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It's 10 a.m and I've just had a couple of good class periods so I thought I better take note.
First, let me explain what I've been up to in class.
In 8th grade we are in Stage 18 of the Cambridge Latin Course, 4th edition. In the 4th edition, you are now formally introduced to neuters (although you've seen plenty of them) of both 2nd and 3rd declension, and then 4th and 5th declension are thrown in for good measure.
Now, most of you who read my blog know that I use these funky model sentences to teach endings in context. I had a teacher who got one of my 7th graders this year (that is, he is now in 8th grade) who asked me: DO YOU REALLY NOT TEACH DECLINING?? No, I don't. Not in 7th grade, though I might at the end of the year this year if only to help them out with their new teacher next year since I won't be here. Here is what I do teach:
In stage 9:
ancilla puellae statuam dat.
The slave-girl gives the statue to the girl.
ancillae puellis statuas dant.
The slave-girls give the statues to the girls.
dominus servo anulum dabat.
The master was giving the ring to the slave.
domini servis anulos dabant.
The masters were giving the rings to the slaves.
mater patri infantem dedit.
The mother gave the baby to the father.
matres patribus infantes dederunt.
The mothers gave the babies to the fathers.
In stage 17 we add:
in villa feminae
in the house of the woman
in villis feminarum
in the houses of the women
in horto amici
in the garden of the friend
in hortis amicorum
in the gardens of the friends
in nave senis
on the ship of the old man
in navibus senum
on the ships of the old men
So I have been debating and second guessing myself about whether this has been a good thing or not, and whether I'm a traitor to my own beliefs because I right now am doing a regular noun ending chart. Today I found out that I've been right to do the model sentences--here's why. In the 7th grade classes we are in the middle of Stage 9, we chant our sentences (see above) and then I leave the overhead of these sentences up while we work on readings or other exercises. Today they had a vocab quiz (in context) and after the quiz they were to do PTL B 1-8 (p 151) which was a subject/verb agreement exercise. The sentences were in the same format of my model sentences--which was great!!!--because I could show them that my model sentences aren't *just* about endings, they provide help for understanding subject/verb agreement. For instance, here's one of the sentences:
cIvEs MilOnI statuam (posuit/posuErunt).
Students can look at the model sentences, find matrEs, note that it's on the PLURAL line and that the verb ends in -NT, and thus they will choose posuErunt. Then when they have to TRANSLATE it, they know that MilOnI is like patrI and thus must have to/for with it. "The citizens put up a statue for Milo."
Here's what's great--they are learning the ENDINGS & THE MEANINGS. After all, how many students can chant off endings and haven't a clue about what to do with them?? It's that CONNECTION that students miss out on, and I think MANY students have a difficulty making that connection because we have been teaching noun ending charts which are totally DEVOID of meaning right up front instead of something that is full of meaning, like my model sentences.
But let's face it. Most every Latin text these students will see in the future will have every bit of grammar organized in charts at the back of the book. Students have to be able to understand them and to even create them. They must at some point master the endings. Right? Well, at least they do if they are going on to other colleagues including university professors who teach more traditionally and are going to expect an ability to parse as well as to translate/read.
Thus the need to tackle noun ending charts with the 8th graders.
Many people know about the Endless Noun Ending Song. If not, go to this link and listen:
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/catullusguide13.html
We've been listening to it in the 8th grade class and singing with it. We've been doing a bit of declining, but I knew that my more apathetic kids weren't really trying or latching on. So today we went to the library to use the computers and I sent the kids to my QUIA page for 8th grade (http://www.quia.com/pages/porterlatin1b.html) and specifically to the declining activities at the bottom of the page (they are currently NOT in order with the rest of the stage materials, which need revising):
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 1st declension
http://www.quia.com/pa/30382.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 2nd declension MASCULINE
http://www.quia.com/pa/30383.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 2nd declension NEUTER
http://www.quia.com/pa/30396.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 3rd declension M/F
http://www.quia.com/pa/30397.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 3rd declension NEUTER
http://www.quia.com/pa/30398.html
These aren't anything special, but it got them to decline a bunch of nouns in a short period of time. We only got through the first 2 or 3 so we're going back tomorrow. The students found it helpful. I walked around behind them singing the noun ending song and they finally started singing it and applying it themselves.
But here's something interesting that I noted. Some of my less focused students would mutter things like "I don't remember what the accusative should be" even though if I asked the question differently they would have no problem identifying an accusative case noun and translating it. This confirmed for me what I have felt all along--the endings by themselves (chanted or written down) are DEVOID of meaning, and for some students the jump is huge to make the connection with function. These are the kids that barely make it through 2 years of Latin taught traditionally.
I know I have to find a way to bring these two methods together. I'm thinking I need to create another QUIA activity that combines both so they can see how the sentences and ending charts are related. Oh, they have a color coded master model sentence sheet that has ALWAYS had a regular noun chart on it with case/colors matching, but few have taken note of it.
Anyway. My time is up for writing about this. I do have one last thought: How many half-decent students do we leave behind each year because we only teach the charts and grammar and don't find ways to hammer home the connection TO MEANING??? Most of my students would wash out of an ordinary Latin class because they can't make these leaps in connections on their own. They need something like these model sentences.... We should be working toward developing more "in context" teaching tools....
First, let me explain what I've been up to in class.
In 8th grade we are in Stage 18 of the Cambridge Latin Course, 4th edition. In the 4th edition, you are now formally introduced to neuters (although you've seen plenty of them) of both 2nd and 3rd declension, and then 4th and 5th declension are thrown in for good measure.
Now, most of you who read my blog know that I use these funky model sentences to teach endings in context. I had a teacher who got one of my 7th graders this year (that is, he is now in 8th grade) who asked me: DO YOU REALLY NOT TEACH DECLINING?? No, I don't. Not in 7th grade, though I might at the end of the year this year if only to help them out with their new teacher next year since I won't be here. Here is what I do teach:
In stage 9:
ancilla puellae statuam dat.
The slave-girl gives the statue to the girl.
ancillae puellis statuas dant.
The slave-girls give the statues to the girls.
dominus servo anulum dabat.
The master was giving the ring to the slave.
domini servis anulos dabant.
The masters were giving the rings to the slaves.
mater patri infantem dedit.
The mother gave the baby to the father.
matres patribus infantes dederunt.
The mothers gave the babies to the fathers.
In stage 17 we add:
in villa feminae
in the house of the woman
in villis feminarum
in the houses of the women
in horto amici
in the garden of the friend
in hortis amicorum
in the gardens of the friends
in nave senis
on the ship of the old man
in navibus senum
on the ships of the old men
So I have been debating and second guessing myself about whether this has been a good thing or not, and whether I'm a traitor to my own beliefs because I right now am doing a regular noun ending chart. Today I found out that I've been right to do the model sentences--here's why. In the 7th grade classes we are in the middle of Stage 9, we chant our sentences (see above) and then I leave the overhead of these sentences up while we work on readings or other exercises. Today they had a vocab quiz (in context) and after the quiz they were to do PTL B 1-8 (p 151) which was a subject/verb agreement exercise. The sentences were in the same format of my model sentences--which was great!!!--because I could show them that my model sentences aren't *just* about endings, they provide help for understanding subject/verb agreement. For instance, here's one of the sentences:
cIvEs MilOnI statuam (posuit/posuErunt).
Students can look at the model sentences, find matrEs, note that it's on the PLURAL line and that the verb ends in -NT, and thus they will choose posuErunt. Then when they have to TRANSLATE it, they know that MilOnI is like patrI and thus must have to/for with it. "The citizens put up a statue for Milo."
Here's what's great--they are learning the ENDINGS & THE MEANINGS. After all, how many students can chant off endings and haven't a clue about what to do with them?? It's that CONNECTION that students miss out on, and I think MANY students have a difficulty making that connection because we have been teaching noun ending charts which are totally DEVOID of meaning right up front instead of something that is full of meaning, like my model sentences.
But let's face it. Most every Latin text these students will see in the future will have every bit of grammar organized in charts at the back of the book. Students have to be able to understand them and to even create them. They must at some point master the endings. Right? Well, at least they do if they are going on to other colleagues including university professors who teach more traditionally and are going to expect an ability to parse as well as to translate/read.
Thus the need to tackle noun ending charts with the 8th graders.
Many people know about the Endless Noun Ending Song. If not, go to this link and listen:
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/catullusguide13.html
We've been listening to it in the 8th grade class and singing with it. We've been doing a bit of declining, but I knew that my more apathetic kids weren't really trying or latching on. So today we went to the library to use the computers and I sent the kids to my QUIA page for 8th grade (http://www.quia.com/pages/porterlatin1b.html) and specifically to the declining activities at the bottom of the page (they are currently NOT in order with the rest of the stage materials, which need revising):
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 1st declension
http://www.quia.com/pa/30382.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 2nd declension MASCULINE
http://www.quia.com/pa/30383.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 2nd declension NEUTER
http://www.quia.com/pa/30396.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 3rd declension M/F
http://www.quia.com/pa/30397.html
Latin 1B: Stage 18 - declining - 3rd declension NEUTER
http://www.quia.com/pa/30398.html
These aren't anything special, but it got them to decline a bunch of nouns in a short period of time. We only got through the first 2 or 3 so we're going back tomorrow. The students found it helpful. I walked around behind them singing the noun ending song and they finally started singing it and applying it themselves.
But here's something interesting that I noted. Some of my less focused students would mutter things like "I don't remember what the accusative should be" even though if I asked the question differently they would have no problem identifying an accusative case noun and translating it. This confirmed for me what I have felt all along--the endings by themselves (chanted or written down) are DEVOID of meaning, and for some students the jump is huge to make the connection with function. These are the kids that barely make it through 2 years of Latin taught traditionally.
I know I have to find a way to bring these two methods together. I'm thinking I need to create another QUIA activity that combines both so they can see how the sentences and ending charts are related. Oh, they have a color coded master model sentence sheet that has ALWAYS had a regular noun chart on it with case/colors matching, but few have taken note of it.
Anyway. My time is up for writing about this. I do have one last thought: How many half-decent students do we leave behind each year because we only teach the charts and grammar and don't find ways to hammer home the connection TO MEANING??? Most of my students would wash out of an ordinary Latin class because they can't make these leaps in connections on their own. They need something like these model sentences.... We should be working toward developing more "in context" teaching tools....
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