Fall 2009 prima Volume 14, Issue 1 newsletter for excellence through classics for Elementary/Middle School Levels Eureka! Classroom Teachers Special Interest Articles: Soar with Fine’s CryptoMania! • St. Cyr designs Author Shares Creative Projects at ACL Summer elective Classics course Institute to Reinforce Basic Greek, Latin Roots • Current Updates Information provided by Edith Hope Fine, Kazmierski, Classical Outlook, Winter 2005) to National San Diego, CA. Mythology (NME) recognized this behemoth quickly from its and Elementary noted giant horn. Latin (ELE) Exams Okay, a megaceratosaur is an invented animal and the megaceratosaur arrived as an illustration from a student in Fineʼs inbox, but all the same, Fineʼs efforts in the classroom are notable. Little did Fine fully understand all the clever ways educators and classroom teachers would utilize her popular book as a springboard in helping students learn and remember important Greek and Latin roots. Individual Highlights: For example, at Park Dale Lane Elementary near San Diego, CA, the Chair, Editor parentsʼ association went into quick Remarks 5 action, posting colorful Greek and Latin Edith Hope Fine (above), a former teacher, now a derivatives and their word etymologies Creating Mosaics in children’s author, is a current nomineeArmando for a andCalifornia the around the school. Young Reader Medal for her title Middle School 12-13 . Blue Tarp School In Maine, a school principal kicked off the Petrino Award Winner schoolʼs adoption of the CryptoKids Lauded 14-15 A tenacious megaceratosaur recently Decoder Program by dressing in a toga. Using Cupcakes To appeared at authorʼs Edith Hope Fineʼs Review Nouns 16-17 home. Oh, my! Fine notes that one idea that has really taken off in the classroomʼs is her use of Best of Philly Latin Unperturbed by the animalʼs unexpected inventive taxonomy for dinosaur educator chronicles a arrival, Fine, award-winning writer of the nomenclature, such as polychromopod, typical day 18-19 popular childrenʼs book title, CryptoMania! amorphosaurus, trianglosaurus Rex, and Teleporting into Greek & Latin with the microcyanosaurus. C r y p t o K i d s (reviewed by Sharon Story continues on page 4 Page 2 What you missed!!! e 62nd Summer Institute of the American Classical League took place at Loyola Marymount University (with a visit to the Getty Villa on Saturday, June 27), in Los Angeles, California, on June 26-28, 2009. PRIMA PRIMA Page 3 The Big Picture Photo by: brewbooks • http:// www.flickr.com/photos/brewbooks/ 3602616886/ Page 4 PRIMA Fine’s ‘Create-a-Critter Spinner’ inspires student performance , creativity Continued from page 1 ! Fine continues to H e r e a r e m o r e i n s p i r e s t u d e n t CryptoMania! samples: slocally. A 2nd grade teacher in San Diego,CA, hit the In the town of Star mark perfectly with L a k e , C A , l o c a l Prefix Pets, an activity centered exclusively educators celebrated on prefixes rather than the townʼs centennial all basic roots, a fun with booths making and age-appropriate L o g o m o b i l e s , approach. playing with Roman numerals, learning Her students created Latin phrases and clever names, then One student’s work features quad- making dinosaurs at d r e w s p l a s h y a n d headed, sept-horned, uni-eyed, Create-a-Critter. created pictures of quint-nosed, bi-winged, tri-footed, their pets, reinforcing uni-taled dragon the prefixes’ meanings. On the conference c i r c u i t , F i n e Another class created reminisced of her a C r y p t o - D o m i n o successes at the game. I n t e r n a t i o n a l Many teachers have utilized Reading Association ! T h r o u g h c r e a t i v e , Fine’s spinner idea with Salvēte omnes -- Hello all! Fine (left) and book conference. h a n d s - o n a n d students, who take two, collaborator Kim Donner (right) adorn Roman garb to engaging projects like promote literary efforts. three, or four word parts from F i n e ʼ s b o o k c o - these, Fine strongly collaborator, Kim believes kids acquire a the wheels, depending on toolbox of basic Greek and Latin roots, Doner, took a Create-a-Critter spinner (see their level of comprehension. prefixes and suffixes that they will be able to illustration) to her session and conference utilize for a lifetime. attendees were mesmerized by its facility. ! On other fronts, Fine’s 15th book, Water, Participants received three spins, Weed, and Wait, a rollicking book then Doner drew the imagined about building a school garden creature on a large drawing pad. with co-author Angela Halpin, will be out from Tricycle Press in Fall 2010. Many teachers have utilized F i n e ʼ s s p i n n e r i d e a w i t h Visit www.edithfine.com for more students, who take two, three, information. or four word parts from the Find info on the 34-week wheels, depending on their level CryptoKids Decoder Program at of comprehension. www.cryptokids.com. Has a megaceratosaur visited Students invent a new dinosaur Another piece showcases a uni- your class yet? or other creature and write eyed, uni-nosed, uni-taled, bi-footed, about it — its name, where it Please let Fine know what your uni-mouthed, bi-teethed, bi-handed, lived, size, what it eats, what it young readers do with uni-browed, poly-spiked, uni-body does all day, what friends ! Local educators have utilized Fine’s ideas to CryptoMania! by sending t h i s c r e a t u r e m i g h t create their own nomenclature. Above is an class and student samples befried, etc. image of Fine’s effort and Crypomania! Create- to [email protected]. A-Critter spinner. PRIMA Page 5 From the Chair: Gratias vobis ago! Giving Thanks With Thanksgiving behind us (gobble! But wait, like most TV infomercials, PRIMA gobble!) and the winter holidays upon us promises you still more! This issue also (ho! ho! ho!), I always become a little spotlights Zee Ann Poerioʼs success last nostalgic and profusely appreciative of summer in orchestrating a regional series those who make my job as Excellence of events for educators of the Classics. Through Classics (ETC) Chair and PRIMA ETCʼs Immediate Past Chair, Poerio, Editor a worthwhile volunteer endeavor. chronicles her efforts in both words and images in hosting four successful events in When I first put on the conductorʼs hat of Pittsburgh, PA. this very small-newsletter-that-could, I envisioned a world full of ouch. In a congratulatory aside, the ETC executive board heartedly welcomes our Early on, I encountered some difficulty in newly-minted chair of the National filling pages with interesting spotlights on Mythology Exam (NME) committee, Allison Micheal Posey (above), current ETC academic programs – What were my Fiegel. Welcome aboard, Allison! A lauded chair and PRIMA editor, recently colleagues doing in the trenches?; educator from KS, Fiegel has some very finished another half-marathon and has encouraging PRIMA readers to describe big shoes to fill given past NME chair just returned from Mexico City where he their classroom successes in print – What Diana Nixonʼs experience and unwavering attended the 1st Youth Congress of the great lessons re-energize student service to ETC endeavors. Americas. achievement?; and, lastly, I worried about expanding PRIMAʼs readership and overall Lastly, PRIMA readers, I would like to scope – How do I feature a kaleidoscope of remind you that this is our first virtual debut. voices from colleagues drawn from our You now have the power to download diverse membership? current issues from our overhauled website which you can find here: h t t p : / / Well, PRIMA readers our moment is now! www.etclassics.org. Donʼt fret, you will be This current issue of PRIMA now boasts able to purchase a printed copy of PRIMA Well, PRIMA readers our 30+ pages of contemporary, curriculum- through the ACL office. moment is now! This driven and most importantly, easy-to-follow teachable gems to help you in your In conclusion, as I revisit long nights current issue of PRIMA now professional journey to be the best sending last-minute urgent e-mails to article boasts 30+ pages of educator you can be. Plaudite, quaeso! contributors or trying to make a deadline, I contemporary, curriculum- would like to thank every PRIMA So you always wanted to know how to contributor under my watch for making my driven and most importantly, incorporate mosaics in your classroom? I life a little easier. easy-to-follow teachable got you! Tell your peeps! gems to help you be the PRIMA is here to serve you, the reader, by best educator you can be. Latin teacher, Andrew Carroll, even details providing a forum for discussion, fostering drill and screw measurements if you are, the dissemination of ideas and aiding in the unlike me, daring enough to helm a power exchange of best practices. Itʼs a tall order, tool. but with your help and contributions, PRIMA will continue working towards these Are you hoping to tackle grammar soon goals and inspiring you when the ideas and are scratching your head as to how to cupboard is temporarily bare. (re-)introduce neuter nouns? Again, itʼs on! Within this issue of PRIMA is fellow I thank you all of you for everything that you colleague Jane Shapiroʼs inventive use of do to promote the Classics.