Biography

The primary goal for students is to learn to read and write basic Latin fluently while following the daily life of a Roman boy named Quintus and his family, as portrayed in the Oxford Latin Course. Quintus grows up to become the famous Roman poet known as Horace, who witnessed the collapse of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire under Augustus! Throughout the course, students explore Latin grammar and vocabulary in-depth, focusing on the various cases of nouns in the first three declensions and various forms of verbs in the present tense. In addition, they cultivate a love of language by exploring the histories of words, not only English but also the Romance Languages, and their roots in Latin and Greek. Integral to the study of language is reflection on the foundations of western civilization through explorations of Roman daily life, history, literature, geography, and mythology. In addition, each student begins to understand how he or she learns and to develop strategies for optimizing memory, for launching clear written and oral expression, and for establishing critical thinking skills.

All Latin students belong to the California Junior Classical League and have the option to participate in local and statewide conventions.