The Classics Library
This is the site for teachers of all classical subjects. Here you can share resources, ideas, advice, and news about your events.
I hope you register and find the site useful.
Stephen
stephenjenkin@theclassicslibrary.com
Site Activity
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Sally-Ann Edmonds posted an update: 2 days, 18 hours ago · updated 10 hours, 33 minutes ago · View
My school is deciding to dismantel the Classics department and separate the language teaching from the civilisation and place the subjects into different faculties. Has anyone experienced anything similiarily ridiculous?
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Lisa Cashmore posted an update in the group
A Level Latin: 10 hours, 42 minutes ago · ViewHi, I agree with Sarah about the enjoyment level of the Amores and after teaching Catullus to the Upper Sixth, the Amores seems tame, but maybe that’s my fault for mentioning poems not on the prescribed list! However, as I am just about raising my head above the parapet for next year, the Verse choice seems really disappointing. Propertius is too similar to Ovid to give the students a feel for the variety of Roman Literature and why the first 300 lines of Aeneid IV? Surely a travesty not to read Dido’s end in Latin! However, in response to Stephen’s question about the availability of a Gildenhard style commentary for the texts, it would be really useful. Maybe it is a bit too in depth in places but we can always work around that.
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Stephen Jenkin wrote a new blog post: Lysistrata 1 day, 7 hours ago · View
Lysistrata at The Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Hall, Croydon, 22-24 February -
http://www.fairfield.co.uk/showSearch.php?searchtext=lysistrata&search=Search+for+Show
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Phil Towler wrote a new blog post: Ides of March Lecture at Brighton and Hove High School 1 day, 12 hours ago · View
Dr Peter Jones will be giving a lecture entitled, ‘What the ancients have done - and might still do - for us’. Thursday 15th March, 6.30 pm in the School Hall. For further information and free tickets contact Philip Towler, Head of Classics, at p.towler@bhhs.gdst.net.
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Lizzie Madden posted an update: 1 day, 15 hours ago · View
Slough Grammar School Classics Dept is now on twitter. Follow us at @sgsclassics
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Nancy Moore wrote a new blog post: Medea 1 day, 18 hours ago · View
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Sarah Holliday posted an update in the group
A Level Latin: 1 week, 1 day ago · updated 4 days, 15 hours ago · ViewI love teacheing Amores 3 – my students enjoy it, it sits in the teenage mentality. In fact in today’s lesson we talked about him being 19! I like that there is no choice as it removes the stress of the -did I pick the right one – would the other have been easier?!?! Amores was on the exam spec when I took my A-Levels, along with Catullus, part of the reason Classics is great is that you get to read and discuss this kind of thing. I think the resources made available are at about the right level for prepping an AS class to 90% plus! I am impressed that there are ’innocent’ Y12s out there
Most of mine are full of filth by the end of Y8 – SPARTACUS!!!!
No one is suggesting that the Amores are too difficult; they are just much more difficult than last year’s prescription. As for their enjoyability, my students think Ovid is a crazy weirdo; much more enjoyable than Ciciero, but all he does is stalk women; totally non pc; totally uncool.
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Paul Saunders posted an update: 4 days, 15 hours ago · View
Has anyone taken a school party to Provence in the last five years? I took one about 15 years ago, and am thinking about repeating it; we stayed at Vaison La Romaine and travelled out from there: does anyone have any latest info on the area?
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Stephen Janssens posted an update in the group
Travel – Bay of Naples: 1 week ago · updated 4 days, 15 hours ago · ViewQuick query from lazy person. What entrance fees are payable on the sites visited in a ’normal’ school trip to Bay of Naples and Rome? I am just trying to put a budget together before advertising the trip to students. Thanks in advance.
Hi Stephen.
School groups get in to most sites free, with a letter from the school. My recollection is that there is an entrance fee for Vesuvius (not sure how much, but you could probably find out easily).
AndyHi Stephen
You can apply [via your tour agent] for a free student pass; sites vary as to whether they also let teachers in for free, but in my experience you usually have to pay for staff. Mt Vesuvius and Solfatara are privately owned; you can negotiate some discount, but will need to shell out for pupils [staff go free]. Well worth paying for the guided tour at Solfatara.
PaulSorry – I was thinking of Greece with the pass: Take a list of students on school headed papaer with names of whole group including teachers, plus a list of places you want to visit and dates of your visit, and signed by the Headteacher.
Paul-and take multiple copies of the letter as site officials often, randomly, want to keep the one you offer them!
if you plan to visit the Colosseum in Rome, then you need to book this in advance; no charge for school group, but the pre-booking is essential. Your tour company should sort this for you. You also have to pay for visits to any of the Catacombs.
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Hannah Bredin posted an update in the group
OCR A Level Classical Civilisation: 5 months, 2 weeks ago · updated 4 days, 16 hours ago · ViewHi – was just wondering if anyone is teaching the Comic drama module and what order they were considering teaching the plays. I’m a bit worried about starting with the Aristophanes as there is lot of background context neccessary to understand the play but also think it would be good to teach the plays in chronological order… Thanks
Hi Hannah,
Having taught this option all of once, yes, I would recommend teaching Aristophanes first. He really is the bulk of the course, you can do all the necessary background for him and then just update for Menander and Plautus, and to be honest, he was the most successful author for the students.
I really enjoyed this option by the way – great fun , and after ”Culture of Athesn” a little less gruelling!Fiona
Thanks very much Fiona – is my first time teaching A level Class Civ so was feeling a bit unsure. Feel free to pass on any useful resources by the way and I’ll try and reciprocate! Really looking forward to now
HannahNo problem Hannah – what email address?
Only just seen your reply! It’s bredinh@khviii.net Thanks!
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Stephen Jenkin wrote a new blog post: Request for A Level History Tuition 4 days, 16 hours ago · View
If you would be interested in some AS/A2 Ancient History tuition to a boy near Baker Street, London, please contact his father, Ram Dhillon at ram.dhillon@rila.co.uk. This would be home tutoring and the times/days are flexible.
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Laura Beech wrote a new blog post: ARLT Refresher Day March 3rd Senate House London 5 days, 10 hours ago · View
There are still a few places available for the forthcoming Refresher Day. Full details of timings and all option groups are on the ARLT website http://www.arlt.co.uk For further details or to apply contact laurabeech@aol.com
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Laura Beech wrote a new blog post: Monmouth Classics Society Lecture: Cicero and his Villains 5 days, 10 hours ago · View
Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls will host a lecture on Cicero and his Villains by Dr Kathryn Tempest of Roehampton University on Friday February 10th at 7.30 pm. This should be of particular interest to students of AS Latin, although any fan of Cicero would be certain to enjoy it. For further details please contact [...]
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Daniel Menashe wrote a new blog post: Classics talks at Bablake School 6 days, 15 hours ago · View
Dr Armand D’Angour of Jesus College Oxford will be presenting a talk entitled “Alpha, Beta and Gamma … everything you always wanted to know about the Greek alphabet” on Tuesday 6th March at 4.30 in the theatre at Bablake School. The rescheduled talk by Professor Stephen Harrison of Corpus Christi College Oxford on Rome and Hollywood [...]
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Edward Hatton posted an update in the group
Oxbridge Classics Questions: 1 week ago · ViewDoes anyone know what texts were used as the extracts for this year’s Oxford Latin assessment test in November?
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Catharine Jessop posted an update in the group
GCSE Latin: 1 week ago · ViewThis is about the 8-mark question in the Prose Lit paper. For the Prophecies and Portents option, is it possible that they might ask an 8-marker which covered more than one of the three texts? Eg, from the texts you have studied, what impression have you gained of the Romans’ attitude to the supernatural? They did not do this last year with the Tacitus/Cicero option; but this year the 3 selections (Pliny, Suetonius, Livy) are shorter, all from the same anthology and explicitly on the same theme. We think this would be pretty hard for GCSE. Does anyone have any wisdom from the Board about this?
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Stephen Magnus posted an update in the group
IB Classical Languages: 6 months ago · updated 1 week ago · ViewHi Guys I dont suppose anyone knows what Pliny letters are on for Latin please. Im starting with a Lower 6th class in September and am slightly confused as to what list to use. Thanks a lot
Steve
Bit late now, but this is the link:
http://www.theclassicslibrary.com/prescribed%20authors.pdf
List 2 is the one you want. It is somewhat poorly expressed and the IBO recently issued a clarification on their own message boards. These are the texts for examination in May 2013, 2014 and 2015.
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Paul James Cowie wrote a new blog post: Teacher of Classics (0.5), The John Lyon School, Harrow 1 week, 1 day ago · View
The John Lyon School is seeking to appoint a part-time Teacher to join an expanding team in a successful and thriving Classics Department. This is an excellent opportunity for either an experienced teacher or an NQT. The ability to offer both Latin and Classical Civilisation is sought. The John Lyon School has its own salary [...]
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Edmund Hunt posted an update: 1 week, 1 day ago · View
Classics Conference on Augustus – St. Edward’s Oxford: Monday 7 November
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Dominic McPherson posted an update in the group
A Level Latin: 1 week, 1 day ago · updated 1 week, 1 day ago · ViewWe looked at 3.4 the other day in more detail, and yes it seemed rather ’full on.’ There was, however, a lot of discussion that flowed from this. I agree with Ian about the lack of adequate notes. We need a scholar to do a full lit. crit!
Would a lit crit along the same lines as the Gildenhard commentary be preferable?
Yes, that would be ideal.
The Gildenhard commentary is wonderful; but surely such in-depth study is too much? The Ovid section is but one half of half the AS course; is such in-depth treatment necessary or even desirable? If it were an A2 text, then I would support the idea of a good commentary since students do not have to know the translation so well [something they need to spend much more time on at AS]. Where will all the teaching time come for both learning the translation plus all the in-depth commentary? We mustn’t let our desire for ’full treatment’ of a text distract us from seeing what our students need for the examination. At AS, they have no full-blown essay to write; just two mini-essays [one on each text] called the 10-mark questions, for both which they have but 30 minutes [15 for each]: what kind of learned answers do they have time to write? So let’s get this in perspective.
I disagree. I do not want, necessarily, to give a ’full treatment,’ as you say, – although that depends on the students – but I do want to be sure that I have as much information at my disposal as possible. Working through the text on my own account, I am able to identify, to some degree, what’s useful and interesting, and my role is to present that to students in a way that is both accessible, and relevant to their examination. I am aware, however, that there is much I miss. More scholarly minds could help me here!
you misunderstand me; of course, I as a teacher want to be informed about the text as best I can; but my point stands that not all this information should/could be imparted to the students. Which leaves the important question: what is important? Bearing in mind that the Amores are far more difficult to appraise than last year’s prescription and so less accessible to students, the point about lack of comparability is paramount – and OCR needs to be made aware of this.
Still, it would be interesting to know if more people would prefer a commentary (and future commentaries for future texts) along the lines of Gildenahrd, and this in itself might be helpful in informing OCR, who do try to liaise with Bristol Classical Press about a need for commentaries. If there’s a need for something better geared for the course, especially when both the Ovid and Cicero commentaries seem to have been published to coincide with the new A Level texts, shouldn’t OCR, the publishers and their authors do well to listen to what their ’customers’ need? What teachers select as appropriate to relay and highlight to their students is another issue again…
I agree that it would be both useful and desirable for a modern and up to date scholarly commentary to be available for both set texts, and for OCR to be encouraged to be involved in providing this.
I entirely understand the pragmatic perspective of wanting to limit what the students know on the basis of overly technical / unnecessary information – this is why for instance the Sherwin-White on Pliny, whilst excellent in places, has to be carefully filtered and added to (for IB students).
However I fear that if we simply yield to the OCR-inspired approach of demanding less and less from our students with each new specification, we are complicit in 6th form Latin study which seriously underestimates the capabilites of our students and impoverishes their learning. And perhaps has done so for many years.
As a small example – I no longer test my GCSE Latin students on the current defined vocabulary list. I am fed up of it constantly shrinking with each revision. I test them on a previous one. As well as (with a top set at least) e.g. all tenses of the subjunctive rather than the two that are now required.
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The very idea is bonkers. Language [ancient and modern] was invented so that people could communicate their civilisation [society, culture etc etc: take away the civilisation and you remove the need for language: what would French teaching, for example, be like without any topics [like travelling, using a cafe et al] to talk about? Apart from this basic premise, the examination boards incorporate language, civilisation and literature, presumably because neither truly exists without the other two.
Assuming the decision hasn’t already been taken, I suggest you prepare a thorough document to prevent this. Good luck!
Ask them if they intend to do the same to the English department!