Program Update: 7th Grade Latin

Seventh-grade Latin students are learning two new verb tenses: the perfect tense, which expresses completed action, and the imperfect, signifying repeated or ongoing action. These are both in play as our textbook characters, Indus, Gisco, and Catia, reminisce about their lives in Roman Britain. Gisco and Indus were Roman soldiers stationed near London. They recall the day a wild boar almost gored Gisco. Catia recounts how she and her sister regularly crossed the bridge to London to sell the swords made by their blacksmithing parents. Ask your student to tell you the story of how Catia and Gisco first met. It’s complicated! As part of a lesson about the changing food and farming practices in Roman Britain, we snacked on cucumbers, apples, and mint—some of the new foods Mediterranean merchants introduced during the 400-year Roman occupation. Cinnamon, lettuce, cherries, black pepper, garlic, and olive oil were also on this list. As an interesting comparison, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, our class also listed foods exported from the Americas after the 16th century, including avocados, chile pepper, chocolate, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and, of course, corn.