Translation CYCLONE

Activity Name
   Translation CYCLONE

Purpose
   for students to practice translating Latin and revising other translations

Objectives
   Students will be able to...
   -translate Latin sentences under time constraints
   -correct incorrect translations

Standards
   1.1 and 3.1 (from CAMWS)

Materials
   Translation Cyclone PowerPoint; Translation Cyclone Answer Sheets (one for each student); stopwatch

Time
   anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on the length of passage for translation

Description of Activity
   Each student gets a copy of the Translation Cyclone Answer Sheet. There is plenty of room in each box for the students to correct each other's translations as the papers get passed around the room. Here is an example (yours will likely be longer, but it all depends how many sentences students will translate):

Using the Translation Cyclone PowerPoint, display one sentence at a time of whatever passage you choose for them to translate for this activity. Here is an example PowerPoint of a passage of my own creation (it is only four sentences, to fit the example answer sheet above):

You can download the full .pptx version of this presentation via the links under "Materials" above or "Downloads" below.

Right before you switch to a new sentence on the PowerPoint, have the students swap papers. (It can be fun to say something dramatic to mark each swap, such as "Cyclone, cyclone, cyclone!) Make sure that you plan out ahead of time how you want the papers to get passed. My room is set up in a grid, so my students pass their papers like this:

A passes to B, B passes to C, and so on; I personally take the paper from L up to A to make the transition smooth. In this way the papers get around the room. Students are therefore focused in each round first on translating whatever sentence is on the screen, and second on revising any incorrect translations they notice from previous rounds. Keep things moving quickly with a stopwatch.

Because you always get a paper from the same person, you come to know their bad habits in translation. This leads to exchanges during the activity like, "Start putting periods at the ends of your sentences. I am tired of adding them!" Statements like this from fellow students are much more effective than the same advice from a teacher.

Assessment
   Students are assessed informally throughout the activity as the teacher circles the room and checks their work as they work. You can also review the translation as a whole after the activity to gauge how well your students understand.

Downloads

Translation Cyclone PowerPoint (66k .pptx)

Translation Cyclone Answer Sheet (42k .docx)