Your child is independently responsible for learning 50 stems and 50 words this year as part of his or her enrichment work. This will be the only homework your child will have for enrichment class. The lessons posted below are broken down into 5 stems or words each. Your child may work at his or her own pace and ask to take a quiz when ready. Your child WILL need to study at home! Our suggestion would be to learn 5 a week but some students like to go faster than that and others need more time. All quizzes must be taken online in our classrooms and exact wording/spelling is needed in order to pass. Quizzes can be taken as often as needed but all words must be learned by the end of the year.
The Caesar's English program is designed to be a very rigorous program for gifted kids. It shows a student that memorizing a stem and its definition is not enough. The intent of the program is for students to begin at a novice level and through effort and perseverance move to a level of expertise. Since we know that “struggling” and “not getting 100%” may be new to your gifted child and causing “tension” at home, we have composed answers to some frequently asked questions to explain our expectations in the Caesar’s English Program.
Why is the Caesar’s English Program used in Enrichment?
Caesar’s English introduces students to a very different kind of studying than they have ever done before! It asks them to develop a different set of skills over a longer period of time to create a "working" definition of Latin stems and powerful words. In studying for Caesar’s English, the initial objective IS memorizing the stem or word meaning, but after that, students must be able to use that knowledge to decode and comprehend words they may not have seen before by recognizing the stem and applying their knowledge of meaning, part of speech, and context. This happens through application so students begin to expand an internalized and individual process for figuring out meanings of words. Students develop skills that serve them in multiple contexts for a lifetime.
How can we study effectively at home?
Studying at home is not just flash cards and quizzes, but talking about and "getting to know the words” as they are used and change with different contexts. Pointing out when they are used in everyday discourse and print media and using them whenever possible are fabulous ways to learn vocabulary. Gifted students quickly master the knowledge of what each stem means, sometimes in the introduction in class, but the pages of the Caesar's English text develop a rich tapestry of the importance of these words and stems in literature and effective communication. Gifted students are capable of learning the subtle nuances of a word’s meaning in different contexts.
If understanding meaning is the objective, why count off for spelling?
Students need to spell in such a way that it shows their understanding of the context. For example, if they understand the meaning of countenance (the contents of the face) then facial expression as the meaning of that word should at least be close to face and not fashal. The understanding of the origin of the word is part and parcel to the spelling. Each word’s "history" is contained in its spelling and since we discuss this during our lesson, it is important for them to learn it. We understand that it will take time for students to do so.
What is the benefit of such a rigorous program as Caesar’s English?
This program allows students to develop an expert level of vocabulary that will be a tool for effective communication and writing now, and in the future. Beyond that, students learn a process of scholarship enabling them to process language to find meaning further than knowing a finite list of stems & words. Caesar’s English introduces students to the discipline of cumulative study. To succeed in this program, students need to develop regular and efficient study habits. This will teach them the ability to use vocabulary with confidence and accuracy whether they encounter it in classic literature or current issues- EVEN when it has not specifically been studied! Sounds daunting, but it actually is often reported by our "grads" as one of the best skills they learn in enrichment.
Why is the Caesar’s English Program used in Enrichment?
Caesar’s English introduces students to a very different kind of studying than they have ever done before! It asks them to develop a different set of skills over a longer period of time to create a "working" definition of Latin stems and powerful words. In studying for Caesar’s English, the initial objective IS memorizing the stem or word meaning, but after that, students must be able to use that knowledge to decode and comprehend words they may not have seen before by recognizing the stem and applying their knowledge of meaning, part of speech, and context. This happens through application so students begin to expand an internalized and individual process for figuring out meanings of words. Students develop skills that serve them in multiple contexts for a lifetime.
How can we study effectively at home?
Studying at home is not just flash cards and quizzes, but talking about and "getting to know the words” as they are used and change with different contexts. Pointing out when they are used in everyday discourse and print media and using them whenever possible are fabulous ways to learn vocabulary. Gifted students quickly master the knowledge of what each stem means, sometimes in the introduction in class, but the pages of the Caesar's English text develop a rich tapestry of the importance of these words and stems in literature and effective communication. Gifted students are capable of learning the subtle nuances of a word’s meaning in different contexts.
If understanding meaning is the objective, why count off for spelling?
Students need to spell in such a way that it shows their understanding of the context. For example, if they understand the meaning of countenance (the contents of the face) then facial expression as the meaning of that word should at least be close to face and not fashal. The understanding of the origin of the word is part and parcel to the spelling. Each word’s "history" is contained in its spelling and since we discuss this during our lesson, it is important for them to learn it. We understand that it will take time for students to do so.
What is the benefit of such a rigorous program as Caesar’s English?
This program allows students to develop an expert level of vocabulary that will be a tool for effective communication and writing now, and in the future. Beyond that, students learn a process of scholarship enabling them to process language to find meaning further than knowing a finite list of stems & words. Caesar’s English introduces students to the discipline of cumulative study. To succeed in this program, students need to develop regular and efficient study habits. This will teach them the ability to use vocabulary with confidence and accuracy whether they encounter it in classic literature or current issues- EVEN when it has not specifically been studied! Sounds daunting, but it actually is often reported by our "grads" as one of the best skills they learn in enrichment.