Theme 1: Roman Life

Communication

Reading for Understanding

• Read passages about state and family rituals, such as dinner parties, weddings, funerals, coming-of-age ceremonies, etc.
• Read passages about the functions of the balnea/thermae, the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, ludi, etc.
• Read passages about the role of various family members and citizens in the overall structure of Roman society.

Using Oral and Written Language for Understanding

• Compose and translate sentences in Latin relating to passages read about Roman life which demonstrate appropriate grammatical structures related to the Latin 2 Program of Studies, such as purpose and result clauses, indirect discourse, and relative pronouns.
• Respond to questions about state and family rituals, the daily life of the Roman individual, and various forms of Roman entertainment and ludi.
• Render the date in Latin using the authentic Roman system of dating.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products

• Analyze the roles of the family member and the individual in Roman society, such as cliens, paterfamilias, patronus, uxor, etc.
• Examine the violent nature of gladiatorial and chariot racing rituals in the Colosseum and Circus Maximus.
• Discuss the celebrations unique to Roman society, such as commissatio, coming-of-age ceremony, weddings, funerals, etc.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Recognize modern interpretations of the Roman baths, such as health clubs, spas, public and private pools and public libraries.
• Debate the Roman fascination with violence as shown in the violent nature of their entertainments.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare marriage and death customs in other countries to the Roman customs.
• Relate the American fascination with modern sports to the Roman bloodthirsty spectacles.
• Compare American games, such as NASCAR, horseracing, ice hockey and fencing, to chariot racing and the gladiatorial games.
• Recognize English derivatives related to terms based on the Roman calendar, such as mensis, Kalendae, Idus, etc.

Communication Across Communities

• Inform others about the Romans by making cultural bulletin boards about topics such as the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, and the baths.
• Recognize the evidence of Roman influence on popular culture and games.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Expressions such as Ave, Imperator, Morituri te salutamus, and panem et circenses
• Vocabulary for entertainment, such as ova, spina, metae, carceres, gladius, scuta, retiarius, tepidarium, apodyterium and hypocaustum
• Vocabulary for rituals, such as flammeum, manu, nupta, conubium, magister, bibendi, tali, pompa, and Manes

Theme 2: Geography

Communication

Reading for Understanding

• Read various passages which feature the Roman Forum, Baths, Colosseum, and other aspects of life in the Roman city.
• Read various passages set in ancient Greek cities and other locations around the Mediterranean.

Using Oral and Written Language for Understanding

• Locate on a map of Rome significant sites in ancient Rome, such as the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, aqueducts, places in the Forum, roads and the hills.
• Locate on a map key places outside of Italy, such as Gaul, Britain, Germany, Greece, etc.
• Respond to questions about the locations of significant sites being studied.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products

• Discuss the role of the balnea/thermae in daily life and the different features of the bathing complex.
• Analyze the role of the Forum Romanum as a central part of daily life in Rome.
• Recognize the uses of the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus.
• Identify the oracle of Delphi as well as other sites in Greece and their relationship to Hercules.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Relate geographic locations of the Roman world to the modern political map.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare the growth of Rome and the Roman empire to the colonies and the United States.
• Produce English derivatives from place names of geographical areas outside of Italy.

Communication Across Communities

• Recognize patterns of Greco-Roman geographical names used for cities, towns, and roads in American place names.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Place names such as Gallia, Germania, Cisalpina et Transalina Gallia, Aegyptus, Carthago, Pharsalus, Actium, etc.
• Places in the Forum, such as rostra, Arch of Titus, Curia, Basilica Julia, House of the Vestal Virgins, Regia, Temple of Saturn, etc.
• Locative case and accusative of place to which

Theme 3: History

Communication

Reading for Understanding

• Read various passages about the last 100 years of the Roman Republic which may discuss the Gracchi brothers, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, the first triumvirate, etc.

Using Oral and Written Language for Understanding

• Respond to questions about Roman history, such as historical figures, dates, and events.
• Compose sentences in Latin relating to passages read about Roman history which demonstrate appropriate grammatical structures related to the Latin 2 Program of Studies, such as locative case, ablative of comparison, ablative absolute, etc.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products

• Demonstrate an understanding of the political and social climate of the first century, B.C.
• Understand the role of individual personalities upon the decline of the Republic, e.g. Sulla, Marius, Pompey, Casssus, Caesar, Antony, etc.
• Identify the ways the Roman army transformed from a citizen-farmer militia to an organized state-sponsored army loyal to its individual leader.
• Recognize the significance of each of the offices of the cursus honorum.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Recognize the differences between various forms of government.
• Relate the social struggles of the Roman Republic to current struggles in the world today.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare historical figures in American history with key figures from the Roman Republic.
• Compare the organization of the military in the United States to the organization of the Roman military.
• Compare the power structure of certain positions in the U.S. government to be cursus honorum.

Communication Across Communities

• Share knowledge of Roman history with others in the school community through activities such as mock elections and political debates.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Abbreviations, expressions and mottoes, such as veni vidi vici; alea iacta est; and et tu, Brute
• Republican terms, such as triumvirate, tribune, cursus honorum, proconsul, pontifex, maximus, optimates and populares
• Names of battles, such as Cannae, Zama, Pharsalus, Phillippi, Actium, etc.

Theme 4: Mythology

Communication

Reading for Understanding

• Read various passages about heroes and heroines, such as Theseus, Perseus, Hercules and Jason.

Using Oral and Written Language for Understanding

• Compose and translate sentences in Latin related to passages read about heroes and heroines which demonstrate appropriate grammatical structures related to the Latin 2 Program of Studies, such as ablative of agent with the passive voice and participles.
• Respond to questions about the exploits of heroes as described in the passages.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices, and Products

• Identify heroes and heroines and their exploits as well as the gods and goddesses involved in their quests.
• Identify the primary monsters, such as Hydra, Chimaera and Python.
• Demonstrate understanding about why the Greco-Roman world believed in the mythological Hero and the Hero's underlying importance to its cultural identity.
• Examine how the hero myths fit into the canon of Greco-Roman mythology.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Recognize the roles of the heroes, heroines and monsters in literature and western art.
• Demonstrate how the stories of the heroes earned for them a place in the stars.
• Illustrate the legacy of the heroes in modern English derivatives, such as Herculean, clue, labyrinthine, Aegean Sea, etc.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare the Romans' need to have superheroes with the American obsession with elevating sports stars to heroic levels.

Communication Across Communities

• Discuss the use of the mythological hero in media and popular culture in order to sell particular ideas and ideals.
• Identify modern examples of ancient Roman heroes in Hollywood films, such as Superman, Spiderman, etc.
• Discuss the influence of heroes and monsters on entertainment, such as in movies, video games, etc.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Greek and Roman names of the heroes, heroines and monsters
• Places pertinent to their quests
• People associated with their undertakings
• Monster vocabulary, such as Cerberus, Chimaera and Python
• Location vocabulary, such as Crete, the Black Sea and Hades