Get out that papyrus and sharpen those quills!

It's time for the 201o Golden Sponge on a Stick Competition! If you are a student, fancy yourself the next Caroline Lawrence, Lindsey Davis or Stephen Saylor, and think that you can write a great story set in Ancient Rome, then get busy and get writing! Of course, you should probably read the rules first, so surf on over to the Roman Mysteries blog where you can get all the official details necessary to win that sought after sponge!!!

Give Yourself a Competitive Edge with Latin!

Aiming to attend an Ivy League school? Selective colleges and universities take notice of high school Latin scholars, according to Bloomberg News in Lingua Latina Introitum in. Vniversitatem Harvard Multo Faciliorem Reddit ("The Latin language renders an easier entrance into Harvard University"). Though study of the Classics is no guarantee of admission, it can give some candidates an edge.

Reaping a "Total Latin Harvest"

Lou Bolchazy on reconciling viewpoints regarding the perceived conflicts between literature/culture/history; grammar-oriented pedagogy method; oral/conversational method; and reading method in our Latin curricula:

"I believe that all four themes are desiderata in our teaching method. There is no conflict among them. Living in an increasingly global and multi-cultural community, we must know each other's history of ideas, beliefs, and culture to have the respect, empathy, and sympathy for other people. By reading an original passage, we learn all these things to a degree, and that is the humanistic value. When we come across an unknown word or an unknown syntactical-grammatical point in a reading, that is the time to teach the grammar and vocabulary, and to reinforce the vocabulary and grammar by means of transpositional exercises. Teachers and students can indulge in oral Latin drills and exercises to understand the word and its connotation, and using the materials in the original reading itself. (So far we have not deviated from good pedagogy-because we are learning grammar and culture, and reading passages, all in the original language.) The question is: how best to learn this grammar and vocabulary? By talking about it and doing drills in it, which are not connected to the original reading? That I do not recommend. Oral exercises based on the original reading allow students to review vocabulary and to practice the grammar they just learned. You can call it fusion or amalgamation of all these four desiderata, to be learned almost simultaneously.

Let's not forget to get beyond the borders of antique Latin language, culture, or conversational ability; we should move towards including post-classical Latin as well. Thus we will expand our horizons, increase our literacy, enjoy a total Latin harvest, be exposed to more forms of Latin communication, and project higher perceived value of Latin curriculum.)"

Free Latin Fable Books for Everyone!

Euge! Laura Gibbs has just released her new book Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin. You can get your very own copy in Adobe Acrobat PDF format right now -- for free -- by visiting Millefabulae, where you will also find online indexes and other useful ancillary materials. The typography of the book is clean and simple, and looks great on the iPhone, iPad and Android. If you have a smartphone or handheld device that is capable of reading PDF files, download a copy, go grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and start reading!

For those of you who prefer reading a book the old-fashioned way, and love the idea of a brimming bookshelf, but don't feel like splurging on printer ink (the book is 440 pages long!) Mille Fabulae et Una is available in paperback on Lulu.com for only $19.95. However, Laura encourages you to download as many gratis copies as you like and to let your friends know where to get their own free copy too!

Read Laura's Overview on her blog for more information.

New Issue of "Teaching Classical Languages" Now Online

The Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) has just announced that the new issue of their online journal Teaching Classical Languages has been published for immediate download at their official website.

Articles in this issue include:

• "From Literal to Literary: A Translation Project for Latin Poetry Classes" by Marcia Lindgren, Life Blumberg, and Joshua Langseth
• "Building Ties Between College and High School Latin Programs" by Ariana Traill, Francesca Tataranni, Laurie Jolicoeur, and Krisanna Zusman
• and a Special Section, "Perspectives on the new Standards for Latin Teacher PreparationPerspectives" by Ronnie Ancona, Erik Collins, Cathy Daugherty, Cory Holec, Ken Kitchell, Robert Patrick, and Lee Pearcy.

The editors of TCL are currently welcoming articles "offering innovative practice and methods, new theoretical approaches, or reporting on empirical research in teaching and learning Latin and Greek."

Back After a Hiatus

It's August and time to get back to blogging!

Professor Terence Tunberg has just written to announce a wonderful new documentary, presented entirely in Latin and available on Youtube, which chronicles the highlights of Conventiculum 2010. This is must-see TV for everyone who loves Latin!