Latin 1B: An Interview With Magistra Pisarello

In this article, SASS Board Member Zoe L. ('24) interviewed Latin 1B Instructor Magistra Pisarello. We hope that this article will help current and future Latin 1B students in their academic journey!

What is your favorite thing about teaching JLA1B?

I love working with students through the increase in grammatical complexity in the material continuing from Latin 1A, and in particular seeing students realize all the powers they accumulated in their prior studies. Latin 1A can feel so new and overwhelming, but by Latin 1B students have a sense of confidence even they may not realize they could achieve with Latin. This all culminates in one of my favorite curricular stretches in the entire OHS Latin curriculum: the final month of Latin 1B is entirely devoted to reading mythological stories in Latin, and composing original creative mythological stories (also in Latin!).

What challenges students the most in JLA1B How would you recommend that students overcome these challenges?

The seemingly never-ending sequence of new tenses that cluster in the last six chapters of the textbook can become a bit of a slog for students. I recommend that students stay strong and focus the rainbowy light at the end of the tunnel: very soon, in the last weeks of Spring, there will be lots of fun Latin reading and no more tense memorization!

What types of students do well in JLA1B?

Patient ones who understand that with Latin you have to put in the time for the foundation of memorization of the basic forms. Only when those tools are in place (vocabulary, endings, charts) can a student move on to the more fancy grammatical material. It's very tempting to rush through and try to read Latin like English, but the rules are very different--so I always tell students to sloooooowww down!

What does the average workload for each week look like?

The bulk of the course follows a very steady and predictable schedule: new grammatical material introduced on Monday, follow-up and review on Tuesday, and practice and reading on Thursday. There are small assignments throughout the week to support students as they navigate the new material, and then two more significant assignments for the end of the week: one grammar quiz and one culture assignment.

How do you recommend that students prepare for exams in JLA1B?

I always emphasize that the study of language is cumulative: when we start a new unit, that material isn't discrete information but rather builds on the material and skills that students have established in prior units. So while exams may focus on more recent material, when preparing for them it's advisable for students to brush up on earlier information (vocabulary, forms, charts) so that their whole understanding of the language is working in sync.

How is the participation grade for JLA1B determined?

JLA1A follows the same participation grading system as the rest of the Latin sequence: one weekly grade out of 5 that includes homework completion and participation in class.

How is a student’s overall grade in JLA1B determined? What percentage of a

student’s overall grade is determined by exams, homework, quizzes, participation, etc.?

Quizzes 15%  Midterm 20% Projects 15% Final 30% Participation 20%

What materials do students use in the course (textbooks, lectures, online resources, etc.)?

Our main material is the course textbook, Latin for the New Millennium I (this course covers the second half of the textbook, as Latin 1A covers the first half). We often use the accompanying Workbook. In this course, recorded lectures are available to students but optional. There are a few online resources that can be helpful, like Quizlet for vocabulary study and Magistrula for drill practice, but I always caution students that the internet is very sketchy with Latin.

Are students expected to be on camera for the entire class?

It depends! I like to leave that up to students. Currently one section is on camera the whole class, and the other isn't. Every student does have to come on camera when they translate, though.

Have you had any experiences with students in JLA1B that could encourage those who think they cannot excel at the material to take the class?

It's not uncommon for students to have an "aha!" moment quite far in their Latin studies, particularly in their second year like Latin 1B in the middle school sequence and Latin 2 in the high school sequence. Sometimes it just takes a while for all of the many components involved in the study of Latin (vocabulary, noun cases, the endings associated with each of those cases, and so forth) to coalesce into systematic understanding. But actually more often than not the student has all the knowledge and material in their minds and hearts, but are a little intimidated by long Latin sentences, so I want to encourage students to trust themselves and their confidence!

What about JLA1B interests so many students?

The exciting possibility of getting closer to reading authentic Latin texts!

#Latin1B #JLA1B