BG GIBS Graz International Bilingual School Georgigasse 85

Latin starts in year 5 only!

Latin starts in year 5 only!

Latin starts in year 5 only!

Latin starts in year 5 only!

First year of Latin

1) Cultural Background

• The students learn the influence of the Latin language on their own native language as well as other European languages.
• They find insight into the ancient Roman culture and daily life.
• They recognize the most important figures from Greek and Roman mythology.
• They learn about the historical development of the Roman Empire and its influence upon Austria.

2) Vocabulary

• The students acquire a basic vocabulary (ca. 450 words) with emphasis upon derivatives and foreign words.
• They learn parts of speech (nouns, verbs, articles, adjective, adverbs, numbers, prepositions, conjunctions) and word families, or declensions.
• They learn to derive the meaning of Latin words and compare them with words from other languages, both foreign and native.

3)Lexis and Syntax

The students become familiar with:

• The fundamentals of the Latin morphology (they learn the kinds of words, their construction and meaning).
• The Latin syntax (they can distinguish between predicate, subject, object… as well as main clauses and subordinate clauses).

They understand the various functions of tenses in Latin as well as in their own native language and foreign languages.

They recognize, build and translate

• active and passive indicative verbs; infinitives and participles

They recognize the syntactical and semantic functions of

• nouns in all cases/declensions
• adjectives and adverbs along with comparative/superlative forms
• the most common pronouns, numbers, prepositions and conjunctions

They learn and build simple sentences and phrasings (main and subordinate clauses, indicative phrases, AcI, NcI,).

They can translate these aspects into their native language and compare them with other languages.

4) Text

The students read, translate and understand simple Latin texts (mainly texts from language books as well as famous aphorisms and quotations.

They answer simple interpreting questions and can write an overview.

Second year of Latin

1) Cultural Background

see year 5

2) Vocabulary

• The students strengthen and broaden their basic vocabulary (to ca. 1000 words) with emphasis upon derivatives and foreign words.
• The students become aware of the meaning of Latin derivatives and foreign words within their own native language and other languages as well as recognizing possible changes in meaning.

3) Lexis and Syntax

The students deepen their familiarity with:

• the Latin morphology (they acquire, build and translate verbal constructions in active and passive conjunctive; nd-forms; irregular verbs).
• The Latin syntax (they learn conjunctive main and subordinate clauses, sentence constructions and can translate these into their native tongue and English.

They understand the differences between indicative and conjunctive expressions in Latin as well as in their native language.

They understand the syntactical and semantic functions from -nd- forms and participle constructions in Latin and can compare them with those both in their own native language and in foreign languages.

They can efficiently use the lexicon (especially in the lecture phase during the 2^nd semester).

4) Text

They can read and understand Latin texts (especially from textbooks), summarizing their contents and comparing them with other texts.

They begin to read original Latin texts and through this become acquainted with the following modules:

• a) Module “Figures from Mythology, Legends and History.” They become familiar with figures and personalities that have left deep impressions upon the European intellectual and cultural legacy by having translated and worked over simple mythological, biographical or hagiographic texts.
• b) Module “The Individual During his Daily Routine.” Students learn about daily life during various epochs from simple texts. These are compared with their own circumstances.

Third and fourth year of Latin

The students now have the linguistic competence to deal with various kinds of original Latin texts.

They learn about diverse literary forms (e.g. fable, epigram, historical texts, epic poetry) from their historically initial examples.

As such they deal with various themes (philosophy, religion, mythology, politics), interpreting them based upon their own previous experience as well as according to their social and historical context.

They compare Latin texts ( e.g. Fables, Metamorphoses) and their broad ramifications that reach until today.

In this way, they recognize the continuity of the Latin legacy as being a medium for European intellectual, literary and art history.

Through interpretive reading and comparative language study, they broaden both their native language as well as their foreign language competence.

They understand and compare various registers and levels of the Latin language (the classic Latin of Cicero, Middle Ages Latin, modern texts).

They broaden their active and passive vocabulary in their native as well as foreign languages.

They use the lexicon efficiently.

Content/Modules (in an openly selectable order)

Module Upbeat and Downlow

The students translate and understand short Latin texts such as epigrams, anecdotes and fables.

They recognize how social and political abuses and human weaknesses can be thematically commented upon in a humoristic way.

Module Latin and Europe

The students learn about the Roman influence upon the regions of Europe that continues even today by analysing key European texts.

They understand the development of the Roman Empire, its fall and legacy.

They analyse a ruling personality (e.g. Julius Caesar, Karl the Great) learning about his biography from historically original texts, among others.

Module Myth and Reception

The students, with support, translate simple passages from Roman poets.

They become familiar with powerful examples of antique myths.

They learn of how these stories live on through various kinds of art by regarding specific examples (visual artworks in sculpture, painting as well as literature) that have been influenced by these myths.

They learn the most important Metamorphoses from Ovid either in the original or from translation and can interpret them (eg. Daedalus/Icarus, Europa, Orpheus/Eurydike, Pyramus/Thisbe, Pygmalion).

Module Love, Lust and Passion

The students become acquainted with texts which poetically represent the personal perceptions of the meaning of love and partnership.  The students compare these with their own experience.

Module Special Language and Specialized Texts

Students become acquainted with Latin as the formative language of science.  They recognize the influence of Latin upon Romance languages and English.  They translate, understand and interpret specialized texts.

Though this, they become familiar with scientific discoveries from ancient Rome until today (e.g. from Roman Law or medicine).

Though the study of key Latin texts, they understand the influence of Christianity upon regions in Europe until today.

They recognize Latin as the language of the Bible and of the Catholic Church.

They analyse certain well-known texts from the Old and New Testament.

Module Forms of Life Management (VITA EST ARS)

Students analyse Latin, native and foreign language texts concerning philosophical and religious content that question the essence of human existence.

They become acquainted with the origin of western philosophy from Latin sources (pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato,…).

They analyse antique philosophy and several models for managing one’s life (Stoicism, Epicurianism).

They understand the roll that Cicero played in conveying antique philosophy.

Project Rome  (cross-curricular with Religion)

The students become acquainted with the city of Rome during a short excursion.

They understand the meaning of Rome for the European history and its roll as the capital of the Catholic Church.

They visit the most important sights to see in Rome as well as how to navigate within the city.

While physically standing in front of these sights, they present what they have learned about the antique world, about the development of the city from its initial foundation through its rise as the capital of the Roman Empire, as well as its subsequent decline.

They see examples of Rome rebirth during the Renaissance as well as architectural developments that have taken and continue to take place there.

They read and interpret 2000 year-old Latin, foreign and German texts that deal with the problems of daily life on the one hand and on the other the glorification of the city.