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Anne Ughrin

Context and Curriculum for Latin I and III

Context

On a yearly basis, the expected enrollment for Latin I-IV at Cuyahoga Falls High School will be at or near 145 students. The following information describes the context in which Latin studies take place and defines the curriculum designed for Latin I and III.

The web-like context in which the courses are taught weaves many people together. The foremost stakeholders are the students and the teacher. These mostly middle-class, Caucasian, American children have varied interests for their participating in Latin. The school motivates them via awards. Students may earn an Honor’s diploma with three years of foreign-language study or by taking two years each of two different languages. Some parents selected Latin for their children because they either enjoyed it when they were students, or they have found value from the learned Latin in their current career. They want their children to receive the same value. A few students chose Latin for personal interests or in anticipation of specific careers for which Latin is said to help.

A teacher works with these differing student interests by designing a yearly curriculum that is complete with goals, objectives, and assessments. Keeping a realistic perspective, the success of this curriculum determines the teacher’s employment. Thus, the need for a good enrollment number, positive reputation, and student success motivate the teacher to do well.

The hierarchy of stakeholders following the student and teacher descends from the community to the administrators. Cuyahoga Falls School District is a public school, and local property taxes, whether from parents or childless households, contribute part of its funding. The school’s successes or failures affect the property values and community appeal. Thus, the community invests its money not only for student success but also for real estate value. To ensure the school’s success, the community elects a school board, which consists of five community members, who create and uphold a school policy. The school board’s role includes but is not limited to employee hire/assessment, fee expenditures, and daily operations. The members’ re-election, stipend, and reputation are determined by school success. Administrative principals in each of the district’s buildings carry out the school board’s policy. Just like teachers, their number one stake in student success is their employment with the district. Their employment hinges greatly on the state’s mandated tests.

An important final component to the context in which Latin is taught is its textbooks’ instructional timeline. The aforementioned school board chose the Latin for Americans series by Glencoe publishers. It serves as the overall guide from which the teacher chooses the content and supplements it with instructor-made products and other textbook series’ work. The teacher instructs this content during a 36-week school year, which is divided into nine-week time frames. Students participate five times per week during 50-minute sessions each time. The teacher assesses goals periodically throughout each nine weeks and administers a mid-term and final exam. Each nine weeks’ final grade determines 20% of a student’s grade while the mid-term and final exams are each 10%; altogether, the student’s grade is calculated on a 100% scale. In addition, these assessments determine a student’s honors diploma and graduation.

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Content

The teacher for 2011-12 determined the curriculum content by using the Latin for Americans series as a guide and appropriating content amount to the time frame in which the school operates and for the anticipated ability levels of the students. Therefore, in the following curriculum outlines, Figure 1 defines all the content which a teacher may instruct for Level I Latin. Future teachers are not limited by this outline, but they are advised to use it as a guide. It spans Latin for Americans: Book I from page one to 230. At page 230, the book takes a natural pause between Aeneas’s mythological story and Odysseus’s. It is also an end to the indicative mood’s six tenses. Therefore, page 230 serves as a convenient point to rest between Latin I and II. Figure 1 outlines the goals and content objectives that may be instructed among these pages in the book.

Nota bene: some topics, like Perseus’s myth, are not found in Latin for Americans. For these items, the 2011-12 teacher located supplemental materials in Amsco’s Workbook I, Latin is Fun: Book I, and Latin Made Simple. Future teachers may use these materials, or they may find their own resources. In addition, the teacher supplemented self-made material, which is also expected to be done periodically by future teachers.

Before reading, it is important to note that the teacher chose this content because it aligns with three strongly-held beliefs about Latin: 1) Latin is rule-governed; 2) Latin helps English with grammar, cognates and rhetoric; and 3) Latin can be learned by all internally-motivated learners.

Figure 1: Latin I (The Roman Numerals represent the goals, the letters name the objectives, and the Arabic numbers identify possible ways by which to instruct the objectives.)

I. Communication: Students will be able to utilize objectives A-F interchangeably and progressively in their learning to communicate information effectively in Latin or about the Latin language.

(A) Listening: discern among basic classroom commands and questions

(B) Speaking: phonetically pronounce words; respond to and ask simple questions; and demonstrate inflection when reading aloud or saying words and phrases

1. Activities (A and B): oral/aural exchanges, mimicry practice, performance (verbal or action-oriented), oral/aural assessments

(C) Reading: scan sentence for its parts; discern nouns’ and phrases’ orders by their case endings; and translate Latin into English sentences with subjects, verbs, and predicates

(D) Writing: conjugate six indicative tenses in their active and passive voices; decline 1st and 2nd declension nouns and modify with adjectives according to case, number, and gender; and compose Latin sentences as responses to Latin questions

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1. Activities (C and D): individual, small-group, and class translations with comprehension questions; use color-coding devices (verb block and Velcro board manipulatives); apply mnemonic phrases and songs, adapt FOIL (distributive method) as a sentence formula, topic projects, written tests and/or quizzes

(E) Vocabulary: know vocabulary’s definitions and infer the meanings’ change when adding prefixes and suffixes; identify nouns’ declensions or verbs’ conjugations based on spelling; label words’ part of speeches by their presentation

(F) Grammar: know parts of speech; parts of a simple sentence; tenses

1. Activities (E and F): vocabulary quizzes, apply mnemonic phrases and songs, dictionary-oriented projects, oral and written responses to pre-determined questions

II: Culture: Students will be able to identify and discuss a range of topics concerning ancient Roman culture.

(A) Culture: label and discuss Roman and Latin numbers; roads; slavery; mythology (creation, Pandora, Hymn to Demeter, Perseus, Golden Apple); history (from Trojan War to Aeneas’s landing in Latium, Romulus and Remus); parts of houses; parts of body; and Roman schools

1. Activities: lectures; reading packets accompanied by responses with recall, judgment, and inference; videos, mnemonic phrases and songs, projects

III. Pragmatics: Students will be able to appreciate the cross-cultural influences from the Latin language and Roman culture to those of their own

(A) Pramatics: recognize the cognates between Latin and English; pharmaceutical abbreviations; identify modern products and their Latin names’ significances; identify, apply, and translate directly borrowed Latin abbreviations; and apply Latin prepositions as prefixes to English words

1. Activities: informational packets, lectures, performance-oriented

Figure 2 outlines the determined content for Latin III. The teacher will use Latin for Americans: Book II for this course. Book II in the series does not require a sequential order in its instruction. Having progressed into authentic ancient Latin literature, the instructor may choose units according to students’ abilities, timeframe, and personal interest. Thus, the 2011-12 school year’s teacher determined this curriculum around the subjunctive mood and the historical timeline of Julius Caesar’s life and its aftermath.

Latin for Americans: Book II lacks significant grammar drills, cultural, and historical explanations. Therefore, teachers are to use the authentic literature as a guide around which to build their units. Supplementation materials are the teachers’ personal choices, but they must sufficiently exercise the students’ abilities before their being formally assessed.

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Figure 2: Latin III

I. Communication: Students will be able to utilize objectives A-F interchangeably and progressively in their learning to communicate information effectively in Latin or about the Latin language.

(A) Listening: discern between the subjunctive and indicative classroom commands; read along with tape-recorded stories

(B) Speaking: demonstrate inflection in simple and complex sentences; respond to questions in Latin; ask questions in Latin with correct inflection and subjunctive/indicative use

1. Activities (A and B): oral/aural exchanges, mimicry practice, performance (verbal or action-oriented), oral/aural assessments

(C) Reading: scan sentences for their parts; identify and read modifiers in their correct proximity to the noun; follow the sequence of tenses in complex sentences; spot simple poetic devices

(D) Writing: apply the sequence of tenses to sentences; conjugate the indicative’s six and the subjunctive’s four tenses in their active and passive voices; decline all five noun declensions, decline participles

1. Activities (C and D): individual, small-group, and class translations with comprehension questions; use color-coding devices (verb block and Velcro board manipulatives); apply mnemonic phrases and songs, adapt FOIL (distributive method) as a simple sentence formula, apply ACCUSATIVE plus INFINITIVE structure as well as gerundives’ and subjunctive formulas; topic projects, written tests and/or quizzes

(E) Vocabulary: increase root word list, know the five most highly irregular verbs, “possum, sum, ire, volo, and nolo;” identify and translate idiomatic phrases relevant to major authors being discussed

(F) Grammar: discern sequence of tenses, recognize dependent and independent phrase structures with the subjunctive; label simple poetic/rhetorical devices

1. Activity (E and F): vocabulary quizzes, apply mnemonic phrases and songs, dictionary, poetry and/or rhetorically-oriented projects, oral and written responses to pre-determined questions; self-generated compositions

II. Culture: Students will be able to identify and discuss a range of topics concerning ancient Roman and Greek culture.

(A) Culture: identify and discuss: ancient Greece, Delphi; architectural terms, parts of mosaics and murals; Dionysis and the theater; Greek and Roman food; history (Julius

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Caesar and the army’s being in Gaul, 2nd triumvirate, Julio-Claudian emperors); Mt. Vesuvius; mythology (Jason and the Argonauts)

1. Activities: lectures; reading packets accompanied by responses with recall, judgment, and inference; videos, mnemonic phrases and songs, projects

III. Pragmatics: Students will be able to appreciate the cross-cultural influences from the Latin/Greek languages and Roman/Greek cultures to those of their own

(A) Pragmatics: recognize the cognates between Latin/Greek and English; find relationship between modern legal terminology and its Latin roots; appreciate the art and architectural influences on the modern homes and buildings

1. Activities: informational packets, lectures, performance-oriented

Needs Assessment

The content outlines serve as guidelines but do not limit the teacher because the learners’ needs may require change or a slower pace. Therefore, to help pre-determine the pace and needs of learners, a brief diagnostic test will be administered within the first two weeks of the school year. The teacher will provide a cover letter and course syllabus to inform and guide student progress. The mid-term and final exams will suffice as progress indicators for the district. As for an exit survey, they will only be administered at the end of Level III or Level IV. Latin III and IV, unlike its Levels I and II, is an optional elective. Students have an internal motivation and maturity towards the language; thus, they are conscientious and insightful in construction criticism.

Syllabus

In addition to a cover letter, the teacher will design a course syllabus to establish the expectations and pace of the curriculum. The following syllabi and pages are designed for Latin I and III for the 2011-12 school year. They may serve as a model for colleagues and are subject to change with either a new teacher or textbook change.

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Latin I

Magistra (Ms.) Ughrin

Cuyahoga Falls High School; Room 101

e-mail: cf_ughrin@cfalls.org

Phone: (330) 926.3808 ext. 502177

Salvete! Latin I is a course which introduces you to the ancient Romans’ language; culture; history; and their influences upon our Modern English language and culture. In order to accomplish these goals, we will progress through Latin for Americans: Book I; pp. 1-230. We will supplement this material with some from Latin Made Simple, Latin is Fun: Book I, and instructor-made materials. By the end of this course, you will have had the opportunity to learn the following:

1) spellings, meanings, and English derivatives for the basic Latin root words;

2) the Latin parts of speech, the parts of a simple sentence, and their translating;

3) Roman history (spanning from the Trojan War to Rome’s founding by Romulus and Remus);

4) Mythology’s 10 major gods/titans featured in the Creation, Perseus, Pandora, Hymn to Demeter, Trojan War; and

5) Latin and the Romans’ influence upon our culture.

You will need: 1) textbook – Latin for Americans: Book I (issued within the first two weeks);2) loose-leaf notebook paper;3) a 1-inch, three-ring binder;4) a positive attitude; and5) good attendance.

Grading Scale: 100-90% = A 89-80% = B 79-70% = C 69-60% = D 59- 0 %= F

Methods of Grading: The ways by which you will be graded are: written and oral tests, quizzes, class participation (oral/written/activity-based), and homework. It is not exact, but the grades are usually distributed as: 50% tests and projects, 25% quizzes, 25% class participation and homework.

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Classroom and School Policies:Absences: 1) Having more than 20 unexcused absences will result in dismissal from class.

a. The school defines excused absences as the following:1. doctor’s appointments/illnesses proceeded by

doctor’s visit (must have a signed doctor’s note);2. funerals;3. mandatory building activities for which you cannot

attend class (e.g. taking OGT tests, attending Akron Round Table, pictures’ day, etc.);

Make-up assignments: If you have an excused absence, then you have three days per every day absent to make-up any and all work assigned while you were gone.

It is your responsibility to obtain missed work from the teacher. If work is not completed within this timeframe, the teacher has the option to fail

the assignment.

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Latin IIIMagistra (Ms.) Ughrin

Cuyahoga Falls High School; Room 101

e-mail: cf_ughrin@cfalls.org

Phone: (330) 926.3808. ext. 502177Avete! Welcome back to a third year of Latin. You are sitting in this class not only because you scheduled it but because you have earned a seat in here via hard work and strong efforts. Let’s have another great year! Below, you will find a generalized list of some things we will cover this year. We will use the Latin for Americans: Book II as our guide. You will notice that this book does not have a sequential order; therefore, we will skip around in the book. Some goals to accomplish are:

1) increase Latin vocabulary list with accompanying English derivatives;2) review relative clauses and indirect speech while adding complex sentences

involving the subjunctive mood;3) Roman history from Julius Caesar’s death to the Julio-Claudian emperors, the

history of Gaul; Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 A.D., ancient Greece and its art and food; and

4) conjugating the subjunctive mood in its active and passive voices, declining gerunds, and constructing gerundives.

You will need: 1) textbooks – Latin for Americans: Book II (issued within the first two weeks),

Amsco’s Workbook III and IV, and a Latin/English dictionary (you must purchase);2) loose-leaf notebook paper;3) a 1-inch, three-ring binder;4) a positive attitude,5) good attendance.

Grading Scale: 100-90% = A 89-80% = B 79-70% = C 69-60% = D 59- 0 %= F

Methods of Grading: The ways by which you will be graded are: written and oral tests, quizzes, class participation (oral/written/activity-based), and homework. It is not exact, but the

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grades are usually distributed as: 50% tests and projects, 25% quizzes, 25% class participation and homework.

Classroom and School Policies:Absences: 1) Having more than 20 unexcused absences will result in dismissal from class.

b. The school defines excused absences as the following:1. doctor’s appointments/illnesses proceeded by

doctor’s visit (must have a signed doctor’s note);2. funerals;3. mandatory building activities for which you cannot

attend class (e.g. taking OGT tests, attending Akron Round Table, pictures’ day, etc.);

Make-up assignments: If you have an excused absence, then you have three days per every day absent to make-up any and all work assigned while you were gone.

It is your responsibility to obtain missed work from the teacher. If work is not completed within this timeframe, the teacher has the option to fail

the assignment.

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Lesson PlansLesson plans act as a guide for a teachers’ keeping the activities and assessments related

to the curriculum goals and objectives. The Cuyahoga Falls School District only requires that each teacher maintain lesson plans. These lesson plans must identify a daily goal for each class session. In addition, it is recommended in this curriculum context that, within three years of a teacher’s consistently instructing a course, he/she creates a portfolio comprised of detailed lesson plans for which the required and stated goal is accompanied by identified resources, planned activities, and the assessment that relate back to the original goal. In this manner, the teacher and school district have ample proof that teachers abide by the curriculum. They also serve as an instructional tool for substitutes when the teacher is unavailable. The portfolio may always be updated or changed as the teacher matures through educational development, but the portfolio acts as the teacher’s “original” textbook.

Teachers will keep the portfolio on their desks in the event of their absences. In addition, within the first month of every school year, each teacher will create a file in which a substitute can find the teacher’s daily schedule, class rosters/seating charts, classroom discipline rules, and important phone numbers for emergencies.

The following figures three and four exemplify detailed lesson plans for Latin I and III. Teachers may form their own templates; however, lessons should include: a stated goal, resources to be used, students’ background knowledge, activities, and assessment.

Figure 3; Latin I Lesson Plan Sample

Lesson Plan Title: Future Tense; a supplement for Latin for Americans: Book I; pp. 52-57 “Europa”

Date/Time: Instructed early October; 50-minute session

Level: Latin I

Goal Objective: The students will be able to (SWBAT) identify, conjugate, and translate the future tense in its indicative mood, active voice

Resources needed: o classroom set of Tres Porcelli;o conjugation notes;o practice exercises;o assessment activity;o prepped chalkboard on which it says:

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huffo, huffare, huffavi, huffatus = to huff

Singular Plural1st huffo I huff huffamus we huff2nd huffas you huff huffatis you all huff3rd huffat s/he, it huffs huffant they huff

Discipuli: “Non per comam men-men-menti!”

Magistra et Lupus: “Ergo huffabo et puffabo et tuam domum inflabo!”

huffo, huffare, huffavi, huffatus = to huff

Singular Plural1st huffabo I will/shall huff huff________ we will/shall huff2nd huff______ you will huff huff________ you all will huff3rd huff______ s/he, it will huff huff________ they will huff

Background: The students know 1) supporting vocabulary (magnus, malus, [ordinal numbers], etc.; 2) the skill of conjugating in the present tense.

Activities:1) Review the present tense conjugation with its mnemonic song;2) read Tres Porcelli to students; they perform the three little pigs’ line “Not

by the hair of my chin, chin, chin;”3) students infer the conjugating of the future tense via “huffabo” and

“puffabo”; complete explanation and fill in future tense notes;4) complete practice exercises; and5) students complete assessment.

Assessment: Today: Five question assessment at end of class;Later: Formal Chapter Assessment

Figure 4; Latin III Sample Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan Title: Geography of Gaul; Latin for Americans: Book II; pp. 239-241

Date/Time: Early December; 50-minute session

Level: Latin III

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Goal Objective: SWBAT define and label the three major parts of ancient Gaul, name the three major tribes of ancient Gaul, and identify the geographical features (in and around Gaul) that determine its tribes’ boundaries.

Resources needed:o classroom set of Julius Caesar’s Conquest of Gaul: Book

I; Chapter I (translation is double-spaced);o Classroom set of maps with ancient Gaul, parts of

Britannia, and Germania; ando Classroom set of crayons or colored pencils.

Background: Students know 1) history of the 1st Triumvirate and Caesar’s being consul from 58-50 BC; 2) grammar necessary to translate chapter 1.

Activities:1) Translate the first sentence of chapter one “All Gaul is divided into three

parts….;2) Locate and color these divisions on the map (colors were pre-determined

and written in the directions);3) Label the Rhine, Rhone, Pyrenees, Alps, Britannia, Germania,

Transalpine/Cisalpine Gaul;4) Continue to translate the rest of chapter I5) Label the Jura Mountains and Lake Lemanno.

Assessment:Today (Formative): Students have colored and labeled map. (If corrections are needed, they are noted.)

Later (Summative): On Chapters 1 and 2’s test, students will have to label or define the geographical items in order to explain the reason for which the Helvetians are migrating.

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Assessment Guide

To ensure curriculum progress, teachers and students will be assessed in their development - the teacher in his/her professional development, and the students in their content development.

The school assesses teachers’ development in three ways: a professional development plan, classroom observations, and student performance.

At every license/certificate attainment or renewal, teachers will submit for approval an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP). In this IPDP, the teacher will identify three goals towards which s/he will work until the next licensure/certificate renewal. The teacher must then address how these goals will be beneficial to their personal development, the students’, and the district’s achievement plans. They must also suggest ways by which these goals can be measured within the timeframe of the IPDP. Some means by which to measure development are college transcripts, certificates of participation at educational seminars, and journals or logs. The amount of continuing education is determined by the state’s educational board. A Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC), which consists of five members from within the district, will either approve or disapprove of the goals. If disapproved, the LPDC will provide comments for revisions after which the teacher may submit a revised IPDP for approval.

A second way by which to assess teachers are classroom observations. Observations take place four times per school year and are completed by administrators, who rotate two observations each. In addition, observations occur for three years in each subject area that is taught by the teacher. After this time span, satisfactory approval among all 12 observations will stop observations. It is assumed after three years that the teacher shows proficiency in instruction. However, unsatisfactory reports must be accompanied either by a plan for remediation and continued observations until the teacher is found proficient or they are accompanied by a sound reason for dismissal. If the teacher switches to another subject, like English or Social Studies, s/he begins the process again for these subjects.

The teacher receives an observation notice date at least one week prior to the actual date. Upon the observation date, the teacher supplies the observer with a lesson plan, seating chart, and copies of necessary activities that accompany the lesson. The observation lasts for 30 minutes after which the observer prepares a report. Within one week’s time after the observation, the teacher and observer will meet to discuss the observation.

The third way by which teachers will be assessed is student performance. Student performance is also the way by which students are assessed in their content development. Through various formative and summative assessments, the teacher will demonstrate their progressing a student from a point A (diagnostic test) to a point B (final exam), which total a yearly grade of 60% or higher. Per school and class grading policy, students pass the course with an accumulated 60% grade. The yearly grade is determined by each nine-week’s grading

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period being 20% and the mid-term and final exam’s being 10% each for a total of 100% possible. A passing grade may be dismissed if a student has 20 or more unexcused absences.

All assessments are the teacher’s responsibility. As noted in Figures 1 and 2, which describe the content of Latin I and III, assessments may be done in various combinations of formative and summative evaluations. The following activities exemplify ways by which students can be assessed.

Figure 5: (Formative Assessment Example for teaching Latin Numbers 1-10)

Piscari (Go Fish) is an excellent way to assess the listening and speaking skills via an interactive game. The setup is minimal. Through various written and oral activities, the teacher has familiarized the students with the numbers one through ten. Piscari demonstrates the reliability that speaking and listening skills have between each other. The game includes some repetition but also some extensive listening.

The ace serves as the number one. The teacher demonstrates to the students how to ask each other for a specific card. For example, “Habesne octo?” asks, “Do you have an eight?” The “Habesne” offers repetition, yet the supplied number and listener’s responses, either “Sic” (yes) or “Minime” (no) elicit discrimination and responsive speaking. The students will also need to know the following.

1) Habesne regem? = Do you have a king?

2) Habesne reginam? = Do you have a queen?

3) Habesne ducem? = Do you have a jack?

The game Piscari is a formative assessment because the students can practice: the inflection of basic questions, an interactive conversation, and their numbers. The motivation to win the game encourages the students to phrase their questions and responses correctly. At first, some students need to ask others for help in pronouncing the words or phrasing the questions, but as the game proceeds, this becomes minimal.

The teacher’s assessment is through observation. Numerical credit for participation is at the teacher’s discretion.

Figure 6: (Summative Assessment Example for teaching Numbers 1-20)

A summative assessment for the numbers 1-20 could definitely test the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In this situation, the teacher circulates the classroom in order to complete the speaking and listening segment while the students complete the reading and writing portion.

In a similar fashion to the aforementioned game Piscari, the teacher will circulate during the testing and individually ask students, “Habesne numerum libri?” which means, “Do you have the number of your textbook?” They teacher may choose any number that s/he wants the student to produce; however, it should be in the form of the question, “Habesne ______?” This summative test allows the student to demonstrate his/her discriminating the question being asked and his/her

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ability to pronounce, inflect, and name the Latin numbers. For this portion, the teacher would consider each number worth one point and assess them as either right or wrong towards the final grade.

The written portion of the exam would continue to assess the student’s ability to answer questions, but in this manner, it is the ability to read and write a response to those questions. This is Level I, so the emphasis of this introductory unit is on structure and not spontaneity.

In previous exercises, students practiced mathematical word problems, which were written in Latin. The students must read the problem in Latin and respond in complete Latin sentences. The following example is a word problem seen on the test.

Ex. Agricola multos animalia in fundo habet. Agricola tres vaccas, quattuor porcos, et unum equum habet. Quot animalia agricola in fundo habet?

(The farmer has many animals on the farm. The farmer has three cows, four pigs, and one horse. How many animals does the farmer have on his farm?)

Answer: Agricola octo animalia in fundo habet.

(The farmer has eight animals on the farm.)

The assessment is form-focused reading and extensive writing. The student’s response demonstrates his/her ability to identify the parts of a sentence including the numbers, but the student must also grammatically transform the question into a statement.

The numerical assessment applied to these responses may vary from teacher to teacher. It is suggested that they be worth three points per answer: one for the correct sum or difference, one for structuring the statement with the subject first and the verb at the end, and one for discerning and omitting the interrogative word in the final answer.

Figure 7 (Summative Assessment for teaching Greek and Roman Food)

A great alternative to written tests are projects. Since there are no means with which to cook or bake food in most classrooms, a wonderful alternative project is to assign groups of students to create a cooking show in which they demonstrate how to make one recipe.

The teacher provides the various recipes and miniature dictionaries for the vocabulary they will use. In this manner, every group will be using the same words for sugar, milk, ¼ cup, etc. because some English words are represented by several different Latin words.

The process to creating the show is formative. The students must write a Latin script in which they tell a little history about the recipe, then explain the recipe’s sequential cooking order, and produce at least two spontaneous commercials within the program. They must also perform the script within an allotted timeframe. The process of editing and rehearsing all this information is formative.

The summative assessment analyses the final video and is done via a rubric. The teacher may split the project into various components; for example, written work, performance work, and group dynamics. Each category then has a sub list of items to be assessed on a graded scale.

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The following example shows how written content may be graded. The number accompanying the title would be the applied numerical score for the group in that category.

Complete 4 Generally complete 3 Somewhat complete 2

Incomplete 1

Written Content Writing uses the appropriate functions and vocabulary for the topic.

Writing usually uses the appropriate functions and vocabulary for the topic.

Writing uses few of the appropriate functions and vocabulary for the topic.

Writing uses none of the appropriate functions and vocabulary for the topic.

The teacher may have several categories to score, for this assignment assesses students’ writing skills, oral production (pronunciation, intonation, etc.), cultural knowledge, and small group interaction.

Conclusion

The purpose of this material was to highlight the context and describe the Latin curriculum that is taught at Cuyahoga Falls High School for Latin I and III. Although its curriculum goals and objectives differ from those of other foreign languages and subjects, its structure is universal to all teachers’ efficiency. The strength of the educational system depends upon the strength of each course’s curriculum guide, the organization of a syllabus, and the instruction and assessment of the objectives. That belief is strongly upheld in the Cuyahoga Falls School District. It was the hope that this context and curriculum serves as a guide that other Latin colleagues may adopt or adapt to their curriculum; and so, it will be used in that manner for the 2011-12 school year.

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