I designed my classroom to frame and stage 5 years of AP-track Latin Curriculum.
Its spaces, resources, and decor map the topics and tools which students learn from day-to-day and year-to-year:
1st Area of Classroom, Work Center at the Front Door
Students use, pick up, & turn in vocab resources here
"Latin Vocabulary"
Latin Words & Roots
English Cognates
Roots and Stems
Morphology & Word Patterns
ACT & SAT Verbal Test Prep
Customized Weekly Quizzes
Summer Vocab Quests
Daily Contests and Drills
Weekly Word Webs
Dictionary Pattern Hunts
Synonym Contests
← Student sketches of my 3 favorite words
Diei Officia
2nd Area of Classroom: Info Corner
I check Agendas, Binders, and Notebooks regularly to instil Responsibility ("Officium")
"Duties of the Day"
Study Schedules
HW Planning
Curricular Maps
Short & Long Planning
Information Processing
Interactive Board Work
Developing Applied Reasoning
Guided Paradigm Study
Always Checking Work & Answers
Primum Pensum
3rd Area of classroom:
Central Board Area, main Lesson & Multimedia Space
"Primary Tasks"
Bell Tasks:
This is from the PowerPoint I made & presented to faculty on the English writing & Critical Thinking components of the new Common Core Standards. I propose a teaching method based on Bell-Tasks for in-class writing and teacher scoring of that writing to help students develop high level expository and analytical skills.
Strategic Questions to start the day, interfaced carefully with Binder Notes checked on a daily basis.
Learning Logs:
End of class reflections on daily lessons. Guided by teacher commentary and collected weekly.
Structured Note-taking
Expository Lessons
Analytical Systems
Binder Integration
Guided Cultural Critique
Feedback on Writing
Second & Third Drafts
Training on How to Use and Review Notes
Domi Opera
4th Area of Classroom:
Library & Home Resource Center
"Home Work & Study"
Classroom Library
Resource Space
Catalogs & Periodicals
Carefully-Guided Home Studies
Textual Criticism
Overseen by Homer, Yoda, and Caesar
Cultura Romae
5th Area of Classroom: Main Gallery (part 1)
Of Images from the epic Cycle to Rome's Peak
"Culture of Rome"
Gallery of key Mythological Images
Historical Legacy
Collaborative student Map OF the Mediterranean, As ruled by the Titans
Politics, Society, and Religion
Art & Literary Scholarship
Expository Writing
Socratic Seminars
War & Peace, Chaos & Order
Source Analysis
Art works referenced regularly in lectures & projects
Hic et Nunc
6th Area of the Class: Gallery Part 2
Leading to Rome, And Couch
"Here and Now"
Influence of Rome on today
Cultural Critique
Interdisciplinary Bridges
Modernity Studies
Also a student study hall & relaxation space
Grammatica
7th Area of Classroom:
Display Space for student Art & Work related to form & structure
"Grammar"
The Fuel of Latin, and English
Rigorous Study of Syntax
Word Contexts & Semantics
Paradigms & Synopses
Weekly, Timed Training
Sentence Diagramming
Total Linguistic Awareness
Rhetorical Studies
First Year students do "Grammar Comics"
to make the info more fun & accessible
← I mused in class once that Latin is like a Rubix Cube (because its parts are always switching), & English is like Pancake stacks (because we use a lot of words and frames). The students loved the idea, and turned it into their motto.
Modi Moresque
"Methods & Ethics"
(also translatable as "Behavior & Morals"
or as "Organization & Discipline")
One's Code of Academic Honor
Teaching Strong Study Skills
Upholding an Effective Work Ethic
Instilling Intellectual Discipline
Tutoring & Support
Academic Mentoring
Scholastic & Heuristic Standards
(Students enjoy that "Mores" in Latin resembles my own name.)
I work hard to make my classroom a total learning environment. In ways, it is always evolving to contain more culture: part library, part museum, part myth-realm, part study-space, part clubhouse.
Over the years I've managed to collect a good many Classical statuettes, figurines, works of art, and all kinds of teaching displays and props that I regularly feature in daily lessons.
The students are always playing with everything, which I encourage, and they often bring me many new pieces to add to the collection; some of my best pieces were gifts from them.
My Perspective : Immersion → Enthusiasm → Learning
Trojan War panorma mural. over 50 students contributed vignettes, all parts of the infinite story