Sarah Ruff

Learning Activity #1
FLE5291
28 July 2010

Topic: Latin Zoo Virtual Field Trip/Latin Fables

Student Proficiency Level: Latin II

Estimated Lesson Time: One 50-minute session

National ACTFL Standards:

-1.2 Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a
variety of topics.
-1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of
listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
-3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines
through the foreign language.
-4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of the language
through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
-5.2 Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the
language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

Sunshine State Standards:

-FL.A.2.4. (same as ACTFL 1.2)
-FL.A.3.4 (same as ACTFL 1.3)
-FL.C.1.4 (same as ACTFL 3.1)

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to:

-identify an animal by its name in Latin
-use Google docs and collaborate with a partner by:
-identifying various grammatical components of the chosen fable
-providing a translation of the fable to the class

Materials:
-scrap paper/pencil
-computer
-a Gmail account already set-up
-Latin/English dictionary (if uncomfortable with online dictionaries)

Procedure/Activities:
Introduction:
1. I will explain the activity to the class before we go to the
computer lab.
2. I will lead the class to the computer lab and tell them to open
their Gmail accounts and another browser window.
 Activity:
1. I will write on the board the website they are to go to in their
separate browser window: http://bestianalatina.pbworks.com/
2. For 10 minutes the students will browse the virtual “zoo” and
familiarize themselves with the alternate names, fables, etc.
This time is meant for them to explore and enjoy themselves.
3. I will randomly assign each student to a partner who is not
sitting nearby and give them a choice between three fables
involving one or more of the animals to work on with their
partner.
4. One of the students in each group will copy and paste the fable
into a Google doc and share it with their partner.
5. One student will be responsible for highlighting the various
genders of the nouns in the fable in different colors (ex.
masculine-blue, feminine-pink, neuter-green) and the other
student will be responsible for highlighting the verb tenses the
same way (ex. present tense-orange, perfect tense-red). The
students will have their chat window open in case there is a
disagreement about a highlighted word (The students will be
allotted no more than 5-10 minutes for this).
6. Each group will translate their fable on their Google doc. The
students may split it up however they choose (ex. every other
sentence/line, work together the whole time, etc). They are free
to use any online dictionary (ex. Whitaker’s Words) or hard copy
dictionary to assist them. I will continually walk around the lab to
ensure each partner is working on it and to offer assistance on
any new or unknown grammar.
7. After 15-20 minutes, one student in each group will print their
document as well as a picture of the animal featured in the
fable. Each group will stand in front of the class and read their
fable both in Latin and in English to the rest of the class.

Follow-up:
-Each student will be asked to complete another translation of a fable for
homework that night to be shared with the class the following day. They
will choose their animal before class is over in order to ensure every
student has a different animal. If a student does not have computer
access at home, I will provide them with a print-out of a fable to take
home with them, as well as a Latin/English dictionary if they do not own
at home.