VF: Overview

Image: an illustration of a teacher in front of his pupils in a Roman school.Overview: Caedes Foedissima - pars IV

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi.
A precipice in front, wolves behind.
Famous Latin Saying (unattributed)

Pseudolus has gathered information and there is a clear suspect at the very start: the famous general, Agrippa. However, Agrippa was a great man. He was powerful and a close friend of the emperor. Agrippa was not a man Pseudolus could afford to accuse without an airtight case.  Even then, should he continue? As Pseudolus pondered his next move, a new figure appeared to inform him that he was on the via falsa (wrong path). What new information did Pseudolus learn? Was this first suspect actually his last?

Study Guide and Reading Log

As you progress through the module, please download and use the Study Guide Links to an external site. to assist you in your note taking. The study guide can help guide your understanding of the module and provides important practice for the concepts covered on each page. At the end of the module, you can then use the study guide as a tool to help prepare you for the module exam.

For Latin II, there will be a story told in parts, with each module telling a part of the story by presenting Latin reading passages. To successfully complete the reading for each module, please download the Reading Help Links to an external site. handout now and use it while completing the story lessons.

Essential Questions

  1. How do you form and translate the positive, comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives?
  2. How do positive, comparative and superlative adjectives modify nouns?
  3. How do you form an adverb from an adjective?
  4. How do you form the comparative and superlative forms of the adverb?
  5. How were young Romans educated?

Key Terms

  1. Gender - masculine, feminine or neuter
  2. Number - singular or plural
  3. Case - how a noun or pronoun is being used in a sentence
  4. Comparison - a special function of adjectives and adverbs that shows a degree of modification.
  5. Positive - regular degree - standard adjective/adverb meaning
  6. Comparative - degree that expresses "more"
  7. Superlative - degree that expresses "most"
  8. Agreement - how an adjective matches up with the noun it modifies.  Nouns and adjectives agree in case, number and gender.
  9. Magister - teacher.  A formal title for a private tutor.  The magister of a prominent household was often a Greek slave.
  10. Ludus Litterarius - primary school.  The first level of Roman education.  All education in Rome was private, but most Romans could afford to send their children to this lowest level of education.  Students began around age 7.
  11. Paedagogus - a slave whose job it was to take a child to and from school.  He served as a bodyguard and also carried the child’s books.
  12. Litterator - The lead teacher of a ludus litterarius.  The litterator taught the basics of reading and writing by using famous Latin texts.
  13. Grammaticus - The second level of Roman education.  This level was more exclusive and mostly only wealthy males went on to this level.  Studies included a deeper understanding of grammar and poetry.  Students started this level between 9-12 years old.
  14. Rhetor - The highest level of Roman education, and exclusive to only the wealthiest or most prominent students.  The focus was on public speaking, but included lessons on geography, art, music, and a wide variety of topics.  Students at this level were generally planning to become politicians or lawyers.

ALL RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.
Image created using clip art from FCIT Links to an external site..