When I left high school a few years ago, having studied Latin and Classical Civilisation to A level and progressed to study Primary Education at University, I made a promise to myself that I would
teach Classics to children in whatever way I could. But more importantly, I
would try to stoke the same passion and excitement for the subject in the
children I would teach as my own teachers had in me. On my second block
placement with Stranmillis University College at Whitehouse Primary School,
Principal Frazer Bailie (whom I would like to thank immeasurably for allowing
me into his school and having the chance to bring Classics with me) kindly
gave me permission to host a Classics club for Key Stage 2 children every
Tuesday afternoon for five weeks. Suffice to say the classicist in me was elated.
I should explain that I am a student
primary school teacher, and so the idea of running an entire club from start to
finish was a bit intimidating, even with previous experience of working with
children in extra-curricular activities. So as I sat down to plan my five-week
scheme of work I thought “how do I make this relevant?” Because that’s the key
in teaching, isn’t it? Make it relevant, make it fun and the learning will
follow. At the time, I realised that the chances were that the children I would
be teaching would never have had any formal experience in learning Classics, and
so it was up to me to make sure they formed a love for it.
In my training at Stranmillis we are told
to make topics as cross-curricular as possible, meaning you can teach Music
through Literacy or Numeracy through World Around Us (History, Geography and
Science and Technology) topics. I am of the opinion that Classics is the
perfect cross-curricular topic and so that is how I set out in planning my Club
– not only was it going to be fun, it was going to be as enriching as possible.
Five weeks, five lessons and a whole lot
of Classics to cram into my short time-slot, but I was determined to make the
most out of my time at Whitehouse. Week One started with a brief introduction
to Classics. An exploration, if you will, of the topic as well as the
beginnings of Latin. Over twenty Key Stage 2 children involved in the Club
seemed enthralled that their first taste of Latin was casting Harry Potter
spells – certainly a deviation from the routine Numeracy and Literacy! This not
only captured their attention straight away, it meant that from the very
start of their Classical education they were expanding their vocabulary
(a statutory requirement in the Northern Ireland National Curriculum). “Expecto
Patronum!” shouted eagerly throughout the halls of Whitehouse Primary
School quickly turned into a discussion of what a patron was and how the word
‘expect’ comes from the Latin verb expecto.
Moving on to the first few pages of the
Cambridge Latin Course (Book I), the children got a taste of some of the first
stages in learning Latin when they reach post-primary. With some background to
Pompeii and an interesting family, the children were able once again to explore
the Latin language. They especially enjoyed the flash card pop quiz at the end, with the all-important Haribo on offer should they get a new vocabulary word
correct.
The Classics Club was off to a roaring
start, with some new children joining the following week, having heard of the
fun already had in the early stages. Week Two proved a challenge to plan. Do I
follow the Cambridge Latin course for the next four weeks or do I vary what
parts of Classics the children should experience? I decided, for the time being,
to continue with more of the Cambridge Latin course so that the children
could begin to formulate simple sentences in Latin. So we moved on to Roman
houses. Some background and context started us off, generating a comparison of
Ancient Roman houses and houses today and so another way in which Classics can
be used as a stimulus for the Northern Ireland National Curriculum. The young
classicists then moved on to learning the Latin names for Roman rooms using
flash cards (and an exaggerated Italian accent!). Using an A1 poster of a
cross-section of a Pompeian Villa and some laminated character and word cards,
the children solidified their knowledge of Latin words and phrases. If I said “Caecilius
est in horto” they would have to place Caecilius on the correct place on
the board. A competition began, sweets were given out and the next generation
of classicists began to see that Classics really was worth learning (hopefully
because of more than just the promise of sweets!).
For Week Three, the Classics Club took a
flight from Ancient Rome to Ancient Greece, and rolled up their sleeves ready
for what I had in store. So far, I had managed to link Classics to Literacy,
Drama and World Around Us in the Northern Ireland Primary Curriculum, but now
it was time for some Music. And what better way to do this than to learn to rap
the Ancient Greek alphabet? Through the YouTube video above, the children were soon able to rap the alphabet on
their own, knew where our current alphabet came from and even managed to write
out all the Greek letters. Out of all the sessions we had together, this was the most fun for children and teacher alike. It allowed us to let go of our
inhibitions and learn a song we could impress our friends with later. I’ll
forever cherish the memory of walking twenty children out to the front gates to
meet their parents whilst singing the Ancient Greek alphabet!
Week Four continued in Ancient Greece with Drama and Theatre. Incorporating both Art & Design and Drama into one lesson was no
small task, but the children delighted in the great variety Classics was
providing, decorating Greek tragedy masks and trying on togas and stolas. It
was certainly quite different from their normal school-day activities!
Week Five finished the Classics Club with
a return to Ancient Rome, specifically its dining-table. If time and culinary
skill were on my side, I might have served a banquet of dormice, flamingo
tongues and garum but alas, there was just a selection of peach juice and iced
buns on offer. I sat down and discussed with them the food served at the dramatic parties
hosted by Caligula (a P.C. version!) and took the opportunity to answer
questions on Classics at post-primary level, with many students taking a keen
interest in the possibility of continuing the subject. Perhaps this was an
indication of the success of the Classics Club.
All in all, my wonderful experience at
Whitehouse Primary School showed that Classics can not only be brought into the
minds and hearts of primary school children in a meaningful way, it can also be
linked to the Northern Ireland Primary Curriculum through a variety of class
subjects. However, the most important
thing was the joy that Classics brought to the children I taught. Their
engagement and excitement at each new topic gave me hope that there is a future
for Classical education in Northern Ireland, and reminded me of just how
important it is that this versatile subject is considered to be relevant to the
children of today.
Amber Taylor
