Latin Curriculum Overview
Welcome to Latin at Noel-Baker Academy
“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two”
Geoffrey Willans
At Noel Baker Academy, we ensure that all students experience a knowledge-rich MFL curriculum, which is thoughtfully sequenced by our subject specialists. Our Modern Languages team want to develop every student’s love for learning a new language which can help them communicate with others as well as learning about other cultures to enhance their understanding of the world. We want our students to have the opportunities to travel abroad and gain confidence by using a language. Becoming proficient in a language is a process which never ends; there is always more to learn and discover. We are also very proud to be the only state school in Derby to offer Latin which gives our students an insight to the ancient world and improves literacy by looking at etymology and word roots in Latin and English.
Year 7 Curriculum Overview
Unit 1: An introduction to Latin
Students learn about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of the city of Pompeii. They learn about the life of a real Roman called Caecilius and his wife Metella and read Latin stories about their life in Pompeii which they translate into English. Students learn how to recognise present tense verbs and learn that they go at the end of a sentence.
Unit 2 : Daily routine
Students continue to learn more about Roman life including what kind of clothes Romans would wear depending on wealth. Students also look at the diets of Romans and how Romans used fast food outlets. We also learn how rich Romans dined in their lavish houses. Students start to translate longer stories from Latin into English.
Unit 3: Pompeii and business
Students learn more about the city of Pompeii including how Romans built their roads. They also learn about how Romans went to the toilet. We read stories about some of the lives of the business people in Pompeii e.g. the banker, painter, barber and slave trader to give us an insight into their lives. We study wax tablets and the messages that Romans wrote to each other to gain further insight into life in the Roman Empire.
Year 8 Curriculum Overview
Unit 1: At the theatre
Students learn why going to the theatre was such an important part of Roman life. They learn how the theatres were constructed, what types of plays were performed and about the actors. Students continue to translate stories from Latin into English describing events which happen in the lead up to a performance day and what happens in the theatre on a day of a show.
Unit 2: Enslaved people
Students learn how people were captured to become enslaved people and how they were treated by the Romans. Students also learn about the life of a slave and how the were treated. Students will understand how some slaves could be freed by their master to become Roman citizens and lead a normal life. The stories in Latin describe the harsh conditions of slaves and tell us about some of the jobs they had to do.
Unit 3: Religion and the afterlife
Students learn about household being worshipped at shrines and then about multiple gods being worshipped in the many temples in Pompeii. We learn about how Romans treated their dead with respect and how they were buried and cared for in the afterlife. The Latin stories we read and translate are based on the supernatural.
Year 9 Curriculum Overview
Unit 1 : Gladiators
Gladiators – we look at the arenas where gladiators performed, how they were armed and how they were trained to fight. We continue to translate longer Latin stories into English to tell us more about fights in the arena and the life of a gladiator.
Unit 2 – The Roman baths
Students learn why Romans built large bath houses and when they were used. They will learn about the different rooms in the bathing complex and what activities happened there. Students will also learn about the city of Bath. Latin stories focus on famous athletes using the baths and also slaves who work in the bath house.
Unit 3 – Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Students learn about the final days of life in Pompeii and the build up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The Latin stories tell us about the final moments in the city of the main characters as they live through this deadly event.