Computing

This page contains details of computer projects, websites etc. If you would like something to be added to this page please email office@jact.org with details.

The Classics Library (www.fhsclassics.co.uk/classicslibrary) is the online resource-sharing site for Classics teachers. It stores and catalogues resources for every classical subject at every learning level. Whether you are teaching beginner’s Latin, or introducing a Gifted and Talented programme, delivering fast-track Classical Greek, or honing analysis of Classical Art and Architecture, The Classics Library can bring you ideas and resources.

The Blog (http://classicslibrary.blogspot.com/) is there for you! It allows you to contact other Classics teachers, to discuss up-to-date issues, and to flag up ideas and problems of your own.

The site aims to be comprehensive and user-friendly, share-friendly and intuitive. Suggestions, feedback and advice from its users are very welcome to Steve Jenkin (sj@fhsclassics.co.uk).

Visit The Classics Library: www.fhsclassics.co.uk/classicslibrary.

Latin Computer Programs

These are written by Terry Bird, formerly Head of Classics at Colchester Royal Grammar School. They are very flexible, need little or no introduction and are instantly available to the student from a desktop icon (PC only). There are 35 or so programs in all, and are also very successful when used by the individual student out of the classroom. There are customised versions with the paradigms be adjusted for the Oxford Latin Course, Cambridge Latin Course, and Ecce Romani.

The vocabulary programs, arranged by parts of speech, use the OCR Defined Vocabulary List, and break it into user-controlled sections. They constitute an excellent aid in acquiring vocabulary systematically. They consist of a multiple-choice test of meanings followed by a test requiring the correct Latin word to be typed in. These are aimed at GCSE sets. Another set of programs tests the endings of the 7 main Latin noun types, asking for cases and offering excellent reinforcement. They give clear help by pages of grammatical information. These could be used at various stages. For the confident another program tests all noun endings.

Further programs test verbs, allowing firstly the selection of tenses to be included in the test, in any combination, and then the choice of working from English to Latin or from Latin to English – so the choice is a very simple test up to something very challenging. Where appropriate several translations are available for tenses (e.g. the present). One test deals with the four conjugations, active and passive, another with deponent verbs, another with the irregular verbs sum, possum, eo, volo, nolo. Finally there are similar subjunctive, infinitive and principal part tests.

A demonstration version of these tests is available. The cost to institutions for the complete set is £60. Please e-mail for a copy to: terry.bird@ntlworld.com

The cost to institutions for the complete set is £60, and to individual students £20.

Ancient Greek Software for the PC

These programs are by Terry Bird, formerly Head of Classics at Colchester Royal Grammar School. They are very flexible, need little or no introduction and are instantly available to the student from a desktop icon (PC only). There are 40 or so programs in all, and are also very successful when used by the individual student out of the classroom. The programs have their own Greek character set preloaded, complete with breathings and iota subscript (but not accents), and allow typing in Greek or English as called for in the tests. Answers in Greek are a challenging part of these programs.

The vocabulary programs aim to teach the whole of the OCR GCSE list analysed without omissions into grammatical categories, eg: contracted verbs, adverbs, adjectives by type, nouns by type – focussed and clear learning. They consist of a multiple-choice test of meanings followed by a rigorous test requiring the correct Greek word to be typed in. Mistakes are re-tested. The vocabulary for any test can be the total list or a self-selected part of it, but the aim is complete and systematic coverage. It is an advantage to be able to address one section of the vocabulary at a time.

Another set of programs tests the endings of the main Greek noun types, asking for cases and offering excellent reinforcement. They give assistance by clear and helpful pages of grammatical information. For the confident a test of all these noun types, some 13 in all , is combined into one. These could be used at various stages.

Further programs test the indicative of verbs, allowing firstly the selection of tenses to be included in the test, in any combination, and then the choice of working from English to Greek or from Greek to English. Where appropriate several translations are available for tenses (e.g. the present). One test deals simply with the indicative of “luo”, another with a group of simple verbs like “luo”. A more advanced test allows questions on any indicative tense or combination of tenses of verbs with consonantal stems, the common Greek irregular verbs in fact. This is a potentially ferocious test! Virtually no Greek verb type is unavailable. This program also allows the pupil to see the complete conjugation of a chosen verb, with appropriate translations. Separate tests deal with the participles, infinitives, subjunctives and optatives of a wide range of verb types, with all tenses available or tailored to the individual student, from low demand to very high demand. Another test deals with the earliest contracted verbs encountered (present and imperfect), while a second test has a full range of contracted verb vocabulary, and yet another test deals with their subjunctives and optatives.

A demonstration version of these tests is available. The cost to institutions for the complete set is £75. Please e-mail for a copy to: terry.bird@ntlworld.com

The cost to institutions for the complete set is £75, and to individual students £20.

Running Vocabularies

Current users seem delighted by the response of their students. Please contact me via e-mail: terry.bird@ntlworld.com Samples are available. For the Latin Word files are supplied, for the Greek PDFs opened by Adobe Reader (free download)

Current set-books:

GCSE 2006 (OCR ) Greek: Tales from Herodotus (4,6,9,17) : Odyssey 21, lines 245-434. – two columns with the text in the left column and vocabulary and hints for construing off the ends of the lines in the right column. Latin: Virgil Aeneid 4

A/AS 2006 (OCR) Greek Euripides: Hippolytus - the OCR AS and A2 prescription – two columns with the text in the left column and vocabulary and hints for construing off the ends of the lines in the right column.Homer Iliad 6 and 7 - the AS and A2 prescription – two columns with the text in the left column and vocabulary and hints for construing off the ends of the lines in the right column.

For unseen work, running vocabularies are available to two recent OCR prescriptions – Sophocles’ Philoctetes and Thucydides 7.

Latin : Horace Odes I (1-27,29,34,37-38):Virgil Aeneid X - the AS and A2 prescription – two columns with the text in the left column and vocabulary and hints for construing off the ends of the lines in the right column.

Set books for 2007

Set books in their first year for 2007 will mostly be available from June 2006

GCSE 2007 (OCR ) Greek : Tales from Herodotus (II, V (a),(b), (c), XI (a)) : Latin : Virgil: Aeneid 4 : two columns with the text in the left column and vocabulary and hints for construing off the ends of the lines in the right column

AS/A2 Level (all with text as described for Aeneid 4)

Greek :Sophocles’ Electra : Latin: Ovid Amores I : Tacitus Annals I

Many others are available. Please apply

I am charging £15 for any of these except Tales from Herodotus which is £10.

TERRY BIRD

Cambridge School Classcs Project

The Cambridge School Classics Project has a wide range of online activities to support teaching and learning with the Cambridge Latin Course. Free vocabulary testers, online dictionaries (with audio), quick-click stories, noun and verb ending activities are found alongside carefully chosen web-links for each Stage. Information about the "War with Troy" initiative to bring the Iliad to a new generation is also housed here. With over 20,000 hits a month, it's a very popular site. http://www.CambridgeSCP.com

Classical Chat

Classical Chat continues on Mondays at 6.30 p.m. on the ARLT Web Site at http://www.arlt.co.uk. Sign in and share ideas, thoughts, and problems! Check out the web site too for work sheets and tests for current set books. Any offers of material or requests to hawalters@aol.com

American Classical League

The American Classical League supply a huge amount of teaching materials and resources. For more information visit http://www.aclclassics.org

J-Progs

J-PROGS Software for Education is a business which specialises in software for Classics, offering a wide range of software, such as ROMANA, Two Greek Myths and Aeneas. J-PROGS also distributes Latin Vocab Drill and Latin Flash Drill in the UK, on behalf of Centaur Systems Ltd (USA). http://www.j-progs.com/

Latin without tears

Latin without Tears is a package designed to help GCSE Latin students by Dennis Flynn and was reviewed in the JACT Bulletin of January 2000. A demo can be downloaded from Dennis' web site, at http://www.doctor-flynn.demon.co.uk.

Perseus

Perseus is a high-flying, complex CD-ROM database of Greek literature, history, art, architecture and archaeology. Its UK publisher, Yale University Press, can be contacted at 23 Pound St, London, NW3 2PN, tel. 0207 431 4422.

The Perseus Home Page, which contains much on Latin literature as well as Greek can be found on the Internet at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/

Transparent language

Transparent Language is a system which gives commentaries on the Cambridge Latin Course, which was reviewed in the JACT Bulletin of January 1999. You can visit the web site at http://www.transparent.com.

Olympia

Olympia is an all-encompassing CD-ROM containing details of Greek Art and Architecture as well as the Olympic Games. It was reviewed in the JACT Bulletin of September 1996 (see Computanda archive). It is distributed in UK by J-Progs

TAG developments

Real Romans includes site details and photographs on Housesteads, Wroxeter and Lullingstone. Sites can be explored by moving around them. It was reviewed in the JACT Bulletin, September 1999. For further details, visit TAG Developments, at http://www.tagdev.co.uk/ .

Tick-tack software

Tick-Tack software has titles including AD 79 magister, based on CLC stages 1 to 16, and AD 79 grammaticus, based on stages 17 to 28. These were reviewed in the JACT Bulletin of January 1999. A demo can be downloaded from the web site, at http://www.rmplc.co.uk/com/dsephton

Word root

WordRoot is available from WordRoutes, Moorland House, 41 London Rd, Biggleswade, Beds, SG18 8ED, tel 01767 600580. This contains about 100 main compound words, with information about their Latin, Greek or French roots, as well as links to other words with the same compound parts.

Computanda

Computanda is a regular column in the JACT Bulletin (since 1995) written by Julian Morgan- most of the products described here have been reviewed in it - and if you think it would be worthwhile to find out more before you buy, check out the archive, which is available on site - Computanda archive.