How to succeed in this course

Learning a language requires regular, focused effort over a prolonged period of time.

Class meetings

To get the most out of our meeting time, keep up with class preparation. If you’re unable to prepare for class, attend anyway. You can let me know in an email or a private message in Zoom if you’re not ready on a given day.

If you’re comfortable doing so, please do turn your video on during Zoom sessions: seeing faces can help create a sense of connection, and can encourage all of us to engage with each other.

Work outside of class

Three class meetings a week is only part of what it takes to learn a language. Make a habit of the following study practices to make your work outside of class as effective as possible.

Set aside regular times during the week to work on new class assignments.
Set aside regular times to review material we’ve previously covered.
Spread your study across several days each week: at least five. Multiple, shorter - sessions are better preparation than an equal amount of time in a single marathon - session.
Practice your Latin out loud. Vocalizing Latin and listening to yourself will help - you progress more rapidly than reading silently.
When you are studying, focus only on Latin. Consider turning off your phone, turning off any music, muting notifications, or logging out of facebook. For the time you’re studying, you should see, hear and speak only Latin.

CBL lab

Community-based learning is central to our course. Last year, students in Latin 101-102 taught Latin to elementary school students in Worcester public schools. As of the beginning of our semester, Worcester Public Schools are entirely on line, but our CBL lab section will give you a chance to explore why we are taking on a community-based project in a Latin class, and work on a project that will engage Worcester students on line.

Be open minded, flexible, and creative – and enjoy yourself!