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After reading about one of the past Disney award winners, who had students use cardboard boxes instead of desks for 2 weeks while they learned about the Great Depression, I'm beginning to think my classroom and my teaching techniques are rather mundane. But then again, when I hear what colleagues do in their classes, even colleagues that I have the utmost respect for as sound teachers who produce numerous AP students of excellent quality, I am dismayed. I was told today that a teacher I highly respect was regarded as, well, rather boring by this person's daughter. A daughter, I might add, who managed to take TWO AP Latin classes from this person and now has no interest in Latin.... Then again, who the heck can tell how much the heavy pace of the AP curriculum can kill anyone's true love and passion for a subject? And who's to say I'd be any better? Probably wouldn't. But I don't think any of my students would say I'm boring, and I dare say they'd leave my room thinking that I was PASSIONATE about Latin, about hearing it, reading it, and speaking it.
And the thing is... I know I'm at the beginning of my career and still learning all the time. I'm not where RP is or even PB, or others that use Lingua Latina and spend most of their time talking in Latin.
ANYWAY, for what it's worth, here is another of the Disney Award questions:
"What makes your classroom practice and environment innovative and unique? Give examples of how your classroom reflects your deeply held beliefs about learning and daily practice. Talk about how your teaching is shaped by the background and experiences your students bring with them to your classroom."
***
The extraordinary job of teaching impoverished middle school students anything let alone Latin requires that the teacher understand the importance of creativity, structure, and passion. My students have a difficulty visualizing anything, so the first thing you will notice upon entering my room are the numerous full color posters of Pompeii, Rome, and Ostia and anything Latin. To fill a void, I have personally designed numerous downloadable posters to share with other teachers (http://www.promotelatin.org/downloadablematerials.htm) as well as high quality commercial posters using photographs which I took while in Italy two summers ago (http://www.cafepress.com/animaaltera/338088). All of the desks have labels indicating in Latin which desk and which row (mēnsa prīma, ordō secundus), and most of the items in the room are labeled in Latin as well. Each class agenda is written 80-90% in Latin on the side chalkboard, as is the daily praeparātiō or warm-up on the overhead. The day of the week and the date are in Latin on the front chalkboard as well. Often Latin music—anything from the Carmina Burana and Gregorian Chants to Enya—is playing during passing time. When students enter my room, I want their minds to be in Latin class. In addition, dismissal from the room is signaled by repetition of a Latin motto with its English meaning. It’s bell to bell Latin, or close to it.
Structure for these students is critical in order to begin class well and stay productive. When a student enters, s/he checks the officia (job list) to find out whether s/he is the centūriō (among other jobs). A centūriō is in charge of getting folders and spirals for his/her row out of the arca (file cabinet). Each desk has a sinus (pocket) with pennae (pens). Librī (books) are kept under the desks, thought students may take them home. Thus all students—not just the ones that are academically prepared—are able to begin work at the bell because all needed materials are kept in the room. This, I believe, is critical in order to keep the whole class at the same pace. The classroom activities follow a basic pattern of praeparātiō (warm-up) featuring some aspect of grammar I wish to emphasize, followed by the exercitātiō vocabulōrum (vocab drill), and then in most cases reading a story from the text, followed by individual or cooperative group work. The rotating jobs for the cooperative groups include a līctor (who is in charge of quality formatting and mechanics), a lēctor (who reads the questions or the Latin passage), a vocabulārius (who looks up unknown vocabulary), and a grammāticus (who helps the group focus on the new grammatical feature for the chapter).
My Latin classes emphasize two critical things: attention to pronunciation of oral Latin and developing true reading skills (not treating Latin as if it is a secret code). To this end, I greet students at the door on most days with a question in Latin (that is often written as well on a small white board) to which each must respond. I am able to spot check both pronunciation and comprehension of grammar concepts individually in this manner. Students are also required to leave a recording on my voicemail of an oral recitation consisting of only 2-3 sentences of Latin which we practice in class. When reading passages from the book, I teach and practice prereading strategies. I then read the passage to the students dramatically, and often have the students read with me on the second time through, circling the room and listening to each student. Among other strategies, I teach metaphrasing and using a reading card in order to develop left to right reading skills. (More on this at can be found at The Latin Zone, my blog site, at http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginlindzey/#entry_15614.) This year I have also incorporated into my 7th grade classes a dictātiō (dictation) which consists of a “micrologue” of four sentences accompanied by stick-figure illustrations of the micrologue. (More on this at http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginlindzey/10459.html and http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginlindzey/#entry_20928.)
Above all else, I instill in my classes my passion for LATIN—not word power (though we discuss Spanish and English derivatives as well as linguistic shifts from classical Latin to Spanish), not improved English skills. I want my students to understand the power and the beauty of the language as I feel I do. Otherwise, I might as well just teach a word power course.
And the thing is... I know I'm at the beginning of my career and still learning all the time. I'm not where RP is or even PB, or others that use Lingua Latina and spend most of their time talking in Latin.
ANYWAY, for what it's worth, here is another of the Disney Award questions:
"What makes your classroom practice and environment innovative and unique? Give examples of how your classroom reflects your deeply held beliefs about learning and daily practice. Talk about how your teaching is shaped by the background and experiences your students bring with them to your classroom."
***
The extraordinary job of teaching impoverished middle school students anything let alone Latin requires that the teacher understand the importance of creativity, structure, and passion. My students have a difficulty visualizing anything, so the first thing you will notice upon entering my room are the numerous full color posters of Pompeii, Rome, and Ostia and anything Latin. To fill a void, I have personally designed numerous downloadable posters to share with other teachers (http://www.promotelatin.org/downloadablematerials.htm) as well as high quality commercial posters using photographs which I took while in Italy two summers ago (http://www.cafepress.com/animaaltera/338088). All of the desks have labels indicating in Latin which desk and which row (mēnsa prīma, ordō secundus), and most of the items in the room are labeled in Latin as well. Each class agenda is written 80-90% in Latin on the side chalkboard, as is the daily praeparātiō or warm-up on the overhead. The day of the week and the date are in Latin on the front chalkboard as well. Often Latin music—anything from the Carmina Burana and Gregorian Chants to Enya—is playing during passing time. When students enter my room, I want their minds to be in Latin class. In addition, dismissal from the room is signaled by repetition of a Latin motto with its English meaning. It’s bell to bell Latin, or close to it.
Structure for these students is critical in order to begin class well and stay productive. When a student enters, s/he checks the officia (job list) to find out whether s/he is the centūriō (among other jobs). A centūriō is in charge of getting folders and spirals for his/her row out of the arca (file cabinet). Each desk has a sinus (pocket) with pennae (pens). Librī (books) are kept under the desks, thought students may take them home. Thus all students—not just the ones that are academically prepared—are able to begin work at the bell because all needed materials are kept in the room. This, I believe, is critical in order to keep the whole class at the same pace. The classroom activities follow a basic pattern of praeparātiō (warm-up) featuring some aspect of grammar I wish to emphasize, followed by the exercitātiō vocabulōrum (vocab drill), and then in most cases reading a story from the text, followed by individual or cooperative group work. The rotating jobs for the cooperative groups include a līctor (who is in charge of quality formatting and mechanics), a lēctor (who reads the questions or the Latin passage), a vocabulārius (who looks up unknown vocabulary), and a grammāticus (who helps the group focus on the new grammatical feature for the chapter).
My Latin classes emphasize two critical things: attention to pronunciation of oral Latin and developing true reading skills (not treating Latin as if it is a secret code). To this end, I greet students at the door on most days with a question in Latin (that is often written as well on a small white board) to which each must respond. I am able to spot check both pronunciation and comprehension of grammar concepts individually in this manner. Students are also required to leave a recording on my voicemail of an oral recitation consisting of only 2-3 sentences of Latin which we practice in class. When reading passages from the book, I teach and practice prereading strategies. I then read the passage to the students dramatically, and often have the students read with me on the second time through, circling the room and listening to each student. Among other strategies, I teach metaphrasing and using a reading card in order to develop left to right reading skills. (More on this at can be found at The Latin Zone, my blog site, at http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginlindzey/#entry_15614.) This year I have also incorporated into my 7th grade classes a dictātiō (dictation) which consists of a “micrologue” of four sentences accompanied by stick-figure illustrations of the micrologue. (More on this at http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginlindzey/10459.html and http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginlindzey/#entry_20928.)
Above all else, I instill in my classes my passion for LATIN—not word power (though we discuss Spanish and English derivatives as well as linguistic shifts from classical Latin to Spanish), not improved English skills. I want my students to understand the power and the beauty of the language as I feel I do. Otherwise, I might as well just teach a word power course.
