The Italy of Caesar and Vergil: A Workshop for Teachers

TOUR COMPLETED

July 2-13, 2013

This workshop for high school Latin teachers will combine classroom sessions in successful pedagogical practices with thematically relevant site visits that illuminate the lives and works of Caesar and Vergil. Morning study sessions will provide ideas and skills to enrich both beginning and advanced courses, with a focus on the readings and abilities required by the revised Advanced Placement syllabus. Afternoon site and museum visits will contextualize the writings of these authors elucidating the common themes of Caesar’s commentarii and Vergil’s Aeneid. Through thoughtfully constructed lectures and on-site readings from ancient writers, teachers will acquire interpretive insights and instructional strategies for teaching these essential authors. Sites include: Rome (Forum, Palatine, Campus Martius), Temple of Apollo and Atrium of the Sibyl at Cumae, Lake Avernus, Tomb of Vergil, Sperlonga, Pompeii, Lavinium, Herculaneum and Vesuvius.

Workshop Instructors:
Keely Lake: Ph.D. Wayland Academy
Christopher Gregg: Assistant Professor Art History , George Mason University

For further information, email Keely Lake: klake@wayland.org

Itinerary of Site Visits and Classroom Sessions

July 2 Tuesday Rome

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session: Introductions; Overview of Workshop; Overview of New AP Course Requirements; sample syllabi; available resources
PM: Defining and Building Rome: Evander and Caesar: Tiber, Temple of Hercules, Forum Boarium, Forum Holitorium, Lupercal, Theater of Marcellus, Capitoline Hill, Capitoline Museum

July 3 Wednesday Rome

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session: Examination and discussion of each type of AP Exam question: multiple choice, translation, “spot,” short and long essay: writing multiple choice questions
PM: The Campus Martius from Republic to Empire: Ara Pacis, Augustus’ Mausoleum, obelisks, Pantheon, Baths of Agrippa, Palazzo Altemps Museum

July 4 Thursday Rome

Leadership in the Rome of Romulus, Caesar & Augustus:
AM: Forum Romanum & Palatine Hill
PM: Imperial Fora focusing on the Forum of Caesar and the Forum of Augustus, Column of Trajan; Optional visits to Palazzo Massimo and/or Colosseum

July 5 Friday

Departure from Rome and travel to our base for the remainder of the program, the Harry Wilks Study Center at the Villa Vergiliana, the overseas Study Center of the Vergilian Society in Italy.
Aeneas’ Landfall in Italy: Lavinium, the Tomb of Aeneas and associated sanctuary, Pomezia, Villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga

July 6 Saturday

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session at the Villa: Practice “chunking” and grading translation passages
PM: Vergil’s Underworld: Lake Avernus, passageway to the underworld, Solfatara

July 7 Sunday

Pompeii, Humans and the Gods

July 8 Monday

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session at the Villa: Practice writing “spot” questions
PM: Caesar, Vergil and Augustus in Naples: National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Tomb of Vergil

July 9 Tuesday

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session at the Villa: Discussion of strategies and techniques for writing & grading essay questions
PM: Gender and Ethnicity in Coastal Campania: Baiae, site and museum, Misenum, beach stop

July 10 Wednesday

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session at the Villa: Preparing students for the AP course; Translation, Spot, Essay writing assignments
PM: Hercules and Vulcan: Herculaneum, Vesuvius, Villa of the Papyri

July 11 Thursday

Greek Settlements, Native inhabitants, Roman Colonies: Pastime

July 12 Friday

AM: 8:30 – 11:30 Classroom Session at the Villa: Presentation of Best Practices
PM: The Sibyl: Cumae: Temple of Apollo, Grotto of the Sibyl

July 13 Saturday

Departure from the Harry Wilks Study Center at the Villa Vergiliana and Return to Rome