Teaching Style
Expectations
Students will be expected to come to class, both prepared and excited, to engage with the curriculum of the classical world. For the first day of school, every student will need to bring a copy of the required textbook, The Cambridge Latin Course, as well as a three-ring binder, binder paper, and two pens and two pencils. All students this year will have access to iPads, which will be checked out by the administration at the beginning of the year and given to each student to bring to the classroom each day. As in my other Latin classes, the classroom is a virtual model of the imperial Roman Senate. Students will be expected to sit in the classroom in their assigned pairs based on their Roman province assignment. Students will have the opportunity to switch to a second province or a historical figure at the start of the second semester. The teacher reserves the right to reassign Senate pairs if any Senator’s behavior or conduct disturbs the right to learn of other Senate members.
Sample Content
This year in Latin III students will continue their exploration of the Latin language, literature, and culture of the Roman world. We will review Latin I and Latin II forms and syntax with a series of synopsis sheets and continue to read about the final adventures of our Roman family in Pompeii in The Cambridge Latin Course textbook. During the first week of school, every student will complete an online survey to help the instructor identify each student’s areas of interest and expertise and to aid in the seating assignment by Roman province. Like Latin I and Latin II, Latin III will be taught using the goals of communicative language proficiency (CLP) and the principles of task-based language learning (TBLL) in the classroom. We will be building on our existing vocabulary and grammar knowledge and covering more complex syntax structures and building sentences from English to Latin. In terms of classical readings, we will finish the last five units of the textbook and begin reading short pieces by major classical authors including Caesar, Cicero, Livy, and Catullus. We will again be covering an array of cultural topics (archaeological, historical, etc.) every other Friday in class and there will be at least two material culture labs per semester. Each assigned seating pair will present a speech on the Senate floor about their Roman province at the end of the fall semester. In the second semester, students will have the opportunity to switch to a different Roman province or to take on the identity of a specific Roman historical figure (male or female).
Assessment
Daily tasks in class and homework will include translation of short passages (10-15 lines) from the textbook or selected authentic Latin texts, vocabulary practice sheets, and grammar worksheets. Students will be assessed on the material covered in class by means of vocabulary quizzes, multiple-choice tests, and short translation exercises. Quizzes will be given every Wednesday. Make-ups for excused absences are only offered on Thursday mornings at 7:30am. Students will also have the opportunity to complete a number of cultural assignments throughout the semesters using a variety of media (posters, digital content, etc.), as well as a selection of alternative assessment options including formal presentations, written reports, material culture labs, and online quizzes.