This activity provides an opportunity for the children to develop an understanding of another aspect of everyday Roman life. It also allows them to think about where some of today’s words originally came from.
1) The teacher will need a list of Latin words and their meanings. If you are not fluent in Latin, you can find a list here. Print this list (adding more of your own words if you know some) so that you can use it in the classroom and so that the children can have access to it.
2) This activity can be carried out as a whole class or in groups.
3) WHOLE CLASS – If working as a whole class, each child will make one or two pages for the dictionary. The teacher will need to organize which pages are made by each child so that there is no duplication of pages. When all of the pages have been made, they can then be put together to make one large dictionary.
4) GROUPS – If working in groups, each group can make their own dictionary, working out which words to include and organising who will make each page. Each group will therefore need a copy of the Latin Words list.
5) Each page should have the Latin word at the top (in red), the English translation at the bottom (in blue) and a picture in the middle. We have made some examples to show the children the structure of each page, and these are shown below. You can, of course, print these to show your own children.
6) When the pages are all finished, bind them together in some way and use the dictionary as reference material. This could be shared around the school, giving the children in your class the ideal opportunity to show off their work.