What's included
24 live meetings
36 in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Weekly homework will be approximately 1-2 hours in addition to time spent in class.Assessment
Optional tests, quizzes, and homework will be assigned/posted throughout the term. Students wishing for graded feedback can submit the work to me through Outschool by a specific due date.Class Experience
PLEASE NOTE the current scheduling of this course is an INTENSIVE SUMMER READING COURSE. Though the same material as the full-semester version, this iteration is ideal for students preparing to take Latin for the first time and wanting to get a leg up, or for students currently enrolled in Latin looking for extra support in their process. The pacing of this summer course is rigorous. Course Description: This course is designed for beginning students of Latin. Some foundational knowledge of Latin is a plus, but not required - we will start from the beginning! Classes are interactive - I ask students to repeat sentences, words, phrases, frequently! (This is best done on mute since there are delays with online classes, but when students want to translate a sentence or ask a question, of course they would unmute themselves!) Questions and observations are highly encouraged, as is participation by way of translating sentences from Latin into English or supplying answers for exercises at the end of each chapter. I incorporate English derivatives in just about every lesson. I find that this keeps Latin increasingly relevant for modern English speakers, and provides helpful connections to remember Latin vocabulary. Plus, derivatives are just fun! Each week we will build our vocabulary and reading skills in Latin, and every week builds on the last week grammatically. Roman culture and history come up in discussion frequently, and occasionally I mention in our schedule (below) which topics we will encounter in a given week (naturally, student questions and discussion might direct us to other topics of Roman history on other days/weeks). The bulk of our class time is spent reading and translating from the Lingua Latina textbook. We additionally will complete approximately 2 workbook exercises each week to solidify our grasp of the material. From time to time we will practice spoken Latin elements as well. We will also sing songs in Latin. Here is the breakdown of chapters and weekly grammar topics that we will cover in this course: Week 1: Chapters 1, 2, 3: Nominative, Genitive, and Accusative Cases Week 2: Chapters 4-5: Vocatives, Imperatives, Ablatives, and Prepositions Week 3: Chapter 6: Locatives, Place Constructions, Active and Passive Verbs Week 4: Chapter 7: Dative Case; Full 1st and 2nd Noun Declension Charts Week 5: Chapters 8-9: Demonstratives, Relative Pronoun, Third Declension Nouns Week 6: Chapter 10: Present Active and Passive Infinitives, Third Declension Neuter Nouns
Learning Goals
Students will learn to read and translate basic to early intermediate Latin sentences; students will improve their understanding of English grammar through the study of Latin; students will increase their English vocabulary by learning Latin vocabulary words and derivatives; and students will, I daresay, have fun in the process!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Discussion of slavery in Ancient Rome may be sensitive to some; this discussion occurs briefly usually in chapters 2 and 4, where the slaves of the Roman Family are first introduced in the book. I do not support slavery at all, but am aware that it was a part of both Roman and American history; it is my opinion that it should not be swept under the rug and ignored, nor should we translate "servus" as "servant" instead of "slave" just because it makes us feel better to do so. I don't politicize the conversation here, and I do my best to make it age-appropriate for children.
To teach subject and direct objects in Latin, this text uses a little fistfight among siblings. It's a silly story, and memorably captures the grammatical concepts for students. In no way do I condone the behavior of the children in the book, and I always emphasize that the "bad boy" (as the chapter is titled) should really be getting some sort of professional help for his apparent anger issues. Another character in the same chapter shows a great deal of compassion for someone else, even when many could argue that person didn't deserve compassion. I always emphasize that THIS is the character to be like! Be kinder than necessary, and do good to others. If something annoys you so much you can't handle it (like the boy in the story, who hits his little sister because she's singing and it irritates him), ask the person nicely to stop, find an adult to talk to about it, or just walk away from the situation. Don't try to solve a problem with your fists!
Please feel free to message me privately if you have any concerns about these topics.
Supply List
Required textbook: https://www.amazon.com/Lingua-Latina-Illustrata-Pars-Familia/dp/1585104205 Required workbook: https://www.amazon.com/Exercitia-Latina-Exercises-Familia-Romana/dp/1585102121/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_0/138-9026032-9443711?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1585102121&pd_rd_r=992c95c2-74bb-4194-9388-b71a5ad1bd2b&pd_rd_w=D3T9r&pd_rd_wg=ckT3W&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=SWV3G5Q3YHX1M07JZ2MK&psc=1&refRID=SWV3G5Q3YHX1M07JZ2MK I receive no benefits or commissions from your purchase of these materials.
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in History from Brandeis University
Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Language from Gordon College
Regarding our brief discussions pertaining to ancient Roman slavery: I have both BA and MA degrees in the fields of Ancient History and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, and am well-equipped to lead these mini-discussions about how the Roman family was structured and how slavery fit into that as part of Roman society.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$134
weekly or $800 for 24 classes4x per week, 6 weeks
90 min
Completed by 20 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
4-7 learners per class