![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I've just posted more than a dozen new stories from students at http://drippinglatin.livejournal.com. Many are hysterical, focusing on love, fights, and drinking. Some are just simple stories that are decently written. They were written after stage 10, and yes I'm several stages beyond that, but just slow to get them posted.
I have one more I want to post, probably because it amuses me so, but is a bit too far out there to put on my high school site. So I decided to post it here.
Please take it in the humor it was intended.
****
Felix et Grumio
Grumio atrium intravit. Felix erat in atrio.
"salve!" clamavit Grumio.
"salve!" respondet Felix.
Grumio et Felix basiant. Felix Grumioni flores dedit. Grumio Felici chocolatum dedit. Felix et Grumio e villa contenderunt.
Felix et Grumio theatrum intraverunt, et sederunt. fabula est "RENT." postquam "RENT" spectaverunt, Grumio clamavit,
"optima erat fabula!"
"maxime! ego fabulam amavi!" respondit Felix.
Grumio et Felix e theatro contenderunt. Grumio ad villam contendit, quod tardus erat.
(Dulcia me fecit.)
****
I have no idea why this student chose RENT. Perhaps I need to see it to understand.
Spring Break is coming to a close, and I'm just now feeling like my old self. Has it been a tough year? Maybe. I know it's been draining. And some years are just like that. But I'm seeing some amazing things with my Latin 1's. And every time I let them run with a little creativity--especially if I indulge their desire to stretch their topics beyond what would be considered proper by some--they rise to the occasion.
It's no secret: students are far more interested in learning something if they can put it to use, if it's something they are invested in.
Sure, I could have more traditional composition exercises, and I don't knock teachers who do that. In fact, I noted on the CLC list today that there was a discussion about composition. The teacher was explaining, basically, that she makes the students parse everything before putting it together.
That works. That works and I'm sure that's the sort of thing I did in school. But, honestly, isn't that tedious? Sure, the brainiacs will leap at the challenge, but what about everyone else?
My goal is to NEVER EVER have a split level class again. Never. If you don't find a way to capture the interest of all the students, or as many as possible, how will you ever have the numbers in your upper level classes?
The stories my students write are hysterical and perhaps even outrageous. Is that bad? I don't know, but they are sure far more interested in getting the forms right TO COMMUNICATE when it's something they want to communicate.
I would love to have a Latin elective one day that is only writing stories, plays, and anything in Latin. Of course, the problem is that this wouldn't fit in the normal course schedule. You couldn't have it count as Latin 3 or 4. Frankly, I could see in having it mixed level--truly a diverse class.
Well, not next year. I wouldn't have the bodies for it. Not yet. I can tell you that I think it would complement, say, a Latin 3 class. Or be something fun after Latin 2 if the student didn't think they were up to a pre-AP course. WHY should everything be about AP after all???
I could see, for instance, working in reading some epigrams or Catullus, etc, or even bits of Plautus and then basing our writing on that.
WHY should we turn away students from more Latin just because they don't want to dive into Cicero or Vergil or master conditional clauses and sequence of tenses??
WHY can't we have more time where students go through a comic book and pick out their favorite comics to translate??
I hate that I can't do the amount of composition that I would like. EVEN IF I assigned it more for homework than classwork, students need peer editing or help from me. They WANT to get their stories right. They WANT to know. There's just not enough time to do that and to cover the curriculum.
That same old story!
I have one more I want to post, probably because it amuses me so, but is a bit too far out there to put on my high school site. So I decided to post it here.
Please take it in the humor it was intended.
****
Felix et Grumio
Grumio atrium intravit. Felix erat in atrio.
"salve!" clamavit Grumio.
"salve!" respondet Felix.
Grumio et Felix basiant. Felix Grumioni flores dedit. Grumio Felici chocolatum dedit. Felix et Grumio e villa contenderunt.
Felix et Grumio theatrum intraverunt, et sederunt. fabula est "RENT." postquam "RENT" spectaverunt, Grumio clamavit,
"optima erat fabula!"
"maxime! ego fabulam amavi!" respondit Felix.
Grumio et Felix e theatro contenderunt. Grumio ad villam contendit, quod tardus erat.
(Dulcia me fecit.)
****
I have no idea why this student chose RENT. Perhaps I need to see it to understand.
Spring Break is coming to a close, and I'm just now feeling like my old self. Has it been a tough year? Maybe. I know it's been draining. And some years are just like that. But I'm seeing some amazing things with my Latin 1's. And every time I let them run with a little creativity--especially if I indulge their desire to stretch their topics beyond what would be considered proper by some--they rise to the occasion.
It's no secret: students are far more interested in learning something if they can put it to use, if it's something they are invested in.
Sure, I could have more traditional composition exercises, and I don't knock teachers who do that. In fact, I noted on the CLC list today that there was a discussion about composition. The teacher was explaining, basically, that she makes the students parse everything before putting it together.
That works. That works and I'm sure that's the sort of thing I did in school. But, honestly, isn't that tedious? Sure, the brainiacs will leap at the challenge, but what about everyone else?
My goal is to NEVER EVER have a split level class again. Never. If you don't find a way to capture the interest of all the students, or as many as possible, how will you ever have the numbers in your upper level classes?
The stories my students write are hysterical and perhaps even outrageous. Is that bad? I don't know, but they are sure far more interested in getting the forms right TO COMMUNICATE when it's something they want to communicate.
I would love to have a Latin elective one day that is only writing stories, plays, and anything in Latin. Of course, the problem is that this wouldn't fit in the normal course schedule. You couldn't have it count as Latin 3 or 4. Frankly, I could see in having it mixed level--truly a diverse class.
Well, not next year. I wouldn't have the bodies for it. Not yet. I can tell you that I think it would complement, say, a Latin 3 class. Or be something fun after Latin 2 if the student didn't think they were up to a pre-AP course. WHY should everything be about AP after all???
I could see, for instance, working in reading some epigrams or Catullus, etc, or even bits of Plautus and then basing our writing on that.
WHY should we turn away students from more Latin just because they don't want to dive into Cicero or Vergil or master conditional clauses and sequence of tenses??
WHY can't we have more time where students go through a comic book and pick out their favorite comics to translate??
I hate that I can't do the amount of composition that I would like. EVEN IF I assigned it more for homework than classwork, students need peer editing or help from me. They WANT to get their stories right. They WANT to know. There's just not enough time to do that and to cover the curriculum.
That same old story!
Tags:
Why RENT?
Date: 2008-03-27 01:07 am (UTC)ken
Re: Why RENT?
Date: 2008-03-27 02:30 am (UTC)I thought RENT was supposed to be a modern version of La Boheme. I didn't know about the gay twist. No matter to me. I posted it because I thought it was darling in its own way. But perhaps I'm far too open minded. I think in a previous life I must have been a gay guy. ha.
Re: Why RENT?
Date: 2008-03-29 12:34 am (UTC)ken