What number does the symbol X stand for?
- How do you write the number 4 in Roman numerals, and why is it IV not IIII?
- Where do you still see Roman numerals today?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: Roman numeral, symbol, I, V, X.
Try it: Write your age and today's date using Roman numerals. Find Roman numerals somewhere in your school.

