Oak Latin Class Newsletter

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Latin News

Focus on Grades and Homework

Standards at Oak

All world languages at Oak are graded by these standards: Listening, Writing, Verbal Competency, Reading, and Culture. Many Latin listening opportunities are now available from talented teachers who post videos on their own websites and YouTube. Listening to Latin is an important component to our course. The writing standard measures student abilities using vocabulary in grammatical sentences. Verbal competency is the standard that records student speaking abilities and vocabulary knowledge. Reading is the primary way that we encounter Latin; this standard reflects skills in reading comprehension and translation. Culture is the final standard, and it is an essential piece to understanding our readings about the ancient world. We learn about Roman culture in English or in Latin depending on the topic and available resources.

Learn more at this link to the Curriculum Night slides: World Language Slides.

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Homework

Most Latin homework involves vocabulary practice. Students have joined our Quizlet classes where flashcards are uploaded. When students are assigned vocabulary practice, they may have instructions to log in to their Quizlet class which records student progress.

Other times, students may be working on creating flashcards or completing a Gimkit assignment.
Other homework may involve rereading a Latin story that we have read together or completing some practice work started in class. Students have Edpuzzle accounts where they watch videos that are in Latin or that explain grammar concepts. Many Edpuzzle assignments are done in class, but some are assigned for homework. Generally, these take ten minutes or less to complete.
As much as possible, classes are planned so that assignments can be completed in class (with the exception of vocabulary study). Eighth grade students may see some increase in homework over the course of the year in preparation for high school.

REMINDER: CONFERENCE DAY takes place on Tuesday, November 2. Parents and guardians of students who are struggling will be sent an invitation. Please take advantage of this opportunity to help your student get on the right track. After that, all parents and guardians will be sent a reminder that they may request a conference time.                                                                    

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Curriculum Updates

Grade 7:  Students have finished the first unit, Introduction to Latin. They know the Latin terms for many of the items around the classroom, can answer some simple questions in Latin, and know how to respond to many verbs which they soon will be reading in our textbook. We also have practiced Latin pronunciation by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Although we do less speaking in Latin than in the modern languages, learning the basics of pronunciation builds confidence and competence. We often read Latin stories aloud in class, and students will be asked to participate. At other times, students may be reading on their own and silently, and being able to “hear” the word in their heads will help them connect with the language.
We have moved on to Unit 2 and continue to build our understanding of Latin language patterns as we learn names of animals, colors, numbers, and body parts. Using these topics, students are beginning to write their own sentences. Soon, we will move on to exploring some mythological monsters, and students will design and describe their own monsters using the vocabulary and grammar we are practicing.

Grade 8:  Students completed a review unit during the first few weeks of school. Our main focus was vocabulary mastery, but we also read several short Latin stories. We reviewed some grammatical topics, such as direct objects and infinitive verbs, and practiced “Respondē Latine” questions. Answering questions about a story in the target language is a valuable way to show understanding of the story without relying on translation. Students made considerable progress in their skills to the point where they were composing their own Latin questions about an unfamiliar story.
We are now working on Unit 2 – Familia. As we keep expanding our vocabulary, we’ll be learning another use of the infinitive and plural accusative endings. Culturally, students will learn about Roman family structure, encounter the issue of slavery in ancient world, and be introduced to the legendary founder of the Roman people, Aeneas.

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Helping Your Students Succeed

Vocabulary is the essential building block of any language, so daily vocabulary practice is the starting place for success in Latin. Please encourage this daily practice! In addition, students can improve their work in Latin by rereading every Latin story that we read.

Students who fall behind due to absence or for any other reason are encouraged to seek extra help. Often, 10 or 15 minutes of focused work can make a huge difference in student understanding.

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