Introduction: This was the lesson of the Capitulum Secundum class test. I wrote the following on the board, and explained to the students upfront how I wanted them to spend the lesson. Here, however, I will explain each in turn. Note: I told the students that this was a strictly “no speaking” lesson - that if they had a question about the test they could come to the front and ask me. If they had questions about any other (non-urgent) matter, they should write them in the backs of their books to ask another time.
Test: The students were told that they could have as long as they wanted to complete the test - there was about 35 minutes of class time. They were told that they should hand their test in whenever it was completed, and take a copy of the rules for Tumultus to read through. Class tests can be downloaded here. Note: the first tests were handed in after about 20 mins. Some students used the entire time allocated.
2. Rules: Students were asked to hand in their tests upon completion, and take a copy of the rules for Tumultus. Tumultus is a four player card game in which players use fighters to battle, and bards to heal. It has been designed to reinforce the vocabulary and grammar of Capitulum Tertium. You can download a copy here. The students were told that they could read the rules thoroughly, or just skim them through quickly. We will be playing the game in a few lesson’s time.
3. Read: The students were asked to return the Tumulus rules to the pile once they were done with them, and to take out their text books and read silently. They were free to reread a chapter, or to try reading ahead. Some took the opportunity to look through the book and explore the many images and diagrams.
4. The Bell: At the end of the lesson, students returned any material they were still working with (the test or rules) and headed off to their next lesson. Valete!
Observations: I was pleased with the results in the test. Every student achieved full marks on the first page, and the average mark (out of 60) was in the mid to high 50’s. I was left feeling that more focus is needed on noun and adjective morphology, and have begun work on a new activity - recte/prave - which will involve oral drills. More on this soon.