Sudoku Romanus

Sudoku with Roman Numerals!

I just can't keep this link to myself any longer. I never dreamed that Sudoku and Latin could be brought together in one enjoyable activity. And yet, I've always suspected that decoding a tricky bit of Latin and solving a Sudoku puzzle uses the same section of the brain.

This is definitely getting used in the classroom. People who already enjoy it are going to get excited at the prospect of getting to play in school. If you don't know how to play Sudoku, you've probably heard of it, and I think it's worth knowing. It's one of those really good brain exercises that keeps you sharp.

As a way to practice Roman numerals, it may only be useful as a basic introduction. However, even if it's just I-IX, you're still practicing the "rules" of Roman numerals. Putting a numeral before another means subtraction whether it's IV, IX or MCMXCIX.
And I think a basic introduction is very necessary. A friend of mine told me recently that middle school students in his class were unable to read an analog clock. We shouldn't assume we all are coming from the same "common knowledge." I think this Sudoku may be particularly helpful keeping both those learning the numerals for the first time and those already familiar with them simultaneously engaged with the lesson.

Ars gratia artis

Search Works of Art at the Met

These links come from one of my favorite places in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY (the Met). The works of art search function seems very effective. To start, under "Thematic Category" you'll find "Greek and Roman Art in the Ancient World" which is a large and fascinating collection.

If you want to find later works inspired by Classical themes, I suggest going to "Title of Work of Art" and begin typing in a name. For example if you begin to type "Socrates" the site will guess that you're looking for Jacques-Louis David's "Death of Socrates" and you'll be taken to that painting's site.

N.B. Make sure when you are trying to find something by title that you don't have anything selected in the "By Time Period" or "By Region" searches unless you're absolutely sure. Otherwise it may not find what you're looking for.

A few of the pictures of the paintings seem a little dark compared to the real thing, but the images are sufficient, and they're accompanied by useful artistic and historical information.



The Met's essays on related topics

Many of these essays aren't even about the art directly, but rather let you fully explore all the different social, religious and political movements that reflect in the art. Economics, architecture, fashion, music, it's all here. Some of it's really broad, for example giving you an overview of a whole dynasty of Roman emperors. And some of it is very specific, such as Roman silverware.
A good friend of mine worked as an intern for the Met and I know from her that this site is constantly being updated and revised. They make sure all the links keep working and keep thinking of new related links to list on the left side. You can count on this site.

The two works of art I've posted are David's "Death of Socrates" and August Rodin's "Orpheus and Eurydice."

Melior quam Perseus est?

No Dictionaries

This site is comparable to Perseus as an online source for Latin texts with help. No Dictionaries's list of texts is not as extensive as Perseus', but it covers many of the essentials. And it is definitely faster.
As with Perseus, you can click on individual words for definitions still and you get the dictionary entry immediately under the word.
There's another option as well. While you're reading the text, there's a bar on the right hand side of the page that you can slide. Depending where you slide the bar, it will show more or fewer words' dictionary entries.
Unlike Perseus, you don't have a grammatical breakdown of a word: tense and mood for verbs, case and number for nouns. But if you already know you're the kind of person with a fairly solid grammar but needs quick help with vocabulary, this may be the superior site.

A caveat of course. I was trained to have as little English on the Latin text itself as possible. No writing your translation in the spaces between the lines. I was told that keeps you in decoding mode and that you'll move more slowly toward real reading skills. At least with Perseus definitions come up in another window and the Latin text remains intact. But this may have been a personal preference of my professor, and you are free to disagree with this philosophy, in which case you may prefer No Dictionaries.

Proferre et Memorare

If you look under "vincula scholae" you'll see I've added the Owl at Purdue website about MLA and APA citation. I couldn't have gotten through university without it. Either go to the bottom of the page or click on "Research and Citation" under Navigation. Pretty much everything you need to know about making citations and a works cited page is here.

As Latinists we can consider how the Romans didn't really cite their sources the way we do. In fact, scholars spend a lot of time trying to figure out exactly who the Romans were reading and quoting. It's a lot of detective work we wouldn't be doing if the Romans had used citations. They didn't share our beliefs about "intellectual property". It wasn't that they were trying to unlawfully steal others' ideas. They just thought about scholarship and writing differently than we do today. It's something to think about.

I've also added some fun widgets on the side. Enjoy!

Word Nerd

My post title isn't in Latin today because my topic is a bit tangential to Latin class... and rhyming is cool.

NY State Education Standards state that "students will demonstrate an increased English vocabulary based on Latin." Clearly there's the belief that knowing where English comes from matters.

But I also think that knowing where Latin comes from matters. I believe those of us who have ancient Greek in particular will be able to lead the discussion in how Romans were bilingual and what that means for the Latin language. The Greek language really enriched Latin, in the same way that so many languages have cultivated English into the supple tongue it is today.

To learn more about the history of the English language I highly recommend
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue

It reaches far beyond mere word origins in it's expose of how languages influence and enrich each other. If you have any interest in language whatsoever, you'll find it to be a real page turner.

I wish I knew more about other languages from which Latin has borrowed. I learned recently that Punic words found their way into the Roman language, "ave" being one example. I know much more about borrowed words in our own native English. One of my partners in my group for a co-teaching assignment assembled many English words that come from non-European sources. I hope that you enjoy them and begin to consider imaginative ways to discuss borrowed words in the Latin classroom.

Food
Barbeque: Haiti, Arawakan, barbakoa "framework of sticks"
Maiz: Taino, mahis
Cashew: Tupi, acaîu
Cayenne: Tupi, kyinha
Potato: Taino, batata, "sweet potato"
Chili: Nahuatl, chilli
Chocolate: Nahuatl, xocolatl, "bitter water"
Guacamole: Nahuatl ahuacamolli, "avacado sauce"
Tomato: Nahuatl tomatl
Pecan: Illinois, pakani, "nut"
Squash: Naragansett, askutasquash
Candy: Arabic, qand
Lime: Arabic, liimah

Animals
Jaguar: Tupinamba, jawar
Iguana: Arakan, iwana
Puma: Quecha
Caribou: Mikmaq, kalipu, "snow shoveler"
Chipmunk: Odawa, jidmoonh, "red squirrel"
Muskrat: Massachusett, musquash
Racoon: Powhatan, ahrakun

Tools and Clothes
Canoe: Taino, canoa
Kayak: Inuktitut, qajaq
Shack: Nahuatl, xacalli, "grass hut"
Poncho: Mapudungun, pontho, "woolen fabric"
Jar: Arabic, jarrah
Racket: Arabic, rah'et, "palm of the hand"

Other
algebra: Arabic, al-jebr, "reintergration"
hazard: Arabic, yasara, "play at dice"
checkmate: Arabic, shaah ma't, "the king is dead"

Lexicon

Online Latin Dictionary

Here's an online dictionary I discovered through Xavier High School's website. Unlike other Latin dictionaries I've tried before, this one seems to recognize the many permutations Latin words can make. A useful tool to be sure, but I would still try to limit use. All of us need to keep our own vocabularies strong through regular stretching and strength training. Be patient when you think you recognize that word. Give your brain the time to find the word on its own. Like exercise we may sometimes avoid it, but we're better off when we do it regularly. Then it can even be fun.

iPodi Lateiactum

The History of Rome Podcast

I am very much an aural learner. It's made my life as a student easy while lecture or dialogue comprise a substantial part of the classroom experience. However, I fear it may hinder me as a teacher. Most people aren't aural learners. My varied and creative spoken explanations of the material may be meaningless to those who construct knowledge in other ways.

But if the little white growths in people's ears these days are any indication, people of all ages enjoy aural stimulation. I should admit at this point that I just got my first iPod today, an old second hand job from a friend, and am thus possibly the least qualified person to discuss how we can use this technology in the classroom. But despite my tendency to be a hopeless troglodyte, I've successfully found an appropriate podcast to use in class.

Here's how to work the link above. If you click on the link it will take you to the website with all podcasts past. If you click on the main title of the lecture you will get to the page with the short description and posted comments. If you click on the title in smaller font the audio file will begin playing. Oh by the way, I'm a Mac user. That's what happens when I click the link. I have yet to try this on a PC.
If you want to download episodes to play on your iPod open iTunes and go to the iTunes store. Search "The History of Rome." The first item that comes up should be Mike Duncan's free podcast (the icon is a kind of off white faded map motif). Click on that. Now you should see a full list of past episodes and you can download as many as you like.
I would say click "subscribe" but it's most unfortunate that I've discovered this podcast at a time when the podcaster has decided to take a 5 month break. However, there's plenty of past episodes to choose from that should keep you entertained for a long while.

The podcaster Mike Duncan identifies himself as a political junkie with a love of Roman history. So far I sampled his most recent podcast "Take My Wife... Please" about the reign of Claudius, and also "I am Spartacus!" about... Spartacus. The episodes were about 25 minutes each. He's a very amusing narrator. I chuckled to myself quite often (but don't we all whenever we hear about the Romans?) and certainly learned a thing or too.

See I didn't come to Latin by means of or for the sake of the history. The language itself intrigued me, and it's prose and poetry captivate me still. But I know many people for whom the Latin is their way to access the history of the Romans or people of Medieval Europe. So here is my first caveat. I am not any kind of authority when it comes to the accuracy of the history. I do notice that Duncan's degree was not in history or the Classics per se. That doesn't necessarily mean anything he says is incorrect by any means. However, I would not use this as a sole source for information, and I also hope to communicate with the history buffs out there to verify the accuracy of Duncan's podcasts.

The other caveat I would have is that the struggling learner could be confused. We've all experienced a situation in which we're the odd man out in terms of knowledge. Everyone seemed to be an expert on a topic that's Greek to us (well, not Greek to us, many of us Classicists know Greek actually, you know what I mean though) and everybody could laugh and make jokes about the subject and while we became even more lost. For the student who has a lot of trouble with history, who hasn't had access to what some would consider "common knowledge," and who's nervous about the whole situation, the sarcasm of the podcaster may be confusing. We should be aware of this possibility.
However, I don't think this is a likely scenario. Humor may in fact be a great way to make a student feel more at ease about the material. These podcasts may transform dry lists of foreign names and dates and turn them into that story that makes history so meaningful to so many.

The other minor thing I might worry about with recommending this podcast is that some people aren't going to listen to it. People often leave their iPod on all the time merely for background noise. If they're not accustomed to actively listening to what's on their iPod, they may find themselves in trouble if they decide that leaving the podcasts on while multitasking will unconsciously teach them everything they need to know about Roman history. Those who treat their ear buds as a kind of semi-permeable membrane will have to retrain themselves to listen in a new more engaged manner.

Post Scriptum: I will continue to attempt Latin titles for my posts. If they are totally unintelligible, or if you get the gist of them and have a better suggestion, please leave constructive criticism under comments.

Alia Scaena Montii Pythonis

Another Life of Brian Clip

It appears I desperately need to watch The Life of Brian again. Not only because I'm an older, wiser, sillier Python fan than I was in my youth when I first saw the film, but because there may be more sketches that I can use in my Latin classroom.
This one is perhaps not as laugh out loud funny as the first clip I've posted, but it might be more useful. This clip could be used as an opening to a discussion of the expansion of the Roman empire in terms of cultural history. In the clip the would be rebels cite all the improvements brought by Roman rule. Thus we can discuss how much the Romans changed every day life for people in the colonies and provinces.
We also have start thinking about how we know what we know. Is it all from the Roman perspective? Do we have to throw away all Roman sources because of the bias? How do we read the Latin critically so that we can get all we can from the text without forgetting the agenda of the author? We as teachers should also do our best to point the way to other sources, archaeological studies for example, and let the artifacts be the voice for people when we can no longer read their texts.
The next step of course, that is if we've all mastered our gerundives and ablative absolutes and have the time I guess, is to think how to compare it with colonialism as it's covered in a European history class or even colonialism today. I know it's off track for a Latin class, but people learn best when they anchor new material to information they already know or are currently learning.

Primum Nomen in Novum Blogem

How shall I begin? Arma virumque cano...? Or perhaps, Sing to me Oh Muse of the teacher of many clicks and links...?

Links are where I would like to begin. However, it's a strange place to begin as a Latin teacher. I believe that one of the fundamental lessons of a classical education is that we can appreciate the vast world of texts that existed B.G. (before Google). It's a world that is so alien to our digital age, and yet despite that it is also so similar, and so relevant. I could continue on this train of pedagogical philosophy, but I don't think now is yet the time. I am of course open to your opinions on the matter so feel free to leave your comments.

So let us move on to those crossroads of the world of classical scholarship and the internet and pop culture. It is a world I have only begun to explore. Let us ask,

What resources does the internet yield for the Latinist?

The Perseus Project

While I have not fully explored everything one can do with this site, I know it is an excellent resource to use when reading Latin and Greek texts. Their list of Latin, Greek and English texts is extensive.
As you read a text, you can click on any word. This pulls up a window with the word's definition (and a link to the word's lexicon entry in Lewis and Short), part of speech, and different possibilities for the word's gender, number and case.
I've found Perseus to be very helpful. However, there are some potential problems. It has been a very slow website in the past, although I believe this has improved. I also worry that students could come to depend on it in a way that hinders their developing independent reading skills. When it's so easy to click on a word they don't know (as opposed to how long it would take to find the word in the dictionary), they may not give themselves time to retrieve the information from their own minds.

The Latin Library

It's a full collection of Latin texts for free. However, I would consider this website as merely a fall-back when other better texts are not available; you get what you pay for. For the primary text for a Latin reading course, it is so much better to have a good student edition complete with glossary and grammatical references as well insightful introductory notes filling the reader in on important biographical and historical information. However, it is a comfort to know that for those instances where a more thorough text is not available or is perhaps unnecessary for onesneeds, there is always this site to refer to.

Carmina Burana

I find You Tube particularly useful in it's capacity as a source for music, and I believe whole-heartedly in incorporating music in the Latin classroom. For the first in what I hope are many posts concerning music, I have chosen a link to a performance of Carmina Burana for several reasons.
First, students have heard it before. Yes, they really have heard some classical music. The first movement of this piece has been featured in many films and commercials. I bet their are some students who may have even used this song themselves in an attempt to make their own video creations feel more epic.
Second, it's classical music, which I think is a cultural discourse one ought to make available. Even if they've heard the first movement of Carmina Burana before in various contexts, they probably are unfamiliar with the rest of the piece and probably have limited experience listening to classical music for it's own sake. The music is bold and exciting and I think makes a great introduction to classical music.
Third, it's all in Latin. What makes the Latin interesting is that it's written by medieval German poets, a bunch of wild, drunken scholars actually. But they didn't write this music. That was left to a twentieth century German composer, Carl Orff. He was inspired by these Latin songs and put them together in a new creative piece that is entirely his own. It's a great example of how Latin speaks to people today.
Harvard's Salutatory Latin Address

This brilliant student's speech spoken entirely in Latin is most entertaining. I think it could also be used in the classroom as a dictation exercise. To practice writing down spoken Latin, it might be nice getting a break from the teacher and hearing someone else speak for a change. It may interest them particularly because it's a young student (perhaps not cool per se but recognizably successful and fun) talking about something relevant, namely school and Star Wars.

Monty Python's Latin Grammar

What's great is that besides being hilarious, the Latin grammar is impeccable. I would wait to show this until the students have become acquainted with the imperative, fourth declension, etc.

Now, I've posted several You Tube clips here, but I know that in many schools it's difficult or forbidden to use You Tube in class. I think the Latin Salutatory Address and the Monty Python clips make a good argument for the values of using You Tube clips. The Salutation is not available on DVD of course. Even though The Life of Brian is available as a DVD, most of that film would not be useful, or appropriate, in the Latin classroom. It doesn't make sense to have to waste valuable time attempting to reach that specific clip on a DVD.
If however there are no ways around the rules about You Tube viewing, you may be able to record the clip as it's own file on your own computer.