How to Teach the Book

Don't be intimidated - this book only looks like a comic book. Like more serious looking texts,  this book  can be used to increase students knowledge and acquisition of Latin. My advice would be to teach each story singly rather than tackle all three at once. Below is a road map of how to use this book as a teaching tool.

Part I: Review the Grammar.  Students reading the story should have prior experience with most of the grammar that is used.  See the list of grammar in the beginning of each story for a more detailed list. Most important is the use of verb tenses and pronouns  See the Grammar In the Stories post  for more info about these. They need not be experts but students should have done some work with pronouns and active indicative verb tenses before they begin. This book will give them greater practice and fluency in reading verb tenses and pronouns in context.

Part II: Learn the Vocabulary. Students should know most of the vocabulary  prior to reading the story.  Refer to the vocabulary lists to see which words your students know and which ones they don't. Prepare to teach the ones your students don't know before they read. Lists are in the Omnia drive or just click here.  Different activities to pre-teach the vocabulary can be found in the Vocabulary in the Story blog - along the right hand side of the page.  Or you can click here.

QUIZLET PRACTICE FOR FURTHER PRACTICE WITH THE VOCAB IS HERE: 
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Part III:  Use one of the Movie Talks to further aid acquisition of some of the sets of words.  

Part IV:  Read the story  At this point, some people may be wondering - what should we do while they read- Summarize episodes? Answer comprehension questions?   My advice would be to just let them read the story.  Having taught English for many years, I can tell you definitively that these kinds exercises tend to ruin a student's enjoyment of a book. Their main function is to provide oversight so that the students  actually read the story rather than nap at their desks.  In fact, my experience that even with such oversight, if the book truly stinks - they won't read it anyway.  I like to group the students into 3 and have them each pick a character to read. You can have them read the lines in Latin and then go back and read it again, saying their character's lines in English.  Of course other group members can help if they get stuck.  My 8th graders read the first story in 45 minutes. 

Part V:  After the Story. Clarify, Create, Discuss, Retell, Act out - Once the story has been read, now is a great opportunity to do a number of post- reading activities  to make sure that the Latin is acquired. Students may have some questions about life, love, death and curses as well.