Vatican Museum / Borghese Gallery

Thanks to the following for indicating their preferences on the blog:

Michelle
Arron
Sam
Nathan
Jordan
Nat
Hunter
Jacob
Makhayla
Wasnaa
Victoria
Sarah
Emilie

Taylor, David, and Robert - please write your preferences in a comment on this post.

Looking Backward, Looking Forward

A few quick notes on the final, in case you were curious:

• Ms. Tyma and I were careful in dividing up the grading to avoid situations in which we would assess the same question differently on different exams. To that end, I was responsible for grading the first five IDs and she took the other five. I graded the Aeneas essay and she graded the Rome essay. I graded all of the lit terms. The other sections, obviously, were more objective than subjective, so it didn't matter who graded them.
• On the IDs, we decided that out of the 3 points available for each one, we would give half a point for each of the five Ws and then give the remaining 0.5 for particularly good work in any of the five areas. In a couple of cases, one of the fine Ws was not clear or important, so we adjusted the grading accordingly.
• On the roots, it was pretty clear that a lot of people were close on roots without getting them entirely correct. So, in order to be consistent, we decided that if the person was within one letter of the proper root, we would give credit. If they weren't, we would not give credit.
• Total points on the test added up to 98, so we gave everyone two free points to bring the total score to 100.
  
• When we hand back the tests either this week or next, we encourage you to add up the points for yourself and make sure that our math was right. We're also happy to meet to address any questions you have about it.

And now, the weeks ahead:

• I mentioned last week that revised elegies were due Monday, but I didn't do a particularly good job of reminding y'all of that after the final, so I'm going to relax that deadline. Get the latest revision to me this week. Of particular importance - many of you made marginal changes on your first rewrite. If you continue to be in the position of telling, not showing, consider identifying your favorite 5-10 lines, cutting the rest, and then rebuilding around those lines. I know it feels terrible to delete work, but poetry often operates like that. Also, make sure that you review assignment requirements.
• I am also going to ask every group to make a round of edits to their handout. Each group was in a slightly different position in terms of what needs to be done. For some, it's a matter of polishing. For others, serious revision is required. I would also like these by Friday. I will be holding off grading these handouts until the revisions are received.
• Tomorrow (Monday), Ms. Tyma and I will introduce the Emperor assignment, which will require each of you to research and then develop a profile of a specific Roman emperor. The emperor card will be due end of class Tuesday and will serve as the foundation for our short overview of the Roman Empire.
• Finally, in Writing Lab this week you will all begin planning your tour guide presentations in earnest. Your goal should be to make a lot of progress on this during the week, especially if you want your spring break to be a real break.

Reading through that list, it should be clear that, despite it being the first week after final exams, you all need to keep your engines revving. You can count on Writing Lab time on M/Th and class time on M/T, but everything else will have to be done at home.

Don't get discouraged or overwhelmed. Do what it takes to maximize your productivity. Break this down into individual tasks that you can knock off, one at a time. Remember - all of this work right now will make the trip much more memorable and valuable once we make it to Italy and Greece.

Also be aware, though, that the last week before departure - April 5-9 - will be hectic. You'll have the normal school work to deal with, baseball players will have four games, you'll have packing and last-minute shopping to deal with, and you'll be wrapping your head around the fact that you'll be away from home and stuck with all of us for two weeks. It'll be hard. Do everything you can to make that week more manageable for you.

Even if it means doing some work over spring break.

I know, I know. That seems unjust, if not immoral. But, having spring break one short week before two weeks in Europe makes it more of a luxury than a desperate need. If you could take one day out of those nine days of vacation and be really productive, you could make that last week much, much easier.

Think about it...

Finally, you'll probably want a book for the trip. Why not read something kind of relevant? Here are a few options that come to mind:

• I, Claudius by Robert Graves - Considered the best work of historical fiction based in ancient Rome, Graves writes this as the autobiography of Emperor Claudius. It begins with Augustine and moves through the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Meticulously researched, it offers a great look into the early Roman Empire.
• Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World by d'Epiro and Pinkowish - 50 short chapters on important people and developments in Italian history. It starts in the ancient era, with pieces on the Roman calendar, Roman law, Julius Caesar, and more. But, it tracks Italian contributions from there all the way to the near-present, with chapters on St. Francis, Michelangelo, Garibaldi, and Ferrari. With sections ranging from 5-10 pages, it's an easy travel book, as you can read in short spurts without having to worry about losing the narrative flow.
• Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: The Building of St. Peter's by R.A. Scotti - A fascinating story of the building of the Vatican's basilica, in which many of the great figures of the Italian renaissance are featured. If you're interested in architecture, the renaissance, or the Church, this is a great, highly readable option.
• Excellent Cadavers by Alexander Stille - Easily the best book I've read on the Italian mafia. As much investigative reporting as it is historical non-fiction, this book is vividly written and the high drama Stille builds might actually get your heart beating.
  
• If you want to read something by an Italian writer, my favorite is Italo Calvino. Some of his works can be difficult to unpack, but The Non-Existent Knight and the Cloven Viscount are fun fantasy stories. Invisible Cities is brilliant, and certain to be unlike anything you've read.
  

Study Guide

Posted here because Makhayla asked nicely...

PART I - Vocab: You will be expected to know all words from Units 7, 8, and 9 - including stems and challenge words. As a friendly reminder, here is the complete list:

Unit 7: Domus, Dominus, Dormio, Dormire, Dormivi, Somnus, Lavo, Lavare, Lavi, Vestis, Domicile, Domestic, Domain, Domineer, Dominion, Dormant, Somnambulate, Somnolent, Ablution, Deluge, Divest, Investiture, Travesty, Vestment, Vested, Major-domo, Lavage, Demesne, Lave, Duenna, Lavabo

Unit 8: Coquo, Coquere, Coxi, Voro, Vorare, Voravi, Mel, Mellis, Sal, Bibo, Bibere, Bibi, Poto, Potare, Potavi, Ludo, Ludere, Lusi, Allude, Carnivorous, Collusion, Concoct, Cuisine, Delusion, Elude, Herbivorous, Imbibe, Mellifluous, Potable, Potion, Precocious, Saline, Voracious, Desalinate, Bibber, Illusive, Illusory, Interlude, Ludicrous, Postlude

Unit 9: Caput, Capitis, Cerebrum, Facies, Frons, Frontis, Affront, Capitalist, Capitulation, Cerebral, Cerebration, Confront, Decapitate, Deface, Efface, Effrontery, Facade, Facet, Precipice, Precipitate, Recapitulation, Cap-a-pie, Capitation, Per capita, Cerebellum, Cerebral cortex, Cerebral palsy, Facing, Prima facie, Frontispiece

PART II - Greek/Roman Gods: Early this semester, you were given a list linking the Greek and Roman names for many prominent gods. These are worth knowing, so we will test you on the most prominent pairings on this exam. The gods you need to know are listed below; you will be asked to match names on the exam.

Jupiter/Zeus
Juno/Hera
Minerva/Athena
Mars/Ares
Venus/Aphrodite
Phoebus/Apollo

PART III - IDs: You will be required to identify a number of historical events, figures, and terms. All possible ID subjects are listed below. A successful ID will cover the who/what/when/where/why.

Romulus
Remus
Faustulus
Amulius
Sabine women
Cacus
Aeneas
Dido
Anchises
Etruscans
12 Tables
Patricians/Plebeians

PART IV - Literary Terms: Define the following terms and provide an example of where we have seen them. Don't just name the story - describe how the specific term is used by the author and for what purpose.

Personification
Foreshadowing
Elegy
Founding myth
Allegory

PART V - Essays: You will be asked to write several essays of varying length, though all relatively short. Essay topics may focus on the following areas:

• The relationship between Aeneas and the gods
• The government of the Roman Republic - from beginning to end
• The stages of the Roman Republic
• The success of Augustus
• Daily life and leisure in Ancient Rome

Monday Homework and Rome Museums

Reminder - for Monday, please visit the Daily Life database and find at least one article to read on gladiators and/or Spartacus. Then, write a 1-2 paragraph summary of that article on your group blog. Be sure to include the title of your selected article and the author.

Click here to be directed to the Daily Life Database. Username is tesseract and Password is tesseract.

Also, a reminder - I will need to hear from you over the next week or so if you have interest in visiting the Vatican Museums and/or the Borghese Gallery. If you're curious about what each collection includes, check out the following links:

Vatican Museums

• Collections online - see 30 of the highlights
• Sacred Destinations - a great overview of the collection
• Reviews - opinions on the museums from other tourists

Borghese Gallery

• Official Site - includes pictures of many highlights
• Virtual Tour - another good overview of the collection
• Reviews - opinions from tourists
  

March Homework Schedule

Week of March 1-5 - Connecting the Myth and the History

• Monday, March 1 - Tour guide notes
• Tuesday, March 2 - Vocab, Unit 9
• Wednesday, March 3 - Work on elegy/poster
  
• Thursday, March 4 - Elegy rewrite AND analytical poster
• Friday, March 5 - Nothing

Week of March 8-12 - Daily Life and Leisure in Rome - Working, Bathing, Killing

• Monday, March 8 - Slavery/Gladiators - Read one article from Daily Life database and write a 1-2 paragraph summary on your group blog
  
• Tuesday, March 9 - Slavery/Gladiators (Homework TBD)
• Wednesday, March 10 - Daily Life (Homework TBD)
  
• Thursday, March 11 - Vocab Test, Unit 9 in Writing Lab /Leisure Activities (Homework TBD)
• Friday, March 12 - Service Day

Week of March 15-19 - Exam Week (Schedule TBD)

• Monday, March 15 - Tour Guide Handout Due
  

Week of March 22-26 - Roman Emperors

Week of March 29 - April 2 - Spring Break

Week of April 5-9 - Final Trip Prep

April 10 - Depart for Italy