Review the extra vocabulary. For the weather related words, you can use the weather cards for visuals. Point out the adverbs in the new vocabulary and how these might change the meaning of a sentence describing the weather (e.g. sol valde lucet = the sun is shining powerfully vs. sol vix lucet = the sun is barely shining).
cotidie = daily
heri = yesterday
hodie = today
cras = tomorrow
valde = strongly, very, powerfully
vix = barely
sol lucet = the sun is shining
pluit = it is raining
tempestas est = there is a storm
nebula est = there is fog
arcus est = there is a rainbow
ningit = it is snowing
nubilum est = it is cloudy
ventosum est = it is windy
frigidum est = it is cold
calidum est = it is hot
TIP: Once you’ve taught students how to talk about the weather, practice regularly by adding this short conversational activity into your routines for beginning class.
TIP: There are many excellent derivatives that we get from these words – procrastinate, quotidian, solar, translucent, tempestuous, nebulous, frigid, etc. You can mention these to students as you review the words, or you can explore these derivatives further with the derivative charts activity.
Materials: Extra Vocabulary Words, Weather Cards, Video clips
Instructions: Discuss the weather with students. Use adverbs to clarify the time (hodie, heri, cras) and encourage the use of adverbs to describe the weather with more detail. If students are struggling to speak Latin, guide them by asking questions (Estne pluit? Estne pluit vix aut valde?) and then let them put the sentence together. Allow students 5 minutes to practice with a partner so that everyone has a chance to practice the Latin words. After describing the current weather, use our digital resources, or find weather clips of your own, to present different weather scenarios. Pause between each scenario to allow students to describe the weather – first with a partner, then as a whole class.