Describing Chariot Racing With Latin 1B (JLA1B) Peer Tutor Grey Peters

In this article, the Board of SASS interviews Latin 1B peer tutor Grey Peters. We hope that this article will help current and future Latin 1B students in their academic journey!

When did you take Latin 1B (JLA1B), and who was your instructor?

I took 1b last year (2019-20) in 8th grade, and my instructor was Magistra Gallogly first semester, and Magistra Pisarello second semester. (There were two teachers that year because Magistra Pisarello was on maternity leave during the first semester.)

What did you enjoy about Latin 1B (JLA1B)?

The passion of the Latin teachers is apparent in everything they do, and that really elevates the atmosphere of the class. I loved that with the broken out 1a and 1b sequence you can focus more on Roman life and culture. Knowing Latin is great by itself, but it’s even more interesting to have historical context! At the end of the second semester, you will also get to spend most of the time reading works (typically from 38 Short Stories), which is really fun!

What challenged you the most in Latin 1B (JLA1B)? How did you overcome those challenges?

Nearing the end of Latin 1b (before the reading phase starts), there are quite a few tricky grammar topics, and you have already memorized so many grammar topics that it is quite possible to start forgetting some of them! I found that the best way to combat this was to review the topics that were hard for you (and even the ones that were not) as often as possible. Every week or two was typically a good amount of time.

What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking Latin 1B (JLA1B)?

Though I already said this, reviewing frequently can be really helpful. Going over the vocabulary often is also important, and pretty easy to do if you make flashcards for each one. If you can organize some other Latin 1B students (even one other person will work), having study calls is really helpful. Coming up with random sentences or a story to try to translate into Latin for practice together is very effective (and can be super funny)!

About how much time did you spend a week working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in Latin 1B (JLA1B)?

I probably spent around 6 to 7 hours a week on 1b, though it depends on the week.

What did the typical week in Latin 1B (JLA1B) look like?

For a normal Latin 1b week, we usually had a chapter to read and/or a lecture to watch before the Monday discussion, then possibly some homework or something else to read before Tuesday. Monday and Tuesday were usually introducing and beginning to work on a new topic, whereas Thursday would either be reviewing or translating a passage, or working on a culture topic. Wednesdays (the only class day Latin 1b does not meet on) is usually the day for doing the bulk of 1b homework for the week. There was typically a small test on Friday, and every few weeks a vocab quiz on Wednesday. Homework (usually exercises from LNM or the accompanying workbook) could be due for various different days of the week.

What was your favorite topic covered in Latin 1B (JLA1B)?

I really enjoyed some of the stories we translated near the end of the year, as well as many of the culture topics, specifically the coins section and the chariot racing. I also enjoyed the 4th declension nouns, though probably because the repetition through certain forms can be pretty fun.

Do you have any resources (i.e. study tips, useful websites) to share with students who want to take the course?

The Writing and Tutoring Center as well as your teacher’s office hours are always a great resource if you need help with a specific topic. Studying with your fellow students will also help you to have someone checking your work and to work through difficult passages with. The glossary is also helpful for a quick review of topics, and the short Latin-to-English and English-to-Latin dictionary section at the back of the book can really help with translations.

Grey Peters is a peer tutor for Latin 1B and Latin 1A and can be found on the Writing and Tutoring Center.

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