33 | Students choose from a variety of topics in order to find texts that are most meaningful to them. By using familiar genres such as fables, myths, and short stories, students are able to use their familiarity with these genres to predict and anticipate what will happen. In addition, many short films (5-7 minutes long) with little to no dialogue are well-suited for the Library since they tell their story through actions. Students are introduced to texts from the entire history of Latin literature, reading Latin texts from antiquity, the middle ages, the early modern period, and today. Students’ comprehension is assisted by frequent illustrations, approximately one per paragraph. “Picture books” create a multisensory environment that help beginning readers not only read the words, but also attach images and sounds to people, things, actions, feelings, and history. Students have multiple opportunities to interact with, respond to, and elaborate on the stories they read. Each story will have a comprehension check and an opportunity for students to respond to the text in such a way that they can compare earlier cultures with their own. Students read fables, folktales, mythological stories, and short films that are well-suited for exploring the experiences of poor and rich, women, slaves, and different racial and ethnic groups. As a result, their intercultural understanding will increase. Students are prepared to read and comprehend Latin texts at increasingly higher levels of proficiency by reading a set of stories on a particular theme, such as flying. |
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