Latin 1 First Story of the Year

Many teachers who are new to CI, especially Latin teachers, ask the question, "How do you start level one?" The traditional way of teaching Latin typically jumps right into conjugating verbs. That's at least how my first few days of Latin went (to be fair, it was also at the college level). Our modern world language colleagues at least can start the year with the old standbys of greetings and simple expressions for interpersonal communication (e.g. talking about family, interests, and likes/dislikes). 

In my Latin 1 class, we do all of these (minus conjugating verbs), but I also like to get my students moving and engaging with one another via Total Physical Response (TPR). With TPR, I deliver simple messages in Latin to my students to perform simple actions with high-frequency verbs. To make it more engaging, we use stuffed animals.

"I ad ianuam!" "Go to the door!"

"Cape animal ex sacco!" "Take an animal out of the bag!"

"Fer leonem ad Amandam!" "Bring the animal to Amanda!"

"Marcus dat felem Liviae!" "Marcus gives the cat to Livia!"

All of this involves me narrating and ordering various actions while pausing to point at the words on the board with their accompanying English meaning.

This year, inspired by my colleagues Rachel Ash, Miriam Patrick, and Keith Toda, I decided to make my own story using the vocabulary words from our TPR activities. This way, my students can see and hear (as we read aloud the story) these high-frequency words, get as much exposure to and repetition of said words, and acquire words that will serve them for as long as they study Latin.

The story I wrote, titled Ubi est telephonum Mirandae? (Where Is Miranda's Phone?), was a surprise hit with my students! The story draws not only from our TPR word base, but also from our class cell phone procedure and rejoinders. I used Latin names (Miranda and Iulius - Julius in English) that are familiar in English to help my students see that many of us have Latin names and that the Latin-speaking past is not so distant. Here is what it looks like:

Hodie puella (girl) est in Lilburn. Nomen ei est Miranda. Miranda est discipula. Miranda intrat conclave (classroom). Miranda videt in tabulā: “Ubi sunt telephona?”

Ubi est telephonum Mirandae? Scilicet est in sacculō! Miranda videt in sacculō. Telephonum non est in sacculō! Miranda non habet telephonum! Ubi est telephonum Mirandae?! Miranda vult telephonum!

Miranda it ad armarium. Telephonum non est in armariō. Miranda it ad excipulum. Telephonum non est in excipulō. Miranda it ad mensam. Telephonum non est in mensā. Ubi est telephonum Mirandae? Miranda non habet telephonum. Miranda vult telephonum!

Miranda it ad ianuam. Iulius intrat conclave. Miranda inquit (said), “Ubi est meum (my) telephonum?”

Iulius inquit, “Visne telephonum? Da mihi (to me) stylum.” Miranda capit stylum. Miranda fert stylum. Miranda dat stylum Iuliō. Iulius habet stylum.

Iulius inquit, “Da mihi chartam.” Miranda capit chartam. Miranda fert chartam. Miranda dat chartam Iuliō. Iulius habet chartam.

Iulius scribit in chartā, “Te amo (I love you).” Iulius dat chartam Mirandae. Miranda capit chartam.

Miranda inquit, “Fufae!” Miranda ponit (puts) chartam in sacculum. Miranda videt aliquid (something) in sacculō sub (under) libellō. Miranda videt telephonum! Euge! Miranda habet telephonum!

Why was this simple story such a hit? The reference to our cell phone procedure was a nice inside joke (and a great way for me to remind my classes of my policy 😈). My students ate up the almost love story. Some felt bad for Iulius and his failed attempt to woo Miranda. Some commended him for his audacity. Some found his flirtations creepy. Some students made predictions about the location of Miranda's phone (one was correct!). One class wanted to know more about Miranda and Iulius' relationship and wondered if they had a past, which I will keep in mind in case I decide to write a continuation of this story.

Before I wrote this story, I felt overwhelmed at the thought of writing a narrative that both engaged my students and gave them sufficient exposure to and repetition of high-frequency words in Latin. I'm sure many new CI teachers share the same apprehension. After all, when I was a student - and later a teacher - in traditional Latin programs, I relied on textbook exercises (however absurd they may be - I'm looking at you, Dominus iacet in via!) and on adapted readings from classical literature for practice. I now plan to write more stories for my classes in the future. I can only hope that they will be just as fabulous.

First 3 Weeks of the School Year

The first three of weeks of the school have come and gone, so I'd like to reflect and write about my experiences so far. This year I am teaching three classes of Latin I and two of Latin II. I am also in charge of the Latin I curriculum this year. I'm not going to lie, I felt a lot of pressure to be in charge of level one. If I messed up and did not establish a solid foundation, I could jeopardize my students' Latin experience and fail to provide them with the skills to succeed in Latin. 

Thankfully, this has not been the case at all. In fact, I am having a blast with my Latin I students! I attribute part of this to my goal of having more consistent procedures in my classes this year. Just as in previous years, I open the class with "Salvete, omnes!", close with "Valete, omnes!", and expect my students to respond in Latin. To associate names with faces (and because admin insists that we take attendance within the first five minutes of class), I then do roll call and each student must say "adsum" if they are present. When a student is absent, we say, "(Insert student name) abest." 

To fight against the almighty cell phone, we then do a cell phone chant, as developed by Bob Patrick. I ask the class, "Ubi sunt telephona?!" Then we go through various locations where phones may be: "Non in manibus!" "Non in gremio!" "Non in sinibus!" "Non sub cruribus!", followed again by "Ubi sunt telephona?!" "Telephona sunt in sacculis!"

I have also implemented Calendar Talk more consistently this year, inspired by CI Liftoff (Ben Slavic and Tina Hargaden). The students and I write and say the date in Latin (day of the week, date, month, and year). Then I ask about the day's weather and we discuss it in Latin. My Latin I students in particular are having fun with this. One class debates almost every day about whether it is humid or not. In another class, a certain student is always cold, so the rest of the class disagrees and tells her to wear layers! To take advantage of this enthusiasm, I lead class polls:

"Quis ex vobis putat hodie umidam esse?"
*Some students raise their hands and I count aloud in Latin*
"Undecim discipuli putant hodie umidam esse!"
"Quis ex vobis putat hodie non esse umidam?"
*Students raise their hands and I count aloud in Latin*
"Duodecim discipuli putant hodie non esse umidam!"

Compared to my own experiences as a Latin student, I love that my students are so comfortable and eager to listen to and interact in Latin. They also understand indirect statements! Yes, they cannot describe what indirect statements are or they function in Latin, but they understand what I am saying and that is all I want at this time for their level of proficiency.

Another change this year is Brain Breaks (more on this in a future post). I used Brain Breaks last year, but I placed them between activities. This year, instead, I set a timer for 15 minutes and we stop class and do them, no matter what. This change has made a HUGE difference! Last year, students felt like Brain Breaks were just another tedious activity to do, but this year, my students look forward to them. I have also noticed two benefits of Brain Breaks. First, my students and I are truly refreshed and ready to do more afterward. Second, and as a result, my students and I work more efficiently for the entire duration of the class period. 


Some aspects of my year have been off to rougher start, but overall I'm very satisfied.

My Teaching and Learning Styles

I just started taking a Gifted certification class and one of our first assignments was to take two quizzes to find out our preferred teaching style and learning style. I love learning more about myself and quizzes/surveys/personality tests (Buzzfeed quizzes are a guilty pleasure), so I did the quizzes this morning.

For better or for worse, both quizzes were based off of two personality type tests. The learning style test was based off of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which I first learned about during my senior year of high school when a friend introduced me to it. In case you do not know about MBTI, it categorizes people into one of 16 personality types. Each personality type consists of four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion (how we derive our energy), Sensing/iNtuition - the N is capitalized (how we take in information), Thinking/Feeling (how we make decisions), and Judging/Perceiving (how we approach the world around us). There are tests online to find out your type, if you are interested.

I am typed as an INFJ. As an introvert, I love my alone time and working independently. This is why I come into work before 6:00 AM; I need that quiet alone time to reflect and plan my day. If I came into work when it is noisy and full of people, I would feel stressed and get scatterbrained (in the case of the latter, even more so than I usually am!). Since teachers are paid to interact with people, it is easy to label us as extroverts, but many teachers are introverts. Does teaching sap me of my social energy? Absolutely! During my planning period, I need some time to recharge: to check my phone, scroll through social media, surf the web, write on this blog. On the other hand, teaching is great for me as an introvert because my classroom is all my own. My team and I all cooperate, plan, and support one another, but my classroom reflects my personality and style. I am grateful to have autonomy in my classroom and simultaneously the support of my team. Indeed it is the best of both worlds.

Although MBTI is not taken seriously in modern psychology, I must admit that my discovery of it at the age of 17 was life-changing. For the first time in my life, I learned what introversion was and that it was totally normal that I was private, did not talk much, and preferred my own company. Before that, I was made to feel like there was something wrong with me. School told me to be more involved in extracurricular activities and participate more in class. Thanks to social media, introversion is finally getting some spotlight (ironic?) and the respect that it deserves, but we still have a long way to go.
Back to teaching and learning styles, of course I got typed as a Self-Expressive Learner, fitting for NF types. This test identifies learners as one of four objects: a paper clip, a Slinky, a teddy bear, or a magnifying glass. Paper clips love organization, structure, and productivity. Slinkies love creativity and autonomy. Teddy bears love community and emotional affirmation. Magnifying glasses love inquiry and analysis. In my special ed class in grad school, we had to self-identify as one of these. I identified firstly as a magnifying glass, with a touch of a Slinky. Today I found out, however, that Self-Expressive Learners are Slinkies. Self-Expressive Learners are described as:

Curious, insightful, and imaginative. Intuitive Feelers are the ones who dare to dream, are committed to their values, are open to alternatives, and are constantly searching for new and unusual ways to express themselves.

I better not hear the "Some people are like Slinkies" joke.

So much in that short statement captures what I love about studying language: seeing the world from another culture's perspective (open to alternatives) and self-expression through the active use of the target language (searching for new and unusual ways to express themselves).

Self-Expressive Learners' approach to learning:

Intuitive-Feeling students approach learning eager to explore ideas, generate new solutions to problems, and discuss moral dilemmas. Their interests are varied and unpredictable, but they prefer activities which allow them to use their imaginations and do things in unique ways. They are turned off by routine or rote assignments and prefer questions which are open ended, such as "What would happen if...?"

Intuitive Feelers are highly motivated by their own interests. Things of interest will be done inventively well. Things which they do not like may be done poorly or forgotten altogether. When engaged in a project which intrigues them, time is meaningless. Intuitive Feelers operate by an "internal clock" and, therefore, often feel constrained or frustrated by external rules or schedules.

Intuitive Feelers are independent and noncomformist. They do not fear being different and are usually aware of their own and others' impulses. They are open to the irrational and not confined by convention. They are sensitive to beauty and symmetry and will comment on the aesthetic characteristics of things.
Intuitive Feelers prefer not to follow step-by-step procedures but rather move where their intuition takes them. They prefer to find their own solutions rather than being told what to do or how to do it. They are able to take intuitive leaps, and they trust their own insights. Intuitive Feelers often take circuitous routes to solving problems and may not be able to explain how they arrived at the answer.

Highly adaptable to new solutions, Intuitive Feelers are flexible in thought and action. They prefer dynamic environments with many resources and materials. Intuitive Feelers, more than any other type, are less likely to be disturbed by changes in routine. They are comfortable working with a minimum of directions. Their work is sometimes scattered and may look chaotic to thinking types. Intuitive Feeling learners are often engaged in a number of activities at the same time and move from one to the other according to where their interests take them. Often, they start more projects than they can finish.

To little surprise, I was also typed as a Self-Expressive Teacher:

Self-Expressive (NF) Teachers are innovation-oriented. The teacher encourages students to explore their creative abilities. Insights and original ideas are highly valued. Discussions revolve around generating possibilities and new relationships. The classroom environment is often full of creative clutter. The teacher encourages students to develop their own unique styles. The curriculum emphasizes creative thinking, moral development, values, and flexible, imaginative approaches to learning. Curiosity, insight, and artistic self-expression are welcomed.

How does this look in my classroom and beyond?

This blog is a great example. The appearance is upbeat, quirky, and colorful like me. The name combines my professional and personal interests for the sake of authenticity. The field of the Classics itself is a personal interest that later became my profession. On this blog, I will write about anything that relates to the teaching of Latin and of ancient and medieval civilization in general. Unlike many professional blogs, I cannot limit myself to one theme or area of expertise. If readers would prefer something more focused, then they should look elsewhere.

Teaching with CI suits my Self-Expressive teaching style well. Traditional Latin teaching often discourages students from taking ownership of the language and using it for self-expression and creative purposes. As a student, I did not really find any creative outlet in my Latin classes until I had prose composition. My students, on the other hand, get creative when they do timed writes, draw, act out our stories, and write their own mini-stories in Latin. I love when my students ask, "How do you say this in Latin?!" CI teaching must have the three Cs: comprehensible (Do my students understand the input in the target language?), compelling (Do the topics that we study and the activities that we do in class matter and interest my students?), and caring (Do my students feel supported and accepted in my class?). My Self-Expressive style truly prioritizes and values the three Cs in my classroom. The purpose of language is self-expression, so I am honored to encourage that in my students every day.

Navigating My Thoughts on Writing a Novella

Novellas have grown in popularity in world language classrooms within the past decade. They provide comprehensible and engaging narratives with lots of repetition of (often) high-frequency vocabulary. I have used one in my Latin I class two years ago (Lance Piantaggini's Piso Ille Poetulus) and have a library of most of the Latin novellas, which I admittedly still need to read. I too would like to jump on the novella hype train, but there are several obstacles that I am facing in the brainstorming stage. The point of this post is to discuss these issues.

First are the challenges that many prospective novella writers face. How do you limit the number of unique words used within one story? Some novellas use under 100 unique words. I'm over here like

On top of that, how do you create a story that students actually want to read and keep reading till the end? I have a quirky sense of humor, which I would like to incorporate in a novella, but that might not necessarily resonate with many younger readers.

Besides these challenges that all novella writers face, I would like to write a novella that would stand out from the crowd and reflect my own interests. One consideration I have is to write a novella in Medieval Latin and/or in a medieval setting. Why? I came to the Classics as a medievalist first and foremost and will always champion the post-classical world among classicists. Sadly, Medieval Latin and Greek are understudied and underappreciated, so I would love to introduce readers to the fascinating stories found in medieval folktales and saint's lives.

One such story is the Navigatio Sancti Brendani (The Voyage of St. Brendan). I first read this text several years ago in a summer online reading group and loved it! It tells the story of St. Brendan and his fellow monks who leave Ireland and sail across the sea in search of the Promised Land. Along the way, they encounter angry blacksmiths, talking birds, a sea monster, even Judas himself. Because of these fun episodes, some Latin teachers teach this text, making it one of the better known texts in Medieval Latin. Most Latinists, however, are not familiar with it, so why not make it accessible to them as well as to my students?

In thinking about adapting the Navigatio for the novella format, two issues come to mind. First, should I try, as best as I can, to preserve medieval vocabulary, grammar, and orthography? Many Latin teachers want texts that include vocabulary that is high-frequency in Classical Latin, so that could be an issue in adapting a medieval text. Some words found in Classical Latin take on different meanings in medieval literature (often with Christian nuances). Medieval Latin grammar and vocabulary, depending upon the text, can vary significantly from Classical Latin, but for the sake of simplicity and for the ease of the reader I would not mind adapting the text with a more classicizing style. In short, I am torn between staying true to the medieval features of the text and making the text appealing to an audience trained in and devoted to Classical Latin authors.

The other issue is related, but pertains to the Navigatio's content rather than its language. The Voyage of St. Brendan was written by a Christian author(s) for a Christian audience to promote Christian morality and inspire its audience to be more pious Christians. My novella would certainly not have the same intent, but I do not wish to separate the narrative from its cultural context. Sure, I could preserve the adventurous episodes and downplay the moralizing, but that seems disingenuous to the original text. How I see it, I can offer a glimpse into the values and customs of early medieval Ireland without endorsing them. For many public school teachers, however, that is too fine a line to walk. The novella would be either too Christian or not Christian enough. Latin teachers usually do not have to deal with the issue of religion because ancient Roman religious practices and myths are regarded as belonging to the past (although it is problematic to ignore the reality that we have pagan students in our classrooms) and are appreciated as a significant part of Western cultural heritage, as found in literature, the visual arts, and music. Christianity, on the other hand, remains potentially too controversial for many teachers to touch, even at the expense of our cultural heritage from medieval Europe.

Teachers of English literature, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and other languages: how do you sensitively expose your students to the role that religion has played in the cultures of the language you teach? 

I should add that I have other texts in mind for a novella, such as ancient texts that avoid the aforementioned issues. Eventually, however, I still would like to write a novella set in Late Antiquity or the Middle Ages. In any case, I plan over the next year to continue work on a novella. As in any voyage, there will be delights and there will be perils, but I am excited for the journey.

Biduum Georgianum

This past April, I attended the first ever Biduum Georgianum, hosted by the Septentrionale Americanum Latinitatis Vivae Institutum (SALVI), an organization that hosts and promotes opportunities for Latinists to speak Latin actively. For most world language teachers, they can seek communities where their language is spoken and/or travel to countries where their language is spoken to get a fully immersive experience. We Latin teachers do not have the same opportunity - so SALVI addresses this need. SALVI is most famous for hosting Rusticatio, a week-long summer program in West Virginia.

I first heard about SALVI's first Biduum (essentially a weekend-long sampler of the week-long Rusticatio experience) in Georgia from my dear friend, pun partner in crime, and fellow Latin teacher, Liz. I jumped on the opportunity to go because 1) it's with her so I was guaranteed at the very least a weekend of mischief and laughter, 2) it was much cheaper than the week-long Rusticatio experience in the summer, and 3) it was within driving distance, unlike Rusticatio. My four Latin teammates at work gave me helpful suggestions, as they have all done immersion programs like Rusticatio before.

For about 36 hours at a campsite in rural Georgia, around 30 participants and I were allowed to speak only in Latin. We did a variety of group activities like games and lessons, read some Latin texts on the bodily humors, shared and prepared meals, played frisbee, went hiking, had a campfire (complete with Latin campfire songs), had conversations, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and especially loved (surprise surprise) being goofy and humorous in Latin (yep, I made at least one yo-mama joke in Latin).

The SALVI dinner chant

I attribute a large part of my enjoyment of the experience to my own self-awareness. I have always considered language a tool or a toy with which to express myself and manipulate for my own amusement, so I have never had the hang-ups experienced by other Latinists who enjoy Latin purely for its literary value and scorn any active use of the language (e.g. prose composition, conversational use, et al.). My previous enjoyment of using Latin actively made me excited to make the most of my 36 hours in this Latin bubble in the middle of nowhere.

Vocabulary from various activities

Body parts

Besides my own comfort with the language, I was aware of my own emotional limits. For example, I am a strong introvert, so for my sake I did not participate in many conversations at breakfast time. I knew that I needed that time in the morning to wake up both physically and mentally. Conversation too soon in the day - before I was mentally ready and had mustered enough social energy - would have exhausted me. I also made sure to be aware of my affective filter (the impact one's mental and emotional state has on their comfort with second language use). Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I withdrew and refocused. I did not strike up conversation for the sake of conversation - that is how I am in English anyway. There were, however, some interesting conversations over dinner, such as my attempt to explain comprehensible input to another teacher.

Adds a whole new spin on "I'm your Venus, I'm your fire" 😂

My conversational Latin is still a work in progress, so I hope to acquire an arsenal of go-to phrases and expressions that could apply to most conversations. Besides immersion programs like Biduum, conversing in Latin with my teammates and reading comedy has helped me work on this. Overall, Biduum was worth it and I definitely would love to do the full Rusticatio program in the future.

Welcome!

Ave, viator!

Welcome to my blog, Spice Up Your Latin! I am a high school Latin teacher and teach in a 100% Comprehensible Input (CI) program. This blog will cover any topic that feels relevant to my work, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The teaching of Latin
• The teaching of languages in general
• Comprehensible Input (CI) teaching strategies
• Teaching materials and activities
• Reflections on my own teaching
• Education in general
• The field of the Classics
• Anything related to the civilizations of pre-modern Europe and the Mediterranean
• Teaching intercultural competence and cross-cultural communication
• Byzantine architecture
• International travel

Some posts may be of interest to you and others may not. I cannot promise that I will post on a regular basis, but my goal is at least one post per month. I look forward to your readership and feedback! 

Vale,

JF