11 Latin

This year you will consolidate and extend your knowledge and understanding of Latin grammar and vocabulary while you continue to improve your translation and comprehension skills. 

We will begin the year by continuing to read the engaging stories of our old friends Quintus and Salvius set in Roman Britain, before at last moving to Rome, the centre of the Mediterranean world in the period of the Roman Empire. While you read increasingly more complex Latin you will continue to learn about Roman life and culture, and your learning will focus on life in the city where it all began. Mores Romani topics include Roman religious beliefs and practices, the army, the layout and key features of Rome, the structure of Roman society and the Jewish revolt.

A new feature of Latin this year is the study of ‘real’, authentic Latin literature written by Roman poets. In 2023 this will focus on the fantastic mythological story of the Athenian hero Theseus, who slew the monstrous Minotaur, half-man, half-bull, and the Cretan princess Ariadne, who helped him and abandoned her own family in doing so. We will read extracts by the famous poets Ovid and Catullus.

You will also develop your understanding of the incredible influence of Latin on English when you research the various ways in which, over the centuries, Latin entered the language we all communicate with today.

Year 11 Latin will be assessed by regular tests throughout the year, Mores Romani projects, and 1 NCEA internal standard based on the Latin literature (6 credits).

Students who choose to study Latin in Year 11 in 2023 may continue with a full NCEA programme in Years 12 and 13. This course will run dependent on numbers.