At Fenn the study of Latin is immersed in the culture, history, art and language of the Ancient Romans. The focus of our program is Rome and the Romans as city planners, architects, and builders of an empire. Through readings in Latin and English, students become familiar with the lifestyles of these fascinating people.
In the Sixth and Seventh grade programs, students spend the majority of their time translating stories from Latin to English. In the Eighth and Ninth grades, there is an equal focus on translating sentences from English into Latin. Courses are sectioned in the Eighth and Ninth grades, with honors, accelerated, and standard levels. The same material is covered at different paces.
Latin students learn all major tenses of verbs, as well as how to decline all forms of the nouns and pronouns. Latin is an inflected language, requiring a fair amount of memorization. However, there are many tricks of the trade to assist students in this process. We continue learning about the culture of Ancient Rome in the Upper School.
There are numerous reasons to take Latin. In particular, a student’s understanding of English grammar is often greatly enhanced by knowledge of Latin, and nearly 50 percent of English vocabulary is derived from Latin.
If you or your son has any questions regarding the study of Latin at Fenn, please call PJ Libby, Latin Chair, at (978) 318-3659.
Our Spanish program focuses on the four major areas of language acquisition: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The primary goal of our Spanish program is to develop the skills and discipline necessary to learn a spoken foreign language.
At the end of each year, students are able to converse in Spanish about a variety of topics. Seventh grade students speak about likes and dislikes, and daily life. Eighth grade students speak with an extended vocabulary and discuss literature, and Ninth grade students speak in Spanish, hold Socratic Seminars where they are able to discuss literature in Spanish and write poetry in Spanish. The students in Eighth and Ninth grade are grouped by language ability, with an honors section and a standard section. Both classes follow the same curriculum, but at a different pace.
We believe that the cultural aspects of the language are an integral part of language learning, and we visit the different cultures from Spanish speaking countries, and study their history, their music, and their way of life.
Why should your son take Spanish?
Knowledge of a modern language opens up a window to the culture and customs of a quarter of the world’s population. Spanish is a wonderful building block to learn and master other modern languages.
If you have questions, please contact Gisela Hernandez-Skayne, Spanish Chair, at (978) 318-3658.