Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tips for Reading Latin
Ginny Lindzey has designed some wonderful bookmarks with tips for reading Latin, based on Dexter Hoyos' book Latin How to Read it Fluently. Get your bookmarks at the University of Georgia's Latin SANDALS site (scroll down) -- and be sure to check out the other materials available there!
Developing Latin Language Reading Proficiency
Most teachers would agree that the best way to develop a skill is to practice -- a lot!
Latin teachers may differ in their teaching philosophies and styles, but the vast majority would concur that the best way to improve Latin reading comprehension is to read. Latin teachers who teach inductively will as a matter of course incorporate as much reading as possible. Even Latin teachers who teach the language deductively still expect their students to apply the grammar taught to reading and translating.
John Piazza has put together a wonderful selection of resources for teachers who want to increase the amount of extensive, comprehensible, content-rich (interesting!) reading resources for their students. Included you'll find An Introduction to Every Day Useful Latin, a work in progress by John Piazza and Robert Patrick.
Latin teachers may differ in their teaching philosophies and styles, but the vast majority would concur that the best way to improve Latin reading comprehension is to read. Latin teachers who teach inductively will as a matter of course incorporate as much reading as possible. Even Latin teachers who teach the language deductively still expect their students to apply the grammar taught to reading and translating.
John Piazza has put together a wonderful selection of resources for teachers who want to increase the amount of extensive, comprehensible, content-rich (interesting!) reading resources for their students. Included you'll find An Introduction to Every Day Useful Latin, a work in progress by John Piazza and Robert Patrick.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Latin in the Parks
Those of you fortunate enough to be in London or Oxford this summer have the opportunity to enjoy the Iris Project's Latin in the Park lunch time sessions for adults and families. For only £1 pound sterling materials charge per session (about $2 USD), adults and families can learn some Latin and ancient culture. Bring a picnic and blanket and enjoy the sun and some Classical culture! RSVP and get more details at the Iris Project's website!
AP Latin Lit Meeting at CAMWS
The College Boards's recent cancellation of the Advanced Placement Latin Literature course and examination continues to be a major topic of discussion among Latin teachers. The 104th annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South was held in Tucson this week and one of the evening sessions focused on the results of the 2007 Vergil and Latin Lit exams. Not surprisingly, there were many questions about how cancelling the exam will impact Classical education at the secondary and college level in the U.S. Andrew Reinhard of Eclassics attended the meeting and has an excellent un-official report and summary on his blog.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Stephen Colbert knows some Latin!
Just last night the host of Comedy Central's Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, led his audience in singing Happy Birthday to Pope Benedict XVI (words provided at the bottom of the screen for the home audience).
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| ||||
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Yo! Is Latin Cool?
Word!
According to the Times of London, the organizers of the European Festival of Latin and Greek are hosting a hip hop concert by a German group called Ista which raps Roman verse!
To jam on some of their tunes, surf to the official Ista website Latein Goes Hip Hop -- auf deutsch, but you should easily be able to find the demo MP3s.
If you want to explore more "Classic" pop, check out the Latin Elvis, Doctor Ammondt!
According to the Times of London, the organizers of the European Festival of Latin and Greek are hosting a hip hop concert by a German group called Ista which raps Roman verse!
To jam on some of their tunes, surf to the official Ista website Latein Goes Hip Hop -- auf deutsch, but you should easily be able to find the demo MP3s.
If you want to explore more "Classic" pop, check out the Latin Elvis, Doctor Ammondt!
Friday, April 04, 2008
The Chronicle of HIgher Education Weighs in on A.P. Latin Lit
There's discussion at the Chronicle of Higher Education's website about the cancellation of A.P. Latin Lit and the other 3 "unpopular" courses. (Unpopular? Really now, there's no need to be disparaging! It's one thing to say that the courses have low enrollment, but it just seems a little mean to say that they're "unpopular." Oh well, they probably didn't mean it quite that way.)
Washington Post Reports on Cancellation of Advanced Placement Latin Lit
The Washington Post is now reporting that the Advanced Placement Latin Literature course is being eliminated after the 2008-9 academic year, along with three other "underenrolled" subjects: Italian, French Lit and Computer Science AB.
The Latinteach list was abuzz with this news yesterday after current Advanced Placement Latin teachers started reporting that they had received the e-mail mentioned in the Post's news article.
Don't forget to sign Eclassic's on-line petition to save A.P. Latin Literature!
The Latinteach list was abuzz with this news yesterday after current Advanced Placement Latin teachers started reporting that they had received the e-mail mentioned in the Post's news article.
Don't forget to sign Eclassic's on-line petition to save A.P. Latin Literature!
Advanced Placement Latin Literature Cancelled?
Just this week, a number of Latin teachers received notification that one of the two Advanced Placement Latin exams, the Latin Literature exam, will no longer be offered . Only the Advanced Placement Vergil exam will be available for students. This has understandably caused a great deal of concern among Latin teachers across the United States. Many schools offer 2 years of A.P. Latin (either 3rd and 4th year Latin or 4th and 5th year.) Without a doubt, many Latin students continue their study of the language because they can take these college level courses in high school, simulataneously expanding their knowledge of Latin and the Classics, while also earning credit toward their college degrees.
Andrew Reinhard, who is director of Elearning at Bolchazy Carducci Publishers, has set up an on-line petition at Eclassics where you can add your name and voice your concerns.
Andrew Reinhard, who is director of Elearning at Bolchazy Carducci Publishers, has set up an on-line petition at Eclassics where you can add your name and voice your concerns.
Conference Announcement: Meeting the Challenge, International Conference in Venice, Italy
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
Bringing classical texts to life in the classroom
An international conference for teacher trainers and teachers of Latin,
ancient Greek and classical civilisation held from 26-28 July 2008 in
Venice, Italy.
Location
Venice International University
Isola di San Servolo, Venice - Italy
The conference is jointly organized by:
Licia Landi, (SSIS Veneto, University of Venice, Italy); Bob Lister
(University of Cambridge, UK); Per Rasmussen (University of Copenhagen,
Denmark).
Visit the conference web page at http://www.iperlatino.it/venice
Introduction
Following the success of the conference ‘Meeting the Challenge: European Perspectives on the teaching and learning of Latin’, held in Cambridge in July 2005, the second Meeting The Challenge Conference will examine approaches to teaching classical texts and the reception of classical literature. This will be an opportunity to meet with colleagues from many countries and share ideas about the best ways to promote learners’ engagement with classical texts and address questions such as:
Bringing classical texts to life in the classroom
An international conference for teacher trainers and teachers of Latin,
ancient Greek and classical civilisation held from 26-28 July 2008 in
Venice, Italy.
Location
Venice International University
Isola di San Servolo, Venice - Italy
The conference is jointly organized by:
Licia Landi, (SSIS Veneto, University of Venice, Italy); Bob Lister
(University of Cambridge, UK); Per Rasmussen (University of Copenhagen,
Denmark).
Visit the conference web page at http://www.iperlatino.it/venice
Introduction
Following the success of the conference ‘Meeting the Challenge: European Perspectives on the teaching and learning of Latin’, held in Cambridge in July 2005, the second Meeting The Challenge Conference will examine approaches to teaching classical texts and the reception of classical literature. This will be an opportunity to meet with colleagues from many countries and share ideas about the best ways to promote learners’ engagement with classical texts and address questions such as:
- What is the best way to develop students’ personal responses to classical literature?
- • How can we use fiction, drama and film to promote reflection on classical texts?
- • To what extent can new technologies and blended learning enhance the study of literature?
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