Latin - Intermediate I (Latin III)

All-Gender Course; Prerequisite - Successful completion of at least two years of high school Latin;  Full-year course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Latin – Intermediate I is focused on deepening students' understanding of the language and culture of the ancient Romans. Students complete the examination of all forms and syntactical structures of Latin and gain extensive experience in activating those linguistic details within the context of reading increasingly authentic Latin texts. As students learn to read a text with care and attention, they also gain experience in literary analysis of both prose and poetic texts. This analysis focuses on the linguistic and rhetorical strategies used by authors to create works of literature. These literary texts are never examined as isolated products; rather, each one is accompanied by an in-depth investigation of the social and historical context in which it was composed. By the end of Latin – Intermediate I, students will have gained solid experience not only in reading complex Latin but also in understanding the forces that led an author to write a poem or prose text. Successful completion of Latin – Intermediate I prepares a student for Latin – Intermediate II.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY

Latin Intermediate I is new course for 20/21 school year at One Schoolhouse. To read what students have said about other One Schoolhouse courses, visit our What Students Say webpage!

WHAT STUDENTS DO
Learning is an active process at One Schoolhouse. Students design, create and apply. And, they engage with classmates and connect with their teachers through discussions, video conferences, and projects. Specifically, in this class students will:
  • Set goals that drive their learning. Students reflect regularly on their growth, and meet on video chat with their online teacher to review progress towards their goals.
  • Have choice in how they learn new content and practice new skills. Students are given agency to determine the best ways for them to learn.
  • Apply what they are learning to the real world. Learning is meaningful and connects to concepts outside the classroom.
  • Practice constructive engagement in a diverse and changing world. Students interact with classmates from across the country and around the world.
  • Gain academic maturity. Online learning takes greater discipline and independence than a traditional face-to-face classroom. Teachers support students to build this skill.
MEET A TEACHER FOR THIS COURSE
​OUR RESEARCH-BASED APPROACH TO TEACHING LANGUAGES ONLINE
​One Schoolhouse designs competency-based courses with the student-teacher relationship as the cornerstone of our personalized pedagogy.  While students excel in our language AP courses, for many years we did not offer full sequence language courses because there was little research to support the efficacy of online language learning at the early levels.  The research shows that fewer than 1% of Americans are proficient in the language they studied in traditional classrooms. Not wanting this outcome for One Schoolhouse students, our goal is to inspire deep learning so we strive to ensure that the online learning experience increases the effectiveness of second language acquisition. In recent years, we have honed our approaches to delivering the four language competencies – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – in the online space, and have therefore endeavored to build out our Chinese, French, and Latin sequences.  The limitations of other online language programs are mitigated by the centrality of the student-teacher relationship, including interactive sessions where students speak, listen, and translate with their peers and teacher, at One Schoolhouse.  J.C. Narcy-Combes’s research on second language learning online shows that, “meaningful interaction will trigger learning processes,” which we know to be true anecdotally, and that, with intentional design, students can be taught to learn language effectively online.  Carrier et. al. have more recently shown that educational technologies and online learning are rapidly transforming second language acquisition, and that intentional practice can create a highly effective digital experience.  Because One Schoolhouse students have pathway options where they can practice in the target language at their own pace, get feedback from their teacher, interact with peers from around the country, and demonstrate their mastery through both traditional assessments and creative projects, students have the full complement of research-based learning activities in their online courses that you would expect to find in any independent school language program.  Additionally, our language teachers have advanced degrees from American universities, are trained in both their language and the best pedagogical practices for delivering language online, teach in independent schools around the US, and are AP readers.  ​
SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES
Examples of signature activities and projects for this course are:
  • ​Reading and cultural activity: Petronius’s Satyricon 
    • Students read several excerpts from Petronius’s Satyricon in the original Latin. They then study the eating and food habits of the ancient Romans, creating all the materials in preparation for a Roman dinner party.
  • Reading and cultural activity: Pliny the Younger and Vesuvius
    • Students read the entire letter written by Pliny the Younger who was onsite at the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79CE. They read this text in the original Latin. Students then learn about the ancient city of Pompeii – its organization, institutions and buildings. They also learn about the scientific and archaeological evidence discovered at Pompeii and Herclaneum that reveals how the inhabitants of the two towns died in the volcanic eruption.
COURSE APPROVAL
This course is approved by the NCAA. 

One Schoolhouse is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025; we are an approved online publisher for the University of California. 
Karen Zeller
she/her/hers
Languages Teacher
BA Princeton University
MDiv Trinity Evangelical Divinity School