Welcome to the Classics Department Minisite!

 

February 2012

 

Olympia Here We Come!

It is only a matter of weeks now before 27 Port Regis athletes take to the track of the stadium at Ancient Olympia to see who will be awarded the laurel crown of victory. For those unable to come, to celebrate the Olympics in London this year, we present a special Olympic Quiz. Just click Port Regis - Curriculum - Classics - Quizzes and you will find four questions to answer. The first to email the correct answers gets the prize.

 

Word Perfect!

Pictured right are nine members of Mrs Campbell's A Yellow Latin set celebrating their success in vocabulary tests last term. All scored full marks in their weekly tests and joined twenty four other children in the top three forms in receiving certificates from the Headmaster in recognition of their achievement, the greatest number since records began. Weekly vocabulary tests are considered an important part of the Latin programme at Port Regis and all children are encouraged to aim for full marks. Much vocabulary will be picked up easily from repetition in the passages of the Cambridge Latin Course, but there are always going to be some words which need to be revised in Latin preps.

 

Greek Week!

There will be quite an emphasis on Greek in the coming months. In the first week of February the A Red set (Charles and Rupert, pictured left) will study Greek in all their Classics lessons for a full week to boost their understanding of the language in preparation for Common Entrance in June. At the end of March twenty seven children will spend six days in Greece investigating sites at Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Athens on the annual Classics Department overseas trip. One evening they are planning to learn Zorba's Dance which they will then perform before the school on a specially themed Greek Day early in May. Besides dancing and Greek bazouki music, there will be mythology quizzes and a Greek-style lunch.

 

Walking in the Footsteps of King Togidubnus

On Monday 7th November four classics sets visited the Roman Palace at Fishbourne; Beta and B Red, who are about to meet the probable resident of the palace, King Togidubnus, in the stories of Book 2 of the Cambridge Latin Course; A Blue, who are studying Roman Britain as part of the Common Entrance Latin syllabus; and B Purple, who were particularly interested in looking at the magnificent mosaics, a topic in their course on "The Romans as Builders". Besides an extensive tour of the mosaics, where the children learnt to date the floors and recognise different styles, they undertook research in the museum, translated extracts from the Cambridge Latin Course in situ, and enjoyed a handling workshop, where their ability to identify broken artefacts was put to the test. Fishbourne is a fair distance away but the journey is always more than worthwhile, especially when the on-board entertainment features Dan and Peter Snow on Boudica and The Eagle of the Ninth.

 

Firm Foundations

The impressive dome of the Pantheon in Rome still stands today because it was made of concrete. The Romans invented concrete and, as part of their Classical Studies course, B Purple were treated to a demonstration of how concrete is made courtesy of the Works Department. Eventually the children pulled on their rubber gloves and had a go a mixing the cement, aggregate and water themselves. After the Romans, concrete was not used in building until the 16th, or possibly, 17th century.