Thinglink

Thinglink is a tool that allows you to mark up a picture with physical tags. These tags can hold information in the form of text, pictures, video, and even audio. There are a few scenarios where this tool could be useful in the language classroom.
The first is for the teacher to use the tool to introduce vocabulary in a Comprehensible Input scenario. Use a picture with a lot of action going on, and label the things and actions occurring in the picture (in Latin, of course!) Students will learn vocabulary in context without using English as an intermediary.

The second use, which I can personally attest to, is to have students create pictures to show their comprehension of a Latin passage. I recently used this to test students’ knowledge of a passage of Caesar, and my students surprised me with their inventive tags. It was out-of-the-box thinking and the kids enjoyed the activity.

Socratic Seminar

This is an oldie but goodie. It is best used (in my own personal experience) to explore culture topics. An “inside circle” of students will discuss a topic which has been previously studied but not discussed. An “outside circle” of students will observe the conversation and mark down those things which the inside circle does well and those which it needs more help with. This activity helps foster unscripted discussions while also paying attention to skills such as respect, listening, and analysis. Because the outside circle is paying close attention to the inside circle, every student is engaged in the class. Print up rubrics beforehand to let the students know what elements of the conversation they are being tested on (i.e. how well they break down an argument, how well they respond to an opposing position.)
One way that this process can be updated for the modern era is to have students submit their feedback via a Google Form. Make a short form with the same criteria as the rubric and have each student fill it out for the students he or she observed in the inner circle. You will get a spreadsheet filled with comments and rubric scores that you can then share out with the class or use for formative data.

Cloze Activities

I suppose I always thought of these as very elementary, but they can be used with advanced passages as well. As a review or consolidation exercise, take some unadapted Latin text that your students have already read for homework and take out tricky words, small phrases, or clauses. Give them the text with the missing words and have them fill them in. This could be done with an English translation and Latin fill ins, or vice versa. The idea is that the students have to critically scan the passage to see what is missing and fill in the appropriate words in context. It is a great help for combating the “word salad” that can sometimes occur when students get overwhelmed by an advanced text.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve used any of these or if you have other ideas for assessing comprehension!