Every year I have all of my students research various topics relating to the ancient world. The topics vary depending on the level of Latin and tend to correlate with the chapters in the Cambridge Latin Course or with the authors we are reading. This year, in lieu of each student giving a 5 minute presentation about their research, they were asked to write blog posts about their projects.
Every year I strive to show and explain to my students that after they’ve researched a topic, I want them to engage with it and create a product that incorporates their findings. I’m sure many of us are fatigued by Power Point presentations that simply rehash information and don’t challenge the student to think more deeply, analyze information, or innovate with it. The products that I ask my students to make must do just that, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the creative ideas my students have had.
Products can take many forms. Students have created poetry, raps, journals, artwork, crafts, games, models, videos, and more. I try to keep the restrictions on the project as minimal as possible and allow for maximum flexibility. Many students thrive in that freedom, though some do need or want more specific instructions or ideas, which I supply to them as jumping off points.
One of the biggest drawbacks to these projects is that they are difficult to “grade” because they are so diverse and there are many pieces to them. Though it can be a logistical headache for me (despite attempts every year to streamline the process and use tech tools to improve efficiency), I would not trade that for the freedom of thought and student engagement.
The blog writing aspect was a new modification this year. I found that the 5 minute presentations that students used to give ate up a lot of class time, fostered reading from Power Points, and were not very engaging for the students watching. My hope with the blog posts was that students would practice important skills that are more relevant today. They practiced writing concise, engaging posts and engaging in civil conversations via commenting.
I submit to you the blogs that each class wrote. Please feel free to scroll through; leave comments or just browse. Note that you are seeing posts as the students submitted them. I have not filtered, edited, or modified them in any way. Let me (and the students) know what you think, room for improvement, or any other comments.
Guidelines (includes a rubric and checklists with more details)
Blogs (All of my classes are linked within)