Class Level: 6th grade Latin Topic: Beware the Ides of March!

Objectives - Students will learn the history and significance of the Ides of March
- Students will learn about the role of a haruspex or soothsayer
- Students will read a Latin passage, modified by me from an authentic text,
Cicero’s De Divionatione
- Students will reflect on their own beliefs and superstitions, as compared to those
in ancient times

Rationale This is the day after we started to work on our projects, the first day of their
standardized testing, an all block-day, and the day before the Ides of March. It is a little
bit chaotic but I am very excited for this lesson. The chapter that these students are
currently in focuses on religious practices in Rome, including sacrifices, which were
often used to read omens from the gods. “Beware the Ides of March” comes from a
haruspex (the person who actually reads the omens from the entrails of the sacrificed
animals) who attempt to warn Caesar of his coming death on the Ides. There is a short
passage from Cicero’s De Divinatione where he describes the exact omens (which
definitely includes missing major organs!), which I have modified for my students’
skills. While there is a clear connection between their textbook, this is a contextualized
lesson that I created specifically for the Ides and will stand alone for this short class
period. The Ides just happened to match up perfectly with where we were in the
textbook, so we are able to read an English reading on the process of Roman sacrifice.

STANDARDS

Standard 1.1 Students read, understand, and interpret Latin.

Standard 1.2 Students use orally, listen to, and write Latin as part
of the language learning process.

Standard 2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the

perspectives of Roman culture as revealed in the
practices of the Romans.

Standard 4.2 Students compare and contrast their own culture with
that of the Greco-Roman world.

Materials: Slides:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mOZWC5jl5JzbjFDFostgoDVbav-oQ2SBBY
_u6sAmWyI/edit?usp=sharing

Worksheet (included in slides and shown below)

 AGENDA

timing activity/transitions/teacher thinking

10 minutes Warmup / Reading

Warmup (Written on Board before class)

- grab your mythology packet from me! Put it away and look at it for homework.
- Grab textbook and start skimming page 65

So we are going to read this together. I know that you will have a lot of questions about
this, but since we have a short class we are going to focus on a small part of this reading,
and then come back to it on Thursday. Let’s split it up so there’s 5 sections numbered
here and then 2 more sections - is there anyone that wants to read more? If not, I can read
half of this long paragraph!
 So again, I know you have a lot of questions, but I want you to hold them in and
remember them for Thursday. Take a closer look at step 3 of the sacrifice. We are going
to focus on this word right here: soothsayer or haruspex. So tomorrow is the Ides of
March, but we often hear the phrase Beware the Ides of March - and this is where the
Soothsayer comes in. Before Julius Caesar was killed, a haruspex tried to warn him.
These videos here show that (and a fun one that shows its modern impact!)

I never want to discourage curiosity in my students so I am simply asking them to store

them for the next class period. I think it is important to communicate that clearly with
them - that their voices and questions will be heard! The practice of sacrifice and
haruspicy is a fascinating one that gives a lot of insight into the belief of ancient Romans
(standard 2.1), which I hope to introduce today and extend on Thursday. I am trying to
create connections between their coursework, the historical context, and its modern
influence.

10 minutes Haruspicy / The Ides

- So what is the Ides of March? Ides just means the middle of the month, so it's
March 15th, tomorrow! It also happened to be the day that Julius Caesar was
murdered in 44 BC
- So why was the soothsayer warning Caesar of this day?
- …well we are going to read about it today!
- I have a reading from Cicero that I have modified, where he talked about
the haruspex, their practice, and their findings before the death of Julius
Caesar. Get ready - they were pretty crazy omens!

We have talked about the assassination of Julius Caesar previously, so I am able to recall
their prior knowledge of this and connect it to our reading.

10 minutes Cicero Reading

So it is a short reading, and I have included hints in the margins for any vocabulary that
you might not know. I want you to work on it together as a table group - make sure that
everyone not only knows the answer, but understands it. Read until “timet” and then
stop, so we can review it as a group. I’ll give 3 minutes and we’ll go from there - get
started!

(Once time is up or both groups are finished, review as a class. One group does the first
long sentences. We will do the short sentence together, and then the second table will do
the last long sentence.)

Well, Caesar is pretty nonchalant about it - how would you feel? I’m afraid to tell you
that it only gets worse, go ahead and get started on the last two sentences.
(once finished, review as a class - one sentence per table)
 What would you do if you were Caesar? Can you change fate?
I want to stress working together and making sure that you and everyone else actually
understands the Latin reading. I want to encourage self reflection during this process as
well. Having students reflect on their own beliefs in relation to the Latin story not only
promotes their Latin skills (standard 1.1 and 1.2), but also helps their social emotional
growth. They are also able to make comparisons between the Roman beliefs or practices
and ours currently today. (standard 4.2)

Critical Questions This is a short class period and a special day in Roman history (at least the day before
since I won’t see them on the actual Ides), how can I best optimize my time? What are
some strategies for moving between activities quickly without rushing my students?