VRomans have created many resources for teachers of the Latin language and Roman civilization and culture. The following links are grouped according to the broad categories listed above.
Latin Language:
- The National Latin Exam web site
- Drills to accompany Oxford Latin by Margaret B. Phillips
- Scribax a program that creates random Latin sentences for translation practice (and also translates them) — created by Henry Walker
- Latin Links, created by John Gruber-Miller, presents many links to sites related to the Oxford Latin Course
- New Computer and Technological Resources for Latin Language Instruction, a web page accompanying a presentation by Barbara McManus, with links to many kinds of online resources
Texts and Authors:
- Online Companion to The Worlds of Roman Women, created by Ann Raia and Judith Lynn Sebesta, presents many different types of Latin passages by and about Roman women, with images, introductory essays, and hyperlinked vocabulary, grammatical aids and commentary. The Instruction section contains many useful resources for teachers, including suggested activities and assignments related to the site.
- Intermediate Latin, with content coordinated by Ann Raia, contains passages from Catullus, Cicero, Ovid, Pliny with sophisticated hyperlinks to translation aids, commentary, and pedagogical questions designed specifically for the program and the intermediate-level student.
- Useful Internet Links for AP Latin, an annotated series of links, classified by topic, for teachers of AP Latin, created by Barbara McManus and Marianthe Colakis
- The Poems of Catullus with facing translation and notes, created by Henry Walker
- The letters of Pliny the Younger a selection of Pliny's letters with introductory materials, created by Henry Walker
- Plautus, Aulularia, created by Susan Bonvallet, Judith de Luce and Stephen Nimis
- Introduction to Attic Greek with Thrasymachus, created by Alison Barker (requires downloading the SPIonic font)
- Juvenal, Satire 3, created by Ann Raia (under construction)
History and Culture:
- Rome: Republic to Empire, a series of web pages on Roman history and culture created by Barbara McManus
- The Romans, a comprehensive new website based on Antony Kamm's book The Romans:An Introduction with lots of additional features and images, many of which are drawn from the VRoma Image Archive. Web design by Andrew Wilson.
- The Riley Collection of Roman Sculpture, created by John Gruber-Miller, Sue Olsen and Jim Ruebel, continuing development by John Gruber-Miller
- Virtual Gallery of Ancient Sculpture, created by Judith de Luce and Eric B. Case
- ANRW: an on-line, searchable database of articles in Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (authors and titles only, not full-text articles), created by James Ruebel and Ross Scaife (NB: now back online!)
- Forum Romanun (no longer being developed, but useful information on Forum sites)
How to Use the VRoma MUVE for Teaching:
- Eamus VRomam!, a “tour guide” for the VRoma MUVE created by Leslie Noles and developed by Barbara McManus, including information about the kinds of materials available in the VRoma MUVE and suggestions for using these with students (temporarily offline for updating).
- Essential Steps in Outcomes Assessment
- VRoma: Technology and the Standards for Classical Language Learning
- The Collaborative Website as Learning Environment a presentation made by John Gruber-Miller at the Coe-Cornell Technology Workshop, June, 1999
Sample Class Assignments in the VRoma MUVE:
- NEW: Role-Playing Game, by Barbara McManus. This game was designed as an introduction to conversing and navigating in the VRoma online virtual environment and to “living as a Roman in VRoma.” In particular, it will allow students to learn more about lower-class Romans by assuming the personalities of real people in the city of Rome, people known to us now only though inscriptions but once living, breathing Romans. Each of these people is associated with a specific place in Rome and a different Roman activity, including a fish-seller with a shop in the Emporium district (Aurelia Nais), a priestess in the Temple of Isis (Cantinea Procla), a charioteer in the Circus Maximus (Fuscus), a mime actor in the Theater of Marcellus (Fundilius Doctus), the proprietor of an upscale silversmith's shop on the Sacra Via Summa (Claudia Olympias), an imperial freedman in charge of the armory in the Ludus Magnus (Callistus), a freedman secretary of the Praetorian Prefect in the Castra Praetoria (Marcus Gavius Amphion Mus), and a fun-loving wife who likes a drink and a song in the Thermopolium of Scintilla (Glyconis). Each student will learn about his/her specific Roman location and activity by connecting as his/her designated character, reading the character's description and inscription, exploring the area in VRoma which gives information about the character's activity, and reading a scroll with specific instructions for the role-playing game. They will all enter VRoma with their teacher to enact the following scenario:
The praefectus annonae has invited you to be part of a group of Romans who will accompany a young woman from the province of Baetica, Coelia Mascellina, on a tour of various locations in Rome. She has recently taken over her mother's business of exporting olive oil and wine from Baetica, and the prefect wants to make sure she enjoys this tour so that he can negotiate a favorable contract with her to supply olive oil for the troops. He is counting on you to introduce her to the part of Rome you know best.
The teacher will assume the role of Coelia Mascellina, another real person known to us from two inscriptions. The game is ready to use, but instructors will need to have a Teacher character in VRoma to administer it (apply by contacting Barbara McManus). Teachers should go to the Ludi VRomani game room off the Officina in VRoma to find their materials for the game. Here is a printable Acrobat file of the Instructions for Teachers. - NEW GAME: Discover Rome, by Barbara McManus. Specially designed for students in the lower grades (approximate ages 11-14), this quest-style game has students in 5 groups of about 3-5 players each exploring different parts of Rome that are associated with important aspects of life and culture: religion, politics, leisure and entertainment, money and commerce, crime and punishment. The game is interesting and fun, and each group should be able to complete its mission in a 50-minute period if the students have been given an orientation to VRoma and already know how to navigate, converse, and interact with objects. The game is ready to use, but instructors will need to have a Teacher character in VRoma to administer it (apply by contacting Barbara McManus). Teachers should go to the Ludi VRomani game room off the Officina in VRoma to find their materials for the game, and students should go to their Game Room off the Prima Porta VRomana. Here are printable Acrobat files of the Instructions for Teachers and the Instructions for Students.
- “Treasure Hunt” Style Exercises:
- The original VRoma Treasure Hunt by Barbara McManus. This MUVE-based exercise will orient your students to the MUVE as well as provide some background information about Roman political life. (HTML format)
- VRoma MUVE Treasure Hunt (in Latin!) to accompany OLC chapter 24, by John Gruber-Miller. (HTML format)
- Exploring the Appian Way in the VRoma MUVE. By Marianthe Colakis (HTML format)
- Three exercises from Bill Magrath, intended to accompany courses or units on Roman myth and ritual. The first handout has 21 questions total, and includes an answer sheet. The second and third handouts are shorter (intended to be completed in a class period): 10 questions each. These are the same questions as in the first handout. (NB: a few of the directions on how to navigate are outdated, but the questions are still applicable; PDF format)
- Activities for Elementary Latin Students:
- VRoma Activites for Elementary Latin Students, by Barbara McManus. These two activities are designed to accompany the Oxford Latin Course chapters 16 and 19; However, they can easily be adapted for elementary Latin students using other textbooks. (HTML format)
- Indicium (“Clue”) designed to accompany OLC chapter 35 (“Who killed Argus?”), by John Gruber-Miller and Cindy Benton. A role-playing exercise for the VRoma MUVE! (PDF format)
- Quaere loosely based on “Go Fish”. This exercise was designed to accompany OLC chapter 26, by John Gruber-Miller and Cindy Benton.
- Activities Related to Individual Authors:
- Ovid, Tristia 3.1: The Text as Guide Through the Textual City; the poem (in English) leads students on a guided tour around central Rome. This activity can be done by students with no Latin or those just beginning Latin. At the end of the tour is a the Latin poem with hyperlinked vocabulary and commentary, suitable for Latin students at the intermediate level and above. (PDF format)
- Should Ovid Remain in Exile? (a game for advanced students). This new game pits Ovidians (senators who want Ovid recalled from exile) against Anti-Ovidians (senators who want to make sure Ovid stays in Tomis). The two groups follow Tristia Tresunus around Rome, reading the poem and finding other evidence scrolls that they can use to bolster their respective cases when they present their arguments to Augustus in his tribunal in the Palatine Library. Teachers should go to the Ludi VRomani game room off the Officina in VRoma to find their materials for this game, and students should go to their Game Room off the Prima Porta VRomana.
- Tarpeia in Livy and the Roman Forum, created by Barbara McManus (HTML format). This activity connects text interpretation with the exploration of associated ancient sites through an assignment that links the Online Companion to the Worlds of Roman Women with VRoma.
- Livia: Rome's First “First Lady”, created by Barbara McManus (HTML format). This activity compares textual and visual representations of Livia through an assignment that links the Online Companion to the Worlds of Roman Women with VRoma.
- Teacher's Guide to using Vergil's Thesaurus, a room created for online discussions of the Aeneid, with particular reference to the Advanced Placement Vergil syllabus, created by Barbara McManus. (HTML format)
- Vergil, Augustus, and the City of Rome, several assignments that explore the interconnections between Augustan Rome and the Aeneid, created by Barbara McManus. (HTML format)
- Exercise to accompany Plautus' Aulularia, ll. 1-25 by Ann Raia. Written to be completed by a group of students working in a lab. (PDF format)
- Web-based Assignment:
- Augustan Monument Assignment, from Jeremy Walker. This assignment involves the use of HyperCard, PowerPoint, and a university library, but can be adapted for the PC platform. A Learning goals Grade Worksheet is also available (PDF format)