National Classical Etymological Online Exam

There's still time to register for the National Classical Etymology Online Exam, but the October 15th deadline is quickly approaching. The National Claassical Etymology Online Exam is sponsored by the National Junior Classical League.

The exam will be administered in November 2011. To register visit http://quia.com/nceeorder. There is a school registration fee of $15 ($25 outside of the United States) in addition to the $3 per student exam fee. Schools that have an NJCL chapter receive a $10 discount on the school registration fee. The payment deadline is November 1, 2011. For additional details visit the National Junior Classical League.

Phineas and Ferb know Latin!

Tomorrow is the Disney Channel premiere of the full-length movie "Phineas and Ferb Across the Second Dimension." If you already have Friday plans or don't subscribe to cable television, the DVD release is August 23rd.

As it turns out, Phineas and Ferb apparently are Latin students, because one of the songs on the soundtrack (already available on Amazon.com and presumably, iTunes) is entitled "Carpe Diem!"

The Controversial Macron

Should Latin teachers insist that their students memorize macrons?

Professor Richard LaFleur, editor of Wheelock's Latin, emphatically says YES!

Cheryl Lowe, author of First and Second Form Latin, responds with a resounding NO!

Two very interesting articles! Who knew macrons could be so controversial?

Highlights of the American Classical League Institute 2011

Zee Poerio just posted her video of the highlights of the 2011 American Classical League Institute!

Scala Sapientiae

The creative and energetic Laura Gibbs has just established a brilliant new blog, Scala Sapientia. If you are teacher or student of beginning Latin or a fan of Latin proverbs, you will love this site! Laura has organized hundreds of proverbs using a 'stair step' structure. As you progress from proverb to proverb, there is only one new step you need to learn to progress to the next. Each proverb is annotated with helpful vocabulary and interesting grammatical and literary or cultural notes.

May CANENS Newsletter

The latest issue of CANENS, the Classical Association of New England's newsletter, is now available for download. There are some great articles in this one, notably a feature by Brian McCarthy about his adventure running a marathon in Athens. You can also read about a JCL team that hosted a trivia contest as a very successful fundraiser!

Teaching Classical Languages

The latest issue of the journal Teaching Classical Languages, edited by John Gruber-Miller of Cornell College, has now been made available for download.

Articles in this issue include:

• Rebecca Harrison, "Exercises for Developing Prediction Skills in Reading Latin Sentences" (describes more than 20 field tested exercises to help beginning and intermediate students become more efficient readers of Latin)
• Peter Anderson & Mark Beckwith, "Form-Focused Teaching for the Intermediate Latin Student" ( introduces teachers to form-focused instruction, a pedagogy that integrates grammar instruction within a communicative context)
  
• Albert Watanabe, "The 2010 College Greek Exam" (an analysis of students' strengths and weaknesses on the 2010 College Greek Exam)

LET'S LEARN LATIN: A WORKSHOP FOR ES/MS TEACHERS!

LET'S LEARN LATIN: A WORKSHOP FOR ES/MS TEACHERS!
the Latin language - Latin vocabulary - word roots - ancient Roman
culture - Greek & Roman mythology - techniques for incorporating these
topics into your classroom

August 1-3, 2011 / 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Clara Byrd Baker ES, Williamsburg, VA
co-sponsors: WJCC Schools & Ascanius: The Youth Classics Institute

Let's Learn Latin will introduce elementary and middle school teachers to the world of Latin and the ancient Romans through three days of engaging lessons. Teachers get to play the role of students, learning the material through the same activities and lessons that they will be able to use in their own classrooms. Participants will enjoy learning the basics of Latin, using a colorful, interesting, kid-friendly text called Minimus, richly supplemented by effective and innovative activities to practice the material. Other topics include Latin vocabulary, word roots, and Roman culture and mythology. No previous experience with Latin is needed!

In addition, participants will explore ways of teaching about key vocabulary terms and cultural topics that integrate with the various chapters and language topics of Minimus. Participants will receive myriad classroom-ready materials on all topics studied. CEU's are available; all participants will receive a certificate documenting their 16.5 contact hours. One graduate credit is optional via Ashland University.

Register: by mail or online.
Deadline: 7/1/11. Limited to 15 participants.
Cost: $150 (includes registration, all workshop materials and resources, and light breakfast with coffee). Lunch is available for a separate nominal charge.

Visit the Ascanius Youth Classics Institute (http://www.ascaniusyci.org) website to get additional workshop details, to purchase publications, or to find out about and schedule other professional development opportunities or student programs.

Conventiculum Bostoniense

It's not too late to apply for the Conventiculum Bostoniense, July 30-August 7, 2011, a week-long Latin immersion program sponsored by UMass Boston and held on the campus of UMass Darmouth, near the south coast of Massachusetts.

Participants take one of two courses for two or three graduate credits:

1) Newcomers to spoken Latin take "Active Learning Methodologies for Teachers of Latin," in which they are introduced not only to speaking Latin but also to second language acquisition theory and its application in the Latin classroom.

2) Experienced speakers take "Living Text", which focuses this year on the poems of Catullus, and also includes the development of classroom materials that incorporate active methods (speaking and writing).

Further information and application materials are available at: http://www.conventiculum.org.

Happy Pi Day 2011!

Happy Pi Day 2011! Enjoy it while listening to the Pi Symphony and perhaps having a piece of pie as well!



For more information about the origin of Pi Day, see this previous Latinteach post.

It's National Latin Teacher Recruitment Week!

This week (March 7-11, 2011) marks the 9th Annual National Latin Teacher Recruitment Week.

Sponsored by the American Classical League and the American Philological Association, along with numerous other state and regional organizations, the motto for this year's NLTRW is "Your Future is Our Future."

Gaudete, Gaudete! Latin Christmas and Holiday Songs!

Rejoice, all ye who seek Latin Christmas Carols! Laura Gibbs is continuing her Latin Holiday Songs Project this year at Gaudium Mundo! Visit each day for new songs and lyrics in Latin, Latin-English and Latin-Polish!

Need more holiday ideas for your Latin class? We've got 'em! Here are just a few from past years!

Christmas Teaching Ideas and Carols

St. Nicholas and the Legenda Aurea

O Abies! O Christmas Tree!

Yummy Chocolate Saturnalia Mice!!!

Coldplay Knows Latin! Really!

At about two minutes and forty seconds into their new video "Christmas Lights," you'll see Coldplay performing on a stage with the words "Credo Elvem Etiam Vivere" ("I believe Elvis is alive...") lit above. Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay is not only a talented vocalist and musician, but also a Classics scholar, having taken first class honours in Greek and Latin from University College London.

SCRIBO Latin Composition Competition

Introducing SCRIBO, an International Latin Composition Contest!

Goals: This contest is designed to spur interest and excitement in using Latin for creative writing, provide teachers with high quality materials in Latin that they can read in their classes, and honor and recognize top work in Latin creative writing!

Entries: Original short stories, comics, and poems are accepted. Illustrations are encouraged but not required. Entries have a maximum of 1,000 words and a maximum of 10 pages.

Eligibility and Levels: Students of Latin in any grade, from kindergarten through college, may participate. Entries will be sorted into the following levels, which are based on length of time studying Latin and content of the course: exploratory, lower, and upper.

Classroom Integration: SCRIBO is designed to be as flexible as possible for easy classroom integration. You could offer a contest, assignment, or project from which you could choose and submit the best entries. This could be open-ended, connected to a cultural unit, or connected to your text's storyline!

Benefits: Participation in SCRIBO has the following benefits

• certificates for all participants
• medals with ribbons for the top 20% of scorers
• press release plus letter to the principal recognizing medal winners
• free CD of the top entries, including multiple entries per level
• ability to purchase full-color bound books of the collected top entries (plus inclusion in a raffle to win a free copy of this book)
• knowledge that your school is supporting the mission of Ascanius: The Youth Classics Institute to bring Latin and Classical Studies to our youngest scholars

Scoring: All entries will be judged by Latin teachers and professors who have training in Latin composition and/or oral Latin, using the following categories: grammatical and syntactical accuracy, choice of vocabulary, quality of work, audience appeal. Entries in the running to be in the top 20% will be scored by at least one additional judge. (Contact SCRIBO to apply to serve as a judge.)

Cost: $25 for 1 entry (or homeschool groups); $45 for 2-5 entries; $75 for 6-10 entries.

Registration & Submission: Register and pay by mail/online, including names, ages, and levels of student participants, no later than December 15, 2010. Receive an email from SCRIBO with identifying codes for all your participants, no later than January 1, 2011. Then the teacher submits all entries electronically in PDF format no later than January 15, 2011. Results, awards, and CD's should be in the mail by April 15, 2011!

Visit http://www.ascaniusyci.org/scribo for more information and to register!

Sponsored by Ascanius: The Youth Classics Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

CAMWS Latin Translation Contest 2010-2011

The Classical Association of the Middle West and South Latin Translation Contest 2010-2011 is a competition open to advanced Latin students anywhere in the United States and Canada, who are either enrolled in secondary schools or attending homeschool. The contest is intended for students with at least three years of Latin, but superior second-year students are also eligible to participate.

Students must show an affiliation to CAMWS in one of three ways:

1. Their teachers must be individual members of CAMWS
2. OR their schools must be institutional members of CAMWS
3. OR their school libraries must subscribe to The Classical Journal.

Teachers should note that the examination must be administered by a school official other than the Latin teacher during the week of November 29-December 3, 2010. Deadline for registration is November 5, 2010.

The Translation Contest consists of a one-hour examination with an annual alternation of Prose and Poetry. This year's contest consists of a Latin Prose selection, as exemplified by Caesar, Cicero, et al. According to the contest rules, students should translate as literally as possible without violating English idiom and they should know the relevant vocabulary presented in Colby's Latin Word Lists. (A copy of the list is available to all contestants FREE upon request when registering!)

Writers of the ten most outstanding papers written will receive a $250 cash prize. An additional twenty outstanding contestants will receive a book prize relevant to classical antiquity. Meritorious examinations will receive letters of commendation.

There is a $2 non-refundable fee for each contestant entered.

To view copies of the most recent prose exams, you may visit CAMWS. You may also view a list of previous winners.

For more information, please contact: Robert White c/o Shaker Heights High School, 15811 Aldersyde Drive, Shaker Heights OH, 44120-2505, Tel. (216) 295-4200.

New Advanced Placement Latin Resource for Caesar

Christopher Francese, a professor in the Department of Classical Studies, Dickinson College, and a student helper have created a wiki-based commentary on the AP Caesar Latin selections. Based on older school editions, it also includes some digital enhancements (some vocabulary and mp3 audio, maps and tools).

Calling All Latin Poets!

VATES, the occasional journal of contemporary Latin poetry, is looking for contributions of original Latin verse. Electronically published and available free to anyone with an interest in new Latin poetry, VATES needs your submissions in order to continue its mission of promoting the reading and writing of new Latin verse.

Labor Vincit Omnia!

Check Out Laura Gibbs' compilation of Latin Labor Day proverbs!

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.