Tuesday, July 31, 2007

pridie Kal. Aug.

Flumen confusum reddit piscantibus usum.
–Medieval

Monday, July 30, 2007

a.d. III Kal. Aug.

Aequore quot pisces, fronde teguntur aves, quot caelum stellas, tot habet tua Roma puellas.
–Ovid

Locus: Ars Amatoria 1.58–59

Saturday, July 28, 2007

NJCL Day 2

Today was quieter than yesterday, so I had the chance to speak to people about technology and teaching Classics. A few Latin teachers are using SMART technology, course management systems (like Moodle and Desire2Learn), and data projectors with PowerPoint. Folks were enthusiastic about the current Looking at Latin project where Anna Andresian is creating on-line drills for her Latin grammar book, and I am laying them out into an easy-to-read, on-line format. Look for the new Looking at Latin web site at APA, this coming January.

We are also working on developing electronic and on-line materials in support of our new Latin for the New Millennium series for students in their first and second year of Latin.

Our Classical Mythology and More trading cards were a hit with teachers, too -- I gave away 150 sets (24 cards in a set) in about two hours, and am looking forward to seeing these cards developed into a game that is both fun to play and can be used to study for the Medusa mythology exam! Look for more card sets and perhaps even a prototype of the game at either APA or CAMWS in 2008.

See you at NJCL next year in Miami, Ohio! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello in Knoxville, and for their support of our latest books and projects.

Andrew

Friday, July 27, 2007

NJCL: Day 1

After being delayed in Chicago and arriving at 9 in Knoxville on the evening dedicated to setting up the NJCL Teaching Materials area (which was open from 7:30-9:00 for publishers to make things look pretty), getting my luggage lost, having my breakfast delivered to the wrong room, learning from UT Conferences that just because materials were shipped to the UT Convention Center doesn't mean that's where they'll wind up, I caught a ride into campus with a fellow exhibitor in the same boat as me and we arrived at the Art and Architecture Building at 8:15. This left me with 45 minutes to set up four tables of over 75 titles, drawing from 8 boxes, and then artfully organizing them into categories like "New Stuff" (To Be a Roman and Classical Mythology and More), "Wheelockiana" (the state of Latin), "Grammar!" (including the always-popular Looking at Latin), "Vergiliana" (the state adjacent to Latin -- at a higher elevation), "World of Workbooks" (WoW!), "Buttonia" (the state under Latin -- buttons, buttons, buttons), and the "Island of Smith" (Latin dictionary). Most of the land has eroded away due to zealous purchasing by Latin teachers whose budgets had been approved for the school year.

The gates opened at 8:45 (scheduled for 9:00) and I didn't do anything but sell until 12:30 at which point the Latinists evaporated like rain in a Tuscan summer. Nobody cared that I was wearing a 2-day old shirt, jeans, and indoor soccer shoes -- they all were after To Be a Roman and Classical Mythology and More. It was a delight to talk about these new books, and about forthcoming teachers' manuals and other fun (and electronic!) projects. Teachers are quite happy that we'll be publishing a web site dedicated to Looking at Latin, and they are hopeful that future digital initiatives will come out with other titles. And teachers are also asking about Latin for the New Millennium which many of them want to try.

More on NJCL for Day 2, tomorrow. Thanks to everyone at NJCL who made today such a great day for us!

Andrew

a.d. VI Kal. Aug.

In tali tales capiuntur flumine pisces.
–Medieval

Thursday, July 26, 2007

a.d. VII Kal. Aug.

Qualis vir, talis oratio.
–Anonymous

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

a.d. VIII Kal. Aug.

Imperat aut servit collecta pecunia cuique.
–Horace

Locus: Horace, Epistulae 1.10.47

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

a.d. IX Kal. Aug.

Longe fugit quisquis suos fugit.
–Petronius Artbiter
Locus: Satyricon 43

Monday, July 23, 2007

The Young Romans

The Young Romans
by Rose Williams



Roman historians and authors recount the tales of many Roman youth who had influence—for better or for worse—upon their society and therefore upon subsequent history. Ascanius, Camilla, Cloelia, Alexander the boy Emperor, and many more are highlighted in 24 entertaining chapters.

Designed for beginning high-school and middle-school students of Latin, The Young Romans tells the stories of these youth, in simple Latin with background notes, grammatical helps, and exercises. Mark Bennington’s distinctive line illustrations enliven the Latin text.

Students will enjoy reading and discussing how the actions of these young people of ancient Rome measure up to modern as well as to their own era’s ethical standards—how they succeeded and where they failed. This reader makes an excellent choice for a character-based curriculum.

A Teachers’ Edition (full student text, translations, answers, and more) is available separately.

Student Text features:
• introductory outline of Roman history
• 24 chapters of short stories about Roman youth in easy Latin
• background notes, grammatical helps
• exercises include comprehension questions, derivatives, special activities,
crossword puzzles
• lively line drawings and illustrations throughout
• full vocabulary

Rose Williams has done work in Latin at Baylor University, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Arlington, and the University of Dallas. She did research at the Bodleian Library in Oxford and the University of Pisa. She taught Latin for over thirty years at both high school and university levels, and does frequent workshops and presentations on the Latin language and Latin pedagogy. She is the author of fourteen published books including Once Upon the Tiber and Vergil for Beginners.

vii + 128 pp. (2007) Paperback, ISBN 978-0-86516-670-7

Click here to see The Young Romans at our website.

Friday, July 20, 2007

a.d. XIII Kal. Aug.

Quisquis in vita sua parentes colit, hic et vivus et defunctus deis est carus.
–Translation of Johannes Stobaeus

Thursday, July 19, 2007

a.d. XIV Kal. Aug.

Omnis enim res, virtus, fama, decus, divina humanaque pulchris divitiis parent.
–Horace

Locus: Horace, Satires 2.3.94–96

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

a.d. XV Kal. Aug.

Ingrata sunt beneficia, quibus comes est metus.
–Publilius Syrus

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

a.d. XVI Kal. Aug.

Qui culpae ignoscit uni, suadet pluribus.
–Publilius Syrus

Monday, July 16, 2007

a.d. XVII Kal. Aug.

Quod cibus est aliis, aliis est acre venenum.
–Anonymous

Friday, July 13, 2007

a.d. III Id. Iul.

Deo, patriae, amicis.
–Motto

Thursday, July 12, 2007

a.d IV. Id. Iul.

Fortuna favet fautis.
–Anonymous

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

a.d. V Id. Iul.

Iustitia omnibus.
–Motto of the District of Columbia

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

a.d. VI Id. Iul.

Non nobus solum.
–Motto

Monday, July 09, 2007

a.d. VII Id. Iul.

Immodicis brevis est aetas et rara senectus.
–Martial

Locus: Epigrams VI.29.7

Friday, July 06, 2007

Pridie Non. Iul.

Vis legibus inimica.
–Legal

Thursday, July 05, 2007

a.d. III Non. Iul.

Maximo peric'lo custoditur quod multis placet.
–Publilius Syrus

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

a.d. V Non. Iul.

Fortibus est fortuna viris data.
–Ennius

Monday, July 02, 2007

a.d. VI Non. Iul.

Est pueris carus qui non est doctor amarus.
–Medieval