Summer Fun... Week One!

I have had several students and parents ask me about Latin practice over the summer, so I am going to provide some content here on the blog for that purpose. My target audience is those students going into 6th or 7th grade Latin, but the information could also be helpful for students going into 5th or 8th as well, and for parents who just want to learn a little along with their students!

A VIDEO:

To begin, I'd like to share a video from Latin Tutorial explaining what happened to Latin after it "died" and why so many English words come from Latin even though English itself doesn't come from Latin. Enjoy!

As you go about your work and play this summer, pay attention to the words around you. Do you hear or read derivatives that remind you of the Latin words you learned this year? As you find them, keep a list - or better yet, share them with me in the comments on this blog! I'd love to hear what words you're finding! I will try to share some of my favorite words as well.

A QUOTE:

Speaking of favorite words, did you know that we have quite a few Latin phrases and quotes that we still use today? Here is one of my favorites, and one of the most famous quotes....

"carpe diem"

Can you guess what it means?

Foxtrot by Bill Amend

carpe diem is usually translated "Seize the day." It means to make the most of the day ahead of you, to take advantage of the opportunities presented, and to put all of your energy into living this day to its fullest. In the comic above, Peter doesn't really want Paige to make the most of her day, he really just wants her to get up off the couch so that he can sit there instead. What are you doing to seize the day today?

A STORY:

One of the ways you can keep your Latin skills fresh over the summer is to practice translating Latin. Here's a story to read and translate. You haven't had all these words yet, but you have had many of them. Many of the words you don't know are very similar to their English meanings, so I want you to see if you can figure out what they mean. I will give you two words to help, though:

nauta - a sailor
patria - country, homeland

In via sunt nautae. Agricolae nautas spectant. Agricola nautam vocat:
Agricola : O nauta, ubi est tua patria?
Nauta: mea patria est Germania; sumus nautae.
Agricola: ubi est Germania?
Nauta: Germania est in Europa.
Agricola: estne Hispania in Europa?
Nauta: Hispania etiam est in Europa, sed non est prope Germaniam. Hodie ad Hispaniam navigamus, et postea ad Germaniam. patriam nostram amamus. vale.

I will put the correct translation in the comments so you can check your work and see how you did!