Classical Outlook Review

The doldrums of February with gray skies (Chicago recently had but one day of sunshine in eleven!) and cold temperatures can dampen the spirits. However, when teaching I always found the excitement of the classroom as a great counterbalance.

 

In March, come say "hello" and check out the Bolchazy-Carducci exhibit at CANE's annual meeting hosted by Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and later at CAMWS's meeting in Birmingham, AL. For details, check out the Bolchazy-Carducci Classical Conference and Meetings schedule. We look forward to seeing you!

 

At this time of year, schools begin to look at registration for the following year. We wish you well as you retain students and you attract new students to your Latin and Greek classes. As you review your textbooks, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions.

 

If you use or are contemplating a change to Latin for the New Millennium, make sure you check out the teacher- and student-friendly Lumina interactive online program for LNM. See the essay below. Those who have adopted Lumina for LNM love it! Feel free to schedule a personal webinar introduction to Lumina with my colleague Bridget Dean.

 

As we begin the third decade of the new millennium, implementing innovative Latin pedagogies has become more important than ever. With technology a central feature in almost all aspects of life—including the classroom—harnessing digital learning to increase student engagement is essential. Enter LUMINA for Latin for the New Millennium.

 

Because LUMINA empowers students to be responsible for their learning, it is ideal for many classroom settings, including blended learning environments and flipped classrooms. The immediate feedback that the program provides to students ensures that they can easily self-assess, while also presenting teachers with frequent snapshots of student understanding. At a glance, teachers can check whether students have accessed and completed their activities, encouraging student accountability.

 

Each chapter in LUMINA for LNM begins with a Practice Exercises page, which contains exercises that reinforce key concepts for each section of the LNM chapter. The Practice Exercises promote student independence with clearly stated objectives and references to relevant textbook pages. Many activities on this page do not allow students to enter incorrect answers; thus, students do not internalize faulty paradigms or improper syntax. Other questions offer detailed feedback for incorrect answers, giving students another opportunity to review fundamentals. Drag-and-drop, matching, and crossword activities are replayable and allow for repeat practice—an essential study habit.

 

Additional Exercises supplement the Practice Exercises and correspond to each chapter's reading, vocabulary to learn, and Language Facts. These activities continue to offer immediate feedback, but less scaffolding is provided than in the Practice Exercises. The Additional Exercises also offer a simple way for teachers to differentiate lessons. While those students who have already demonstrated mastery of certain topics might complete longer comprehension or composition assignments, those who need more practice can work toward mastery with the Additional Exercises.

 

Using LUMINA, teachers can ask students to review a chapter on their own, confident that students have completed and understood the assignment. In-class time can then be reserved for activities that require more teacher guidance. For example, teachers can ask students to read a chapter reading at home and answer the associated LUMINA comprehension questions. In class, students might translate the reading, perform the reading as a play, or rewrite the reading from a different perspective. LUMINA opens a world of new possibilities for in-class time.

 

Bolchazy-Carducci recognizes that every teacher, every classroom, every student has different needs. LUMINA for LNM is exceedingly adaptable and offers the instructional flexibility that has become so crucial in today's world.

 

 

Don't leave your students out! Carpe Martiam Dementiam! Encourage them to enter the sixth annual Martia Dementia contest that will pit mythological monsters and military commanders of the ancient world against one another. Students can enter individually or make it a class activity and submit a class entry.

 

• From the archives, the March 2017 eLitterae contains the Latin reading "Valerius Maximus on Caesar's Death" from Caesar: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader. This reading is geared toward Latin 3 or honors Latin 2 students.

 

• Also from the archives, the February 2017 eLitterae contains two Latin readings about St. Patrick—one from the Latin for the New Millennium, Level 2, workbook and one for upper level students taken from Millennium.

Editor's Note: The above PDFs from Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers' texts are provided for classroom use only as downloaded by the eLitterae subscriber and are not to be otherwise copied or distributed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Cabrera Ortega specializes in the influence of Greco-Roman literature on modern Hispanic culture and literature. In this webinar, he will share his insights on the adaptation of both Medea and Oedipus in a contemporary Latinx world.

 

Every student has the right to see themselves in their classroom, content, and context. This webinar will focus on ways that Latin teachers can bring multiculturalism into the classroom through choosing appropriate visuals, choosing authentic materials, and reconsidering the context of the Latin language.

 

 

 

 

 

Lumina offers a revamped Artes Latinae. This fully interactive online program teaches all of Latin grammar in two courses. Purchase the program at a special discounted price of 25% off! For a brief overview of the program, check out this video.

Based on the program developed by Dr. Waldo E. Sweet of the University of Michigan for Encyclopedia Britannica, Lumina: Artes Latinae is an easy-to-follow course that includes all the tools a student needs to achieve a firm command of Latin. The course was carefully crafted and refined to suit the needs and abilities of a broad spectrum of students. Lumina: Artes Latinae meets existing foreign language requirements for high school graduation.

Contact us for an individual consultation on either program: bridget@bolchazy.com.

 

 

A Caesar Reader: Selections from Bellum Gallicum and Bellum Civile, and from Caesar's Letters, Speeches, and Poetry
By W. Jeffery Tatum
xl + 206 pages, ISBN: 978-0-86516-696-7 $19.00 $11.40