Roman Lives: Public and Private – Selections for Advanced Latin is a great book to use for class projects.  There are enough reading choices for any classroom, and the students can work in groups or alone, translating the passages (with lots of vocabulary help) and then presenting them to the class.  The passages are not too long, and there are also discussion questions which will help guide the students in their understanding and presentations.  I really like the introductory information, which summarizes what is happening and puts the passage into context.  I’m sorry that I’m not teaching anymore – I would love to see what the students would make of these passages and how they would compare them to today:

• Cicero the Orator 
• Pompey the Great 
• Lucretius the Philosopher 
• Women in Ancient Rome 
• Roman Religion 
• The Cruelty of the Emperors 
• Education in Ancient Rome 
• Doctors in Ancient Rome 
• Frontinus on the Care and Maintenance of the Water Supply of Rome

This book and its accompanying translation key are available free to CANE members- check them out!

By Ruth Breindel, who taught Latin, Greek, Linguistics and Mythology at Moses Brown School for 30 years.