Beginner Level Latin With Day in the Life Stories of Ancient Romans Part 3

Do you want to learn how the world of gladiators, gods, and togas has shaped the world we live in? From NASCAR to graffiti to representative democracy, ancient Rome and its language, Latin, is the foundation of our Western way of life. In this class, you will learn, from the ground up (NO previous experience required), the language that Julius Caesar spoke, and how it is very much alive in English and the modern Romance languages, as well as even Russian and German! You will learn to think linguistically, hone your skills with grammar and vocabulary, sharpen your logical reasoning, and learn how Latin continues to live all over our world, in places like the one-dollar bill and the way we tell time, to begin with! 

I have found an interdisciplinary approach the most engaging and effective, so each session covers topics in the context of other topics i.e. grammar is learned in the context of short narratives involving characters dealing with events and activities of ancient life, which is also explored and discussed in terms of its relevance to our own life. So we learn about English grammar and increase English vocabulary in studying the Latin language; we learn about Ancient Roman culture and society in comparing it to our own, which owes a great deal to it!

In this 8-week introductory course, you will learn some of the basics of Latin grammar and vocabulary, along with English words derived from the root words learned. This will be done in the context of simple to increasingly complex narratives involving Roman culture, mythology and history. Each class will have 3 components: Latin grammar and vocabulary instruction and exercises involving reading, writing, translation, and discussion; a cultural topic with brief lecture and discussion; Latin in current use from mottoes and phrases to Latin roots and English derivatives. I use a variety of activities, from google slides and shared google docs to kahoot online quiz games and virtual tours.

Upon completion, students will be equipped to continue to the second course for further training in Latin, but this course also serves a stand-alone introduction. Below is a weekly lesson plan outlining what can be expected, with the caveat (that's a Latin term!) that pacing will be calibrated to the interests, progress, and needs of the students.

(Class will NOT meet Thanksgiving Week (Nov. 21-26).

Week 1 - We will review the major components of chapters 1-8, namely declensions 1-3 and the verb tenses: present, imperfect, and perfect. We will also continue with our characters into the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, learning the vocative case and continuing to review previous material.

Week 2 - We will learn relative pronouns and clauses, how to translate and form them as we discover the amazing consistency and precision of a Roman town layout. We will also continue with relative clauses as we learn about the Roman theater. We will also continue our study of the Graeco-Roman gods and various tragic stories that were the subjects of many Roman dramas.

Week 3 - We will learn the future tense of 1st and 2nd conjugation verbs as well as the irregular verbs esse and posse in the context of ancient mosaic building. We will also learn comparative adjectives and the various ways Latin forms comparisons as we look at mining in the ancient world.

Week 7 - We will learn how to form indirect statements in Latin as we look at life on a country estate. We will also recap the previous 3 weeks, reviewing the new concepts and cementing them in preparation for progress to part 4!