In seventh grade Latin, students have been studying Julius Caesar’s political career, with special attention to his conquest of Gaul (modern-day France) and his failed conquest of Britain. To start, seventh graders explored the pre-existing Celtic cultures in Gaul and Britain, learning about the customs of the Druids and making posters about different Celtic gods. Students then created timelines for portions of Julius Caesar’s life, identifying a key personal, political, and military event for their time period.
For April Fool’s Day, Latin students prepared a homemade aquila (eagle) standard that Roman soldiers used as a flag, a scroll to read from, a helmet, and a red flag that a modern-day Roman Empire might use. Then, at the start of class on April 1, and to the sound of Roman trumpets on a speaker, the seventh graders marched downstairs with their gear to “invade Gaul” (meaning: to surprise the French class). Middle school French teacher Luc DeArmey was in on the joke, and both language classes shared a fun and ‘historic’ moment.
– Emily Damiano, middle school Latin teacher
