Did you ever have some extra time at the end of a class and needed something to do?  Roman Voices: Everyday Latin in Ancient Rome (available free to CANE members) is perfect – there are lots of interesting passages you can grab and use, and the topics included can go with anything you are reading in class.  However, don’t use Petronius’ selection with young students!

My caveat about Petronius is that there’s some pretty rough language and not many vocabulary notes for students; this would be better for college.  Personally, I like The Millionaire’s Dinner Party.  The rest of the book is great for any level – just pick and choose.  The graffiti is really interesting, and there are so many topics to choose from – politics, daily life; as in The Sound of Silence: written on the subway walls, tenement halls.  This is real Latin.  The epitaphs are fascinating and sad.  The curse tablets will be a hit with students of any age; the desire to write their own will be strong!  Enjoy browsing!

The Teacher’s Guide has translations of the Latin, as well as a list by topic and a grammatical index.

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