Every Wednesday afternoon, during the ‘afternoon activities' slot in periods 8 and 9, a group of 15 girls in Yr 12 visit St. Johns C of E School in Stanmore to run an after school Latin club.
We teach from the ‘Minimus' range of Latin books for beginners that cover all the preliminary essentials such as infinitives and personal endings as well as exposing the more light-hearted side to Latin, through fun picture-box stories and intriguing background information about the Ancient Romans at the end of each chapter.
The children who attend the club are split into groups depending on their age and previous Latin experience; those who have been attending Minimus sessions throughout 2009 are currently in groups that are working through ‘Minimus Secundus', the second edition which covers more sophisticated Latin and grammar.
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"I've tremendously enjoyed running sessions with my partner and I think that visiting the same group of children each week has meant that I have developed a strong connection to each one, and I understand how they think and respond to different tasks that we do during the session, be it constructive learning games or reading and translation. The experience of teaching is something which is extremely powerful in that it gives you an enhanced sense of respect and admiration for what our teachers here are able to do for us. Planning lessons, coping with disruptions and keeping everyone's understanding up to scratch isn't an easy feat, and although it has been a challenge, I appreciate the great opportunity that Minimus has given me and have had a great amount of fun during the last 15 weeks" Simi Nijher, Yr12
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