Interpretive phase: Isidore 184 wds
8 Iter vel itus est via quā īrī ab homine quaquaversum potest. Iter autem et itiner diversam significationem habent. Iter enim est locus transitū facilis; unde appellāmus et itum. Itiner autem est itus longae viae, et ipse labor ambulandī ut quō velis perveniās. 9 Semita itineris dimidium est, a semiitū dicta. Semita autem hominum est, calles ferārum et pecudum. 10 Callis est iter pecudum inter montēs angustum et tritum, ā callō pedum vocatum, sive ā callō pecudum praeduratum. Tramites sunt transversa in agrīs itinera, sive recta via, dicta quod transmittat. 11 Divortia sunt flexus viārum, hoc est viae in diversa tendentes. Idem diverticula sunt, hoc est diversae ac divisae viae, sive semitae transversae quae sunt ā latere viae. 12 Bivium, quia duplex est via. Conpeta, quia plurēs in eā conpetunt viae, quasi triviae, quadriviae. Ambitus inter vicinōrum aedificia locus, duōrum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundī facultatem relictus, et ab ambulandō dictus. 13 Orbita vestigium carrī, ab orbe rotae dicta. Porro actus, quo pecus agī solet. Clivosum iter flexuosum. Vestigia sunt pedum signa primīs plantīs expressa, vocata quod hīs viae praecurrentium investigentur, id est agnoscantur.
Pre-reading/pre-listening: The whole topic of roads will be framed as a question: What are they? Why do we have roads? What do they do for us? What would life be like without them? This would be a good place to read Statius' poem, in translation, on the building of the Via Domitiana, or Horace' satire on travel.
Student brain-storming will generate discussion of these questions, and offer more questions on the topic [KWL]. These questions do not need to be answered at this point, since that is largely the focus of the interpersonal phase of this project.
Lesson on reading authentic text:
Vocabulary thoughts:
Many-to-most words you will not, and should not, expect to know.
Focus on the words you do know.
Grammar thoughts:
List the grammar points you have learned (preparing the mind to recognize them, with the meaning they carry).
Read the text aloud to students. They raise hands on hearing a familiar word.
Provide pairs of students with a copy of text.
Put the text, enlarged, on a transparency.
Students circle — in one color, on their copy, words they recognize or that have any sort of familiarity.
Students then underline — in another color — those words completely unfamiliar [adverbs and prepositions are apt to look odd — it’s important for students to learn that they can ignore these on the first look. Not every word is necessary for a basic comprehension].
Students then use their standard “Magistra’s 5-step pre-reading strategy” (consider title, questions, glossed words, read aloud, translate/read)
Next day: I read aloud while students have their copy covered. Students then read aloud in unison, then read aloud as pairs. Then each reads silently and answers the understanding check. This may be oral or written [depending on size of class, which I do not yet know]
To comprehend this text, students must be familiar with and able to recognize:
neuter gender
1st and 2nd declension nominative, genitive, accusative and ablative case endings
noun-adjective agreement
verbs in 3rd person singular and plural
prepositions using accusative and ablative
ablative of means
Prepare passage with several transparencies: one with non-essential words highlighted [teaching students that not all words are essential to understanding].
8 Iter vel itus est via qua iri ab homine quaquaversum potest. Iter autem et itiner diversam significationem habent. Iter enim est locus transitu facilis; unde appellamus et itum. Itiner autem est itus longae viae, et ipse labor ambulandi ut quo velis pervenias. 9 Semita itineris dimidium est, a semiitu dicta. Semita autem hominum est, calles ferarum et pecudum. 10 Callis est iter pecudum inter montes angustum et tritum, a callo pedum vocatum, sive a callo pecudum praeduratum. Tramites sunt transversa in agris itinera, sive recta via, dicta quod transmittat. 11 Divortia sunt flexus viarum, hoc est viae in diversa tendentes. Idem diverticula sunt, hoc est diversae ac divisae viae, sive semitae transversae quae sunt a latere viae. 12 Bivium, quia duplex est via. Conpeta, quia plures in ea conpetunt viae, quasi triviae, quadriviae. Ambitus inter vicinorum aedificia locus, duorum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundi facultatem relictus, et ab ambulando dictus. 13 Orbita vestigium carri, ab orbe rotae dicta. Porro actus, quo pecus agi solet. Clivosum iter flexuosum. Vestigia sunt pedum signa primis plantis expressa, vocata quod his viae praecurrentium investigentur, id est agnoscantur.
One transparency with derivative-recognizable words highlighted
8 Iter vel itus est via qua iri ab homine quaquaversum potest. Iter autem et itiner diversam significationem habent. Iter enim est locus transitu facilis; unde appellamus et itum. Itiner autem est itus longae viae, et ipse labor ambulandi ut quo velis pervenias. 9 Semita itineris dimidium est, a semiitu dicta. Semita autem hominum est, calles ferarum et pecudum. 10 Callis est iter pecudum inter montes angustum et tritum, a callo pedum vocatum, sive a callo pecudum praeduratum. Tramites sunt transversa in agris itinera, sive recta via, dicta quod transmittat. 11 Divortia sunt flexus viarum, hoc est viae in diversa tendentes. Idem diverticula sunt, hoc est diversae ac divisae viae, sive semitae transversae quae sunt a latere viae. 12 Bivium, quia duplex est via. Conpeta, quia plures in ea conpetunt viae, quasi triviae, quadriviae. Ambitus inter vicinorum aedificia locus, duorum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundi facultatem relictus, et ab ambulando dictus. 13 Orbita vestigium carri, ab orbe rotae dicta. Porro actus, quo pecus agi solet. Clivosum iter flexuosum. Vestigia sunt pedum signa primis plantis expressa, vocata quod his viae praecurrentium investigentur, id est agnoscantur.
Latin Gloss mime-able
| 8 Iter vel itus est via qua iri ab homine quaquaversum potest. Iter autem et itiner diversam significationem habent. Iter enim est locus transitu facilis; unde appellamus et itum. Itiner autem est itus longae viae, et ipse labor
ambulandi ut quo velis pervenias. 9 Semita itineris dimidium est, a semiitu dicta. Semita autem hominum est, calles ferarum et pecudum. 10 Callis est iter pecudum inter montes angustum et tritum, a callo pedum vocatum, sive
a callo pecudum praeduratum. Tramites sunt transversa in agris itinera, sive recta via, dicta quod transmittat. 11 Divortia sunt flexus viarum, hoc est viae in diversa tendentes. Idem diverticula sunt, hoc est diversae ac divisae viae, sive semitae transversae quae sunt a latere viae. 12 Bivium, quia duplex est via. Conpeta, quia plures in ea conpetunt viae, quasi triviae, quadriviae. Ambitus inter vicinorum aedificia locus, duorum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundi facultatem relictus, et ab ambulando dictus. 13 Orbita vestigium carri, ab orbe rotae dicta. Porro actus, quo pecus agi solet. Clivosum iter flexuosum. Vestigia sunt pedum signa primis plantis expressa, vocata quod his viae praecurrentium investigentur, id est agnoscantur. | iter a going, walk, way/place on which one goes — way, passage, path (and a meas. of distance — a day’s journey) itiner var of iter itus (ūs) a going, gait/a going away/the right of going anywhere, right of road quaquaversum quaqua versus -- to all sides (quāquā = wheresoever) semita narrow way, footpath, lane calles stony, uneven, mtn path, path made by treading of cattle//callus,a,um — hard, hard covering of soil, hardness, hardened thick skin upon animal bodies — hoof? tritum trodden, common, worn underfoot
praeduratum made very hard tramites (trames) a cross-way, sideway, footpath (semita) transversa cross direction, intersecting diagonally transmitto cross over, cross through
divortia (ium) separations, fork in road diversae turned different ways, separated, spread out in opposite directions divisae divided tendentes stretching diverticula little divortia? latere side of the road
bivium where two ways meet, cross-roads conpeta (compitum) cross-roads conpeto,-ere meet or come together trivia fork in road, place where 3 roads meet ambitus surrounded, encircled vicinus in the neighborhood, near
orbita track made by wheel, track, course, path porro farther on clivus ascending road, gently sloping height flexuosus full of turns or windings, tortuous, crooked vestigia foot-tracks</SPAN> expressa expressed, visible praecurrens hastening on, preceding excelling</SPAN> investigentur discovered agnoscantur recognized
| iter/itus ire
facilis pervenias dimidium ferarum, pecudum montes angustum tritum praeduratum recta
flexus tendentes latere
bivium plures conpetuntc circumeundi facultatem ire relictus
orbita vestigium orbe rota porro pecus agi clivosum flexuosum signa plantis expressa praecurrentium investigentur adnoscantur |
Reading an authentic text :
Isidori Hispalensis Episcopi Liber XV DE AEDIFICIIS ET AGRIS 28 pt
In the passage we are reading, St. Isidore describes many different kinds of roads.
Remember that when you read an authentic text, there will be much vocabulary and grammar that you do not understand. You have learned strategies for uncovering the basic meaning of a text. Now it is your job to show that you can do this. The passage has been broken up into individual sentences; most of them have a question following. Your task is to show your comprehension by answering very briefly or by drawing a simple picture to illustrate your answer. Please also circle the Latin words which support your answer.
14 questions: 6 to answer, 5 to draw, 3 to draw/and or answer
1. Iter vel itus est via quā īrī ab homine quāquāversum potest. What would you find on an iter or itiner ?
2. Iter autem et itiner diversam significationem habent. Are iter & itiner synonyms (same meaning) ? Explain.
3. Iter enim est locus transitū facilis; unde appellāmus et itum. What is special about an iter ?
4. Itiner autem est itus longae viae, et ipse labor ambulandī ut quō velis perveniās.
5. Semita itineris dimidium est, a semiitū dicta. Draw a semita.
6.Semita autem hominum est, callēs ferārum et pecudum. What travels on a semita ?
7.Callis est iter pecudum inter montēs angustum et tritum, ā callō pedum vocatum, sive ā callō pecudum praedūratum. Where can you find a callis ?
8.Tramitēs sunt transversa in agrīs itinera, sive recta via, dicta quod transmittat. Draw a tramita.
9. Divortia sunt flexus viārum, hoc est viae in diversa tendentēs. Draw some divortia.
10. Idem diverticula sunt, hoc est diversae ac divīsae viae, sive semitae transversae quae sunt ā latere viae.
11. Bivium [est], quia duplex est via. Draw or explain a bivium.
12. Conpeta [est], quia plurēs in eā conpetunt viae, quasi triviae, quadriviae. Draw a conpeta.
13. Ambitus inter vicinōrum aedificia locus, duōrum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundī facultatem relictus, et ab ambulandō dictus. How big is an ambitus?
14. Orbita vestigium carrī, ab orbe rotae dicta. What makes an orbita? Draw it.
15. Porro actus, quo pecus agī solet.
16. Clivosum iter flexuosum. Draw an iter clivosum.
17.Vestigia sunt pedum signa primīs plantīs expressa, vocāta quod hīs viae praecurrentium investigentur, id est agnoscantur. Draw or describe vestigia.
Teacher asks these questions in Latin, for Latin response.
1. Quid est iter? (est via)
2. Estne iter, itiner? (non est)
3. Quis in semitā est? (vir/agricola in semitā est)
4. Qui in calle sunt? (“ferārum et pecudum” — case not important here)
5. Ubi est trames? (in agrō)
6. Quot viae in biviō sunt? (duo)
7. Inter quid ambitus est? (inter vicinōrum aedificia)
8. Quid est orbita? (vestigium carrī)
9. Quid in orbitā agi solet? (pecus)
10. Quae sunt vestigia? (signa )
Objective: students will identify the author's purpose and his audience in an authentic text, in order to better prepare themselves for the reading of it.
Warm-up: Students view the title page of an encyclopedia (real book/transparency/powerpoint slide). They jot four things coming to mind when they see this, and should make both "text-to-text" and "text-to-student" connnections.
Discussion questions: what are your expectations in seeing that this is an "encyclopedia"? Why is it called that? Why is this a Greek word? When was the first encyclopedia written (bring in Denis Diderot)? Tie together the concept of encyclopedia and the Greek passion for knowing about their world, leading to study of "natural philosophy", leading to our mathematics, physics, earth sciences.
-What kind of information is found in an encyclopedia? What is the purpose of writing one? Expository or fiction? What tone is found in the writing?
-Readership: if you write it, who reads it? What factors affect the size of your audience, or readership? When St. Isidore was writing (c. 600 A.D.) the Roman Empire was officially Christian. How did this affect his readership? If a bishop writes, who reads?
-What predictions can you make about the upcoming passage on roads, knowing that it comes from an encyclopedia?
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