Assignment for Saturday, 05-14-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists (the last time I'll probably call you this):

By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, May14, please do the following:

(1) Complete Section E (Reading aloud) of our third exam. Call my campus voicemail with your perfected reading of the midterm passage. Before you left the exam, I handed you a sheet with full instructions and a copy of the passage to mark up.

(2) Complete a peer review form for each member of your team (not including yourself). Instructions and a link to the electronic peer review form are available on our course website.

NOTE: If you fail to submit any or all reviews, you will forfeit the chance to earn peer review points this time around.

NOTE: Peer reviews are anonymous. You will receive copies of the review forms that you have sent to me. I, in turn, will anonymize all of the data and send an individual report to each team.

Please let me know if you have questions.

DC

Vocabulary for the Third Exam

Dear Hellenists,

To help you prepare for our third exam, I've added some special sets to Quizlet. Please use them as you see fit:

• ΑΩ: Nouns through Lesson 25;
• ΑΩ: Verbs through Lesson 25;
• ΑΩ: Adjectives through Lesson 25;
• ΑΩ: Pronouns through Lesson 25;
• ΑΩ: Adverbs through Lesson 25;
• ΑΩ: Prepositions through Lesson 25;
• ΑΩ: Conjunctions, Correlatives, Interjections, and Particles through Lesson 25; and
• ΑΩ: All Vocabulary through Lesson 25.

DC

Exam on Tuesday, 05-10-16

Dear Hellenists,

Our third midterm exam, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10, 1:30–4:30 p.m., will have the following format.

(1) Vocabulary:

I'll give you English nouns, adjectives, pronouns, or verbs, you give me their Greek vocabulary entries as they appear on Quizlet (full forms, no abbreviations). The focus will be on the vocabulary for Groton Lessons 17–25.

NOTE: See my next post on the specialized Quizlet vocabulary lists to help you prepare.

(2) Declining articles-participles-nouns:

I'll give you English article-participle-noun trios in the singular or plural, you give me the Greek forms in the four major cases. The articles and participles must modify the nouns in case, number, and gender.

NOTE: To help streamline your preparation, all participles will be derived from the verb παιδεύω.

(3) Verb clusters:

I'll give you an English verb and a specific person/number. You give me all of the indicative forms in that person/number in the present, imperfect, future, aorist, perfect, and pluperfect tenses, active, middle, and (where appropriate) passive

(4) Passage to translate:

A short passage of connected Greek prose, using vocabulary and grammar through chapter 25. Read it carefully and write out your translation.

(5) Reading out loud (take-home portion, due Saturday, May 14, 11:00 p.m.):

Practice reading the midterm passage out loud: use Groton's textbook to help you determine vowel/consonant sounds and place accents. When you have perfected your reading, call my campus voice mail and read me the Greek over the phone. 

NOTE: Please prepare for and complete this portion of the exam on your own. I'll supply a copy of the passage for you to practice on and mark up. (No, you do not have to memorize the passage. Yes, you can read from the copy.)

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

For this exam, you'll be responsible for all concepts and vocabulary through ΑΩ Lesson 25.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 05-03-16

Dear Hellenists,

Our final assignment, Tuesday morning, April 26, has both a mandatory and an extra-credit component. Please observe the distinction.

FOR EVERYONE:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 25, on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Formation of middle/passive participles (#154–8, pp. 163–5)
• Supplementary participles (#159, p. 166);
• Summary of prepositions and their cases (#160, p. 166); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 25 (#161, p. 167)

OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT (up to a whopping 50 extra credit points, 10 points per sentence):

(2) Due by 8:00 a.m.:

• English-to-Greek sentences (all)  (#162, p. 168).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 05-02-16

Dear Hellenists,

Let's cross the finish line into May. By Monday morning, May 2, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 24 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Aspect of participles (#150, pp. 157–8);
• Uses of participles: attributive, circumstantial, and with particles (#151, pp. 158–9); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 24 (#52, p. 159).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Decline in Greek the following article-participle-noun trios. Decline them in all four major cases and in both the singular and the plural (96 forms in all).

— the summoning hope (present active participle)
— the about-to-discover messenger (future active participle)
— the persuading/having-persuaded guardian spirit (aorist active participle)
— the having-remained meal (perfect active participle)

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 04-28-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, April 28, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 24, on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Formation of active participles in various tenses (#146–7, pp. 154–6);
• The present participle of εἰμί (#148, p. 156); and
• Participles of contract verbs (#149, p. 157).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Test out your participles! Read and translate "Dinner Goes to the Dogs" (#154, p. 161).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 04-26-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, April 26, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 23, on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Expressions of time with genitive, dative, and accusative (#142, p. 148); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 23 (#143, pp. 148–9).  

(2) Reading: Groton, Lesson 24, on participles in general (#145, pp. 153–4).

(3) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Read and translate "Bat, Bush, & Bird" (back in Lesson 23) (#144, p. 151).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 04-25-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Monday morning, April 25, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 23 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Relative clauses and pronouns  (#140, pp. 145–7); and
• The adjective πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν (#141, pp. 147–8).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences 2, 3, and 5 only (#144, p. 150).

HINT: As we'll learn in class on Monday, "within the same time" (in sentence #5) should consist of the adjective "same" modifying "the time," the entire phrase put in the genitive. No need to to translate "within" if you've done this correctly. (See #142, p. 148 if you need more help than this.)

DC

Vocabulary for Week 14

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 14 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (6 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 24: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 25: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (two tests total).

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 04-21-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, April 21, please do the following:

(1) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Read and translate "Monkeying Around" (#139, p. 144).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 04-19-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, April 19, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 19 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Basic perfect and pluperfect middle/passive indicatives (and the perfect mid./pass. infinitive) (#133, pp. 137–8);
• Perfect/pluperfects of consonant-stem verbs  (#135, pp. 130–40)
• Fifth principal parts (#132, 134, 136; pp. 137, 138, 140–1);
• The dative of personal agent (#137, p. 141); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 21 (#138, p. 142).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences (all) (#139, p. 143).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 04-18-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Monday morning, April 18, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 21 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• The interrogative pronoun τίς (#126, pp. 131–2);
• The indefinite pronoun τις (#127, pp. 132–3);
• Possessive adjectives (#128, p. 133); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 21 (#129, pp. 133–4).

(2) Extra-credit homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Read and translate "Chat with a Cat" (back in Lesson 19, #119, p. 122).

DC

Vocabulary for Week 13

Dear Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 13 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (6 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 22: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 23: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (two tests total).

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 04-14-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, April 14, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 20  on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• First and second perfect active indicative and infinitive  (#122, pp. 124–5;
• Principal parts of all verbs to date  (#123, pp. 126–7); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 20 (#124, p. 128).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences 1, 2, and 4 only (#125, p. 129); and
• "All Caw, No Caution" (#125, p. 130).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 04-12-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, April 12, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 19 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Reflexive pronouns (#116, pp. 118–19);
• Genitive of possession (#117, p. 119); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 19 (#118, p. 120).

(2) Reading: Groton, Lesson 20 on the following concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• The perfect tense/fourth principal part  (#120, p. 123); and
• Perfect tense theory, esp. reduplication  (#121, pp. 124).

(3) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences 1, 2, 3, and 5 (#119, p. 121).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 04-11-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Monday morning, April 11, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 19 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• The second aorist tense (#114, p. 115); and
• First aorist indicatives, infinitives, and imperatives (#115, pp. 116–18).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Read and translate "Outfoxed" (back in Lesson 17, #107, p. 106).

DC

Vocabulary for Week 12

Dear Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 12 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (9 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 19: Vocabulary;
• ΑΩ 20: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 21: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (three tests total).

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 04-07-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, April 7, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 18 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• The aorist tense (#108, p. 107);
• First aorist indicatives, infinitives, and imperatives (#109, pp. 107–10);
• The aoristic third principal part (#110, pp. 110–11);
• The genitive of value (#111, p. 111); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 18 (#112, pp. 111-12).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences (#113, p. 112).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 04-05-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, April 5, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 17 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Third declension sigma stem nouns (#102–4, pp. 101–3);
• Third declension adjectives (#105, pp. 103–4); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 17 (#106, p. 104).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences 2, 3, and 4 only (#107, p. 105).

DC

Extra-Credit Assignment for Monday, 04-04-16

Dear Hellenists,

For Monday morning, April 4, you have the OPTION of doing the following:

(1) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Lesson 16 English-to-Greek sentences (#101, p. 99).

If you choose to complete this OPTIONAL assignment, it will count as extra credit in your individual assignment points, up to 30 extra points.

If, after preparing for the exam and completing your readings and peer reviews, you choose not to do the assignment, that's fine, too.

DC

Vocabulary for Week 11

Dear Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 11 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (6 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 17: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 18: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (two tests total).

DC

Assignment for Saturday, 04-02-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists:

By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, please do the following:

(1) Complete Section E (Reading aloud) of our second exam. Call my campus voicemail with your perfected reading of the midterm passage. Before you left the exam, I handed you a sheet with full instructions and a copy of the passage to mark up.

NOTE: There's a link to a YouTube video of me reading the practice midterm passage on our Resources page, if you'd like a high-end idea of what a reading might be.

(2) Complete a peer review form for each member of your team (not including yourself). Instructions and a link to the electronic peer review form are available on our course website.

NOTE: If you fail to submit any or all reviews, you will forfeit the chance to earn peer review points this time around.

NOTE: Peer reviews are anonymous. You will receive copies of the review forms that you have sent to me. I, in turn, will anonymize all of the data and send an individual report to each team.

Please let me know if you have questions.

DC

Exam on Thursday, 03-31-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Our second midterm exam on Thursday, March 31, will have the following format.

(1) Vocabulary:

I'll give you English nouns, adjectives, pronouns, or verbs, you give me their Greek vocabulary entries as they appear on Quizlet (full forms, no abbreviations). The focus will be on the vocabulary for Groton Lessons 10–16.

(2) Declining demonstratives-articles-nouns:

I'll give you English demonstrative-article-noun trios in the singular or plural, you give me the Greek forms in the four major cases. The demonstratives and articles must modify the nouns in case, number, and gender.

(3) Verb clusters:

I'll give you an English verb and a specific person/number. You give me all of the indicative forms in that person/number in the present, imperfect, and future tenses, active, middle, and (where appropriate) passive.

(4) Passage to translate:

A short passage of connected Greek prose, using vocabulary and grammar through chapter 16. Read it carefully and write out your translation.

(5) Reading out loud (take-home portion, due Saturday, April 2, 11:00 p.m.):

Practice reading the midterm passage out loud: use Groton's textbook to help you determine vowel/consonant sounds and place accents. When you have perfected your reading, call my campus voice mail and read me the Greek over the phone. 

NOTE: Please prepare for and complete this portion of the exam on your own. I'll supply a copy of the passage for you to practice on and mark up. (No, you do not have to memorize the passage. Yes, you can read from the copy.)

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

For this exam, you'll be responsible for all concepts and vocabulary through ΑΩ Lesson 16.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 03-29-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, March 29, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 16 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Special features of the third declension (#99, pp. 96–7); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 16 (#100, pp. 97–8).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Lesson 15, "Mighty Mouse" (#96, p. 93).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 03-28-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Monday morning, March 28, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lessons 15 and 16 on the following forms and concepts. Note any questions along the way:

• Contracted futures of certain verbs (#94, pp. 90–1);
• Vocabulary for Lesson 15 (#95, pp. 91–2); and
• Third declension theory, stems, and example forms (#97–8, pp. 95–6).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Lesson 15 Greek-to-English sentences 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 only (#96, p. 92); and
• Lesson 15 English-to-Greek sentences 1, 3, and 4 only (same section as above).

DC

(No) Vocabulary for Week 10

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Just a reminder that there will be no formal vocabulary assignments next week. Rather, use the time you'd normally spend on vocab reviewing the words for ΑΩ 1 through 16, for which you'll be responsible on the second exam (especially Lessons 10–16).

CG 110 on Quizlet

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 03-24-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, March 24, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 15, on the following forms and concepts (#91–3, pp. 87–90). Note any questions along the way:

• Contract verb theory;
• Vowel contractions;
• Accentuation of contract verbs; and
• Forms of τιμάω, φιλέω, and δηλόω.

(2) Midterm exam preview. Read the blog post on midterm exam 2. Note any questions and bring them to class.

(3) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• "Blame it on Mom" (#90, p. 86).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 03-22-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, March 22, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 14, on the following forms and concepts (#87–9, pp. 83–5). Note any questions along the way:

• First-person pronouns: ἐγώ and ἡμεῖς;
• Second-person pronouns: σύ and ὑμεῖς
• Third-person pronoun: αὐτός (note the various uses and positions);
• Dative of possession; and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 14.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences 1–10 (#90, p. 85).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 03-21-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Monday morning, March 21, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 13. Note any questions along the way:

• The demonstratives οὗτος and ἐκεῖνος (#84.2–3, pp. 77–8); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 13 (#85, p. 78)

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences 2, 3, and 5 (#86, p. 80).

DC

Vocabulary for Week 9

Dear Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 9 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (9 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 14: Vocabulary;
• ΑΩ 15: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 16: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (three tests total).

DC

(No) Vocabulary for Week 8

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Just a reminder that there will be no formal vocabulary assignments next week, which is our spring break. I do, however, recommend that you review the lists for Lessons 1 through 13 during break just to keep current — but that's up to you.

There will be an assignment due the Monday after break, and a vocabulary assignment for that week, both of which I'll blog in due course.

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 03-10-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, March 10, please do the following:

(1) Readings:

• Groton, Lesson 12, on enclitics (#80, pp. 72–4).
• Groton, Lesson 12, vocabulary (#81, pp. 74–5).
• Groton, Lesson 13, on the demonstrative ὅδε, ἥδε, τόδε (#84.1, pp. 77–8) and the position of demonstratives (#84, pp. 78–9).

As always, note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Read and translate "A Sheepish Mistake" (#82, p. 76); and
• Decline the following demonstrative-article-noun trios (NOM through ACC, sing. and plur., using ὅδε, ἥδε, τόδε only, 72 forms in all):
  
  -- this the wisdom, this the war, this the tree

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 03-08-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, March 8, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 12, on the verb εἰμί (#79, pp. 71–72). Note any questions along the way. You should learn the following forms:

• Indicative: present, future, imperfect;
• Infinitive: present, future; and
• Imperatives: present.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences 6–10 only (#82, p. 75); and
• English-to-Greek sentences 1, 4, and 5 only (same section, p. 75).

DC

Vocabulary for Week 7

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 7 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (9 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 11: Vocabulary;
• ΑΩ 12: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 13: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday,  March 12, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (three tests total).

(And, yes, I realize the 12th is the first Saturday of break. Feel free to submit your tests earlier than the deadline.)

DC

Assignment for Monday, 03-07-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Monday morning, March 7, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 11. Note any questions along the way:

• The indicative imperfect middle/passive (#71, pp. 63–65);
• Middle/passive infinitives and imperatives (#72–73, pp. 65–66); and
• Vocabulary for Lesson 11 (#77, p. 68)

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 (#78, pp. 68–69); and
• "An Ill-Fated Frog" (same section, p. 70).

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 03-03-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, March 3, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 11. Note any questions along the way:

• Indicative present middle/passive, and the future middle; ignore the imperfect tense forms for now (#71, pp. 63–65); and
• Special senses of the middle voice; prepositions and their cases (#75–76, p. 67).

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences 1, 3, and 10 only (#78, pp. 68–69); and
• "The Bear Tells All" (#70, p. 62).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 03-01-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, March 1, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 10, on the imperfect tense (#65–67, pp. 57–58). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences 3, 7, 9, and 10 only (#70, pp. 60–61); and
• English-to-Greek sentences 3 and 4 only (same section, p. 61).

DC

Extra-Credit Assignment for Monday, 02-29-16

Dear Hellenists,

For Monday morning, February 29, you have the OPTION of doing the following:

(1) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences (#64, p. 55).

If you choose to complete this OPTIONAL assignment, it will count as extra credit in your individual assignment points, up to 30 extra points.

If, after preparing for the exam and completing your readings and peer reviews, you choose not to do the assignment, that's fine, too.

DC

Vocabulary for Week 6

Dear Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 6 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (9 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 8: Vocabulary;
• ΑΩ 9: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 10: Vocabulary.

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday,  March 5, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (three tests total).

DC

Assignment for Saturday, 02-27-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists:

By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, please do the following:

(1) Complete Section D (Reading aloud) of our first exam. Call my campus voicemail with your perfected reading of the midterm passage. Before you left the exam, I handed you a sheet with full instructions and a copy of the passage to mark up.

NOTE: There's a link to a YouTube video of me reading the practice midterm passage on our Resources page, if you'd like a high-end idea of what a reading might be.

(2) Complete a peer review form for each member of your team (not including yourself). Instructions and a link to the electronic peer review form are available on our course website.

NOTE: If you fail to submit any or all reviews, you will forfeit the chance to earn peer review points this time around.

NOTE: Peer reviews are anonymous. You will receive copies of the review forms that you have sent to me. I, in turn, will anonymize all of the data and send an individual report to each team.

Please let me know if you have questions.

DC

Exam on Thursday, 02-25-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Our first midterm exam on Thursday, February 25, will have the following format.

(1) Declining nouns and adjectives:

I'll give you English noun-adjective pairs in the singular or plural, you give me the Greek forms in the four major cases. The adjectives must modify the nouns in case, number, and gender.

(2) Jump drills:

A series of relatively short sequences in which you "jump" (change) one attribute of a verb form at a time, either person, number, tense, or mood.

(3) Passage to translate:

A short passage of connected Greek prose, using vocabulary and grammar through chapter 9. Read it carefully and write out your translation.

(4) Reading out loud (take-home portion, due Saturday, February 27, 11:00 p.m.):

Practice reading the midterm passage out loud: use Groton's textbook to help you determine vowel/consonant sounds and place accents. When you have perfected your reading, call my campus voice mail and read me the Greek over the phone. 

NOTE: Please prepare for and complete this portion of the exam on your own. I'll supply a copy of the passage for you to practice on and mark up. (No, you do not have to memorize the passage. Yes, you can read from the copy.)

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

For this exam, you'll be responsible for all concepts and vocabulary through ΑΩ Lesson 9.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 02-23-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, February 23, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 9, on first declension masculine nouns, substantives, and the genitive of possession (#58–63, pp. 51–54). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences (#64, p. 54).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-22-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

For Monday morning, February 22, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 8, on adjectives (#52–56, pp. 44–48). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• English-to-Greek sentences (#57, p. 48); and
• Read and translate "The Treasure Hunt" (same section, p. 49).

DC

(No) Vocabulary for Week 5

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Just a reminder that there will be no formal vocabulary assignments next week. Rather, use the time you'd normally spend on vocab reviewing the words for ΑΩ 1 through 9, for which you'll be responsible on the first exam.

For convenience, here are the latest two lessons:

• ΑΩ 8: Vocabulary; and
• ΑΩ 9: Vocabulary

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 02-18-16

Dear Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, February 18, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 8, on second declension neuter nouns (#49–51, pp. 43–44). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.). Translate the following sentences into Greek:

a. Discover (sing.)  the gifts of the goddesses, O mankind!
b. Plants in the river will harm the mares. [Remember section 51, p. 44.]
c. We will no longer chase our sister out of the house and away from the markets.
d. Will you (pl.) hesitate to steal even the plants?
e. No longer be hastening (sing.) with pains into the tent.

DC

Team observations on Tuesday, 02-16-16

Dear Hellenists,,

On Tuesday, February 16, instructional team will be observing your teamwork during class.

During our observations, we'll take notes on how your team interacts. Specifically, we'll be focused on the following questions:

• Is everyone engaged?
• Are questions being addressed by the team, where appropriate?
• Are explanations being offered along with answers?
• Is the team working together and leaving no one behind?
• Is the team discussing the answer key and any mistakes that were made?

We would appreciate your team interacting as it normally does so that you and your peers can receive as honest an evaluation as possible. We also know that this is hard to do, but we want you to try.

The goal of this evaluation is twofold:

(1) We want to offer your team feedback so it can operate most effectively.

(2) With the first official peer review fast approaching, we want our feedback to enable any teams with potential problems to turn them around.

Note that the evaluation your team ultimately receives will be cast in general terms (that is, no names will be named) and no part of this evaluation will impact anyone's grade. There are no official points at stake here, only feedback from the instructional team.

If you have any questions about the upcoming peer review, please consult the following:

• The peer review section of our Policies web page; and
• The CG 110 peer review form, which you'll be filling out after the first exam.

Please let me know if you have questions.

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 02-16-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, February 16, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 7, on second declension masculine nouns, their articles, and the datives of means and manner (#42–47, pp. 37–39). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Read and translate "Old Habits Never Die" (#41, p. 35);
• English-to-Greek sentences (#48, p. 40).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-15-16

Dear Hellenists,

For Monday morning, February 15, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 6, on the future tense (#38–40, pp. 31–34). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences (#41, p. 34); and
• English-to-Greek sentences (same section, p. 34).

DC

Vocabulary for Week 4

Dear Hellenists,

Your vocabulary assignments for Week 4 are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (9 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 5a: Vocabulary
• ΑΩ 6: Vocabulary
• ΑΩ 7: Vocabulary

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday,  February 20, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (three tests total). As noted on our Policies page and in the Using Quizlet video, each test should have the appropriate format.

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 02-11-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Thursday morning, February 11, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 5, on additional first declension feminine nouns, and some nuances of the definite article (#34–36, pp. 27–29). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences (#37, p. 29).

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 02-09-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, February 9, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 4, on first declension feminine nouns, case endings, the definite article, and the indirect object (#29–32, pp. 23–26). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Greek-to-English sentences (#33, p. 26).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-08-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

For Monday morning, February 8, please do the following:

(1) Vocabulary set-up:

• Review the Vocabulary guidelines on our Policies page. Note any questions along the way.
• On Quizlet either (a) create a new profile or (b) adjust your current profile. Either way, your username should resemble your real name. I can't give you credit if I can't .recognize you.
• Send me a request on Quizlet to join our class (if you haven;t already done so)
  
• Watch the Using Quizlet video, if necessary, to make sure you understand how to navigate around and to generate properly formatted vocabulary tests. (NOTE: The video was made for my Elementary Latin class, and Quizlet has changed a little since then, but the overall principles are exactly the same.)

(2) Reading A: Groton, Lesson 3, on infinitives and imperatives (#21–24, pp. 17–19). Note any questions along the way.

(3) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Translate the English-to-Greek exercises (#25, p. 20) with proper accents and breathings.

(4) Reading B: Groton, Lesson 4, on nouns and case endings (#26–28, pp. 21–23). Again, note any questions along the way.

DC

Vocabulary for Week 3

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Your first vocabulary assignments of the term, due during Week 3, are as follows:

(1) By 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, please complete at least three Quizlet Study/Play exercises for each of the following sets of flashcards (9 exercises total):

• ΑΩ 1: Lower-case letters and names
• ΑΩ 3: Vocabulary
• ΑΩ 4: Vocabulary

(2) By 11:00 p.m. on Saturday,  February 13, please complete a Test exercise for each of the above sets (three tests total). As noted on our Policies page and in the Using Quizlet video, each test should have the appropriate format:

• The question limit must be equal to the number of vocabulary items/flashcards (that is, 24 questions if 24 items; Quizlet defaults to 20 questions or less, so be prepared to adjust the total as needed).
  
• Only written questions are allowed, not other kinds (no matching, no multiple choice, no true/false — uncheck those boxes in the right-hand menu).
  
• Only English to Greek questions are allowed (check the "Start with: English" button).
  
• You may take a test as many times as you wish in order to maximize your score. Breathings and accents count, but not macrons.
  
• When you have completed a text, use the "Print test" button at the top of the page to make a PDF of your results; send me all three PDFs by email before 11:00 p.m.

Quizlet will keep track of your progress as you complete these assignments. NOTE: Be sure to complete each exercise in full, or Quizlet will only give you partial credit.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

DC

Getting ready for vocabulary

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

It's time to start incorporating weekly vocabulary exercises into our routine. Here's how we're going to do this.

(1) On Thursday, February 4, I'll review the Vocabulary section of our Policies page, and briefly introduce Quizlet (briefly, because many of you have used it before, either at Skidmore or in high school).

(2) As part of the homework on Monday, I'll ask you to review the Policies page, watch the Using Quizlet video (if necessary), and set up a Quizlet account. I'll be more specific about these steps in my blog post for Monday's assignment.

(3) The first vocabulary assignments will be due next Wednesday, February 10, and next Saturday, February 13. I'll say more about these assignments in my next post. The main point is, these Wednesday/Saturday assignments will be part of our standard operating procedure next week and every week in which we aren't on break or don't have an exam.

Stay tuned,

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 02-04-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

For Thursday morning, February 4, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 3, on verbs in general and present tense forms (#17–20, pp. 13–17). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.). Translate these sentences into Greek, with proper accents and breathings:

a. She teaches and you (pl.) write.
b. We stand guard and we do not hasten.
c. Do they not offer sacrifice? They want (to).
d. You (sing.) both steal and draw. I sacrifice and I do not protect.
e. He is not eager, but (ἀλλά) he is willing.
f. We both write and educate and protect. You (pl.) do not write and you are not eager.

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 02-02-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

By Tuesday morning, February 2, please do the following:

(1) Reading: Groton, Lesson 2, on Greek accents (#11–15, pp. 9–11). Note any questions along the way.

(2) Homework (due by 8:00 a.m.):

• Exercise 2.A (#16, pp. 11–12).

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-01-16

Dear Elementarians,

By Monday morning , February 1, please do the following:

(1) Practice pronouncing the Greek names in exercise A (#10, pp. 6–7). In class on Monday, you'll come to consensus on the proper pronunciation with your teammates.

(2) Practice reading aloud the Greek passage in exercise B (same section, p. 7), "Zeus Cuts the Camel Down to Size." Again, you'll practice reading aloud with your teammates on Monday. Enjoy the English translation.

(3) (Due 8:00 a.m., via email) Transliterate the following English names into Greek, then syllabify each Greek name:

a. Aischylos
b. Alexandros
c. Euripidēs
d. Hectōr
e. Helenē
f. Hēraklēs
g. Hypsipylē
h. Menoitios
i. Mnēmosynē
j. Pandōra
k. Ploutarchos
l. Rhadamanthys
m. Sapphō
n. Theocritos

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• For this exercise, don't make accent marks, but do make breathing marks (see below).
• Long e (ē) always = eta; long o (ō) always = omega.
• An initial H in the English name indicates a rough breathing mark over an initial vowel or diphthong in Greek (see section 6, p. 5).
• If a word begins with a vowel/diphthong, it will still need a smooth breathing mark in Greek.
• Separate the syllables of the transliterated Greek word using dashes.
• If you type your answers, you don't necessarily need GreekKeys, but now would be a good time to purchase the software and to learn it.
• Whether you type or hand-write your answers, please email them to me as a PDF by 8:00 a.m. on Monday. Make sure your name is on the actual document.

DC

Clarification on Consonants from Thursday, 01-28-16

Dear Hellenists,

The thought occurs that, in my zeal to cover the basics of Greek consonants on Thursday, I wasn't as clear as I might have been about consonant clusters — that is, which consonants get pronounced together (and therefore kept in the same syllable), and which get pronounced separately (put in different syllables).

Let's take it from the top.

(1) CONSONANT CLUSTERS USUALLY PRONOUNCED TOGETHER

• two different stops: stop1 + stop2 (examples: βδ, κτ, φθ)
• stop + liquid (examples: γρ, τρ, πλ, κλ)
• stop + nasal (examples: πν, γμ)

(2) CONSONANT CLUSTERS USUALLY PRONOUNCED SEPARATELY

• double consonants (examples: λλ, σσ, ττ)
• liquid + stop (ex. λτ), liquid + liquid (ex. λρ), liquid + nasal (ex. ρμ)
• nasal + stop (ex. μπ), nasal + liquid (ex. μρ), nasal + nasal (ex. νμ)

(3) EXCEPTIONS

• the nasal + nasal combo μν is pronounced together
• sigma + any consonant might be pronounced together or separately

Groton explains all of this in more detail in Lesson 1 (#7–8, pp. 5–6).

DC

Reflections on Teamwork, 01-28-16

Dear Hellenists,

Just a few thoughts on Thursday's initial round of teamwork.

(1) Congratulations on making it through the first session. Beginnings are always difficult with team-based learning, because everyone's still getting acquainted and figuring out how to collaborate.

(2) It was very interesting that every team's initial impulse was to work on its own, despite the remarks I'd made just a few moments earlier. Still, that solo time was valuable for illustrating both how individuals work at different paces (I noticed that some teammates were able to transliterate quickly, and others needed more time) and how easy it is for peers to get left behind in that kind of scenario. Even as we were ending class, some students hadn't filled out their worksheets entirely. That outcome is not really a concern for a first session (in fact, it was expected), but if it were to become habitual, it could be disastrous in the long run.

(3) I think it was also clear that, once teams began talking amongst themselves, the work got easier. As I saw it, more progress was made in the 10–12 minutes of true collaboration than in the 20–25 minutes of silence that preceded it. While I am sure that some of you would prefer to work alone, and would be quite capable on your own, that's not what team-based learning is about.

As we move forward, let me suggest that you minimize solo work and maximize discussion. I've noted that it's all right to divide up the work individually — provided there's ample time to review that work as a group. This does not mean everyone completing the entire worksheet on their own and scrabbling for the answer key to check their individual responses. Rather, it might mean each team member takes a set amount of items, completes them within an agreed-upon time limit (a brief one), and then reports their answers to the group at large, with discussion ensuing. Or, it might mean that the team works through each item with one member taking the lead, walking peers through his or her thought process and answering (or asking) questions along the way.

Either scenario could have been employed with Thursday's worksheet, with great success and great efficiency. I offer these thoughts in the spirit of true critique, because it's my job not only to present new material but also to make sure the overall process runs smoothly.

If you have any questions about yesterday's class — or any of our classes, or about team-based learning — please let me know.

Stay tuned for a clarification on yesterday's material, and next week's assignments.

DC

Assignment for Thursday, 01-28-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

For Thursday, January 28, please do the following:

(1) Read Groton, Lesson 1, on the Greek alphabet and diphthongs (#4–9, pp. 4–6) and study the alphabet chart (p. 3). Note any questions along the way, especially on the more nuanced material we didn't cover today.

(2) Memorize the names of the letters of the Greek alphabet in their proper order, such that you can either say or sing their names in order in 9 seconds or less. Khang and I will check your times before you enter the classroom on Thursday; if you fail, you won't be allowed in the classroom until your order or time (or both) is correct.

(3) On a lined sheet of paper, write out a line of 24 consecutive alphas, betas, gammas, and so on, all the way through omega. Do this for both lower and upper cases — 48 lines of Greek letters in all. Make sure your name is on the sheet, and turn it in at the beginning of class (a rare exception to the PDF-and-email-before-class routine we'll soon be in).

DC

PS: If you want to join our Quizlet group, which has flashcards on the alphabet/diphthongs in chapter 1 and might help you with the above work, (1) sign up for a (free) Quizlet account, if you haven't yet done so, and (2) send me a request through Quizlet to join the group. All I ask is that your username resemble your real name in some way so that I can make sure I'm adding Skidmore people.

DC

Assignment for Tuesday, 01-26-16

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

For Tuesday, January 26, please do the following:

(1) Review these pages of our website:

• Syllabus;
• Calendar;
• Teams and team folders, General expectations, Homework exercises, and Team exercises (on the Policies page).

Please note any questions that arise and bring them to class.

(2) Read Lesson 1 on the Greek language (#1–3, pp. 1–2) of our textbook, hereafter referred to as "Groton." This will get us oriented and ready to embark on the Greek alphabet.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

DC

Welcome!

Dear Elementary Hellenists,

Welcome to the blog for CG 110: Elementary Greek!  Here I'll post assignments and other notices, as well as other ephemera pertaining to the study of ancient Greek.

With each post, you'll get an email alerting you to the new content.  The message will contain the entire post, so you'll have the option of reading it on email or navigating over to the blog. Similarly, if you'd like to reply to a post, you can either use the "Comments" feature on the blog, or you can reply to the email message you received.  Either way, everyone in the class will be able to read your response.

None of this is meant to substitute for in-class interaction.  However, since our sessions together will go by quickly, I hope the blog will save us precious minutes here and there.

Again, welcome!

DC