CSI: Lingua Latina

SAT Score Range

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8 sessions

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About

Stop 'learning' Latin and start investigating it. In this 8-session forensic deep-dive, we treat the Latin language like a historical crime scene. We aren’t here for rote memorization; we are here to analyze the 'fingerprints' Latin left on English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.
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Each session, we tackle a new case study—from deciphering ancient Roman graffiti to tracking how military Latin evolved into 'street' dialects. You will learn to decode both Classical and Vulgar Latin pronunciations using easy English respellings. Expect a high-energy, interactive environment where you will examine 'evidence' (inscriptions and legal maxims), interrogate historical 'witnesses' like Cicero and Caesar, and solve the mystery of why we speak the way we do today. No prior Latin experience required—just a sharp eye for detail

Tutored by

Christopher B 🇺🇸

Senior Tutor

Certified in 5 topics

View Profile

Hi! I’m Christopher, a high school sophomore passionate about learning, teaching, and helping others succeed. I’ve been tutoring through Schoolhouse.world since 8th grade, specializing in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, History, and Computer Science. I also mentor other tutors as a Schoolhouse Tutors Host and serve as a Senior Tutor in Reading/Writing and Enrichment. I love supporting learners by breaking down challenging concepts and encouraging curiosity. Outside of tutoring, I’m interested in Math, Science, Music, Creative Writing, and Social Advocacy. My goal is to make learning accessible, engaging, and empowering for every student I work with. ___________________________________________________ 6th Grade Courses Math 6 Honors (Period 4, 2021-2022) ELA 6 (Period 5, 2021-2022) Integrated Science 6 (Period 1, 2021-2022) World Studies I: Beginnings of Human Society to the Emergence of the First Global Age (Period 3, 2021-2022) Band 6 (Period 2, A Day, 2021-2022) Keyboarding & Basic Word Processing (Period 2, B Day, Fall 2021) Physical Education 6 (Period 2, B Day, Spring 2022, Q3) Health Education 6 (Period 2, B Day, Spring 2022, Q4) ___________________________________________________ 7th Grade Courses NC Math 1 (Period 4, 2022-2023) ELA 7 (Period 3, 2022-2023) Integrated Science 7 (Period 1, 2022-2023) World Studies II: The Great Global Convergence (1400-1800) to the Present (Period 2, 2022-2023) Band 7 (Period 5, B Day, 2022-2023) Media Art: Visual Art (Period 5, A Day, Fall 2022) Physical Education 7 (Period 5, A Day, Spring 2023, Q3) Health Education 7 (Period 5, A Day, Spring 2023, Q4) ___________________________________________________ 8th Grade Courses NC Math 2 (Period 3, 2023-2024) ELA 8 Honors (Period 5, 2023-2024) Integrated Science 8 (Period 1, 2023-2024) North Carolina and United States History (Period 2, 2023-2024) AVID 8 (Period 4, A Day, 2023-2024) Advanced Dance 8 (Period 4, B Day, Fall 2023) Health & Physical Education 8 (Period 4, B Day, Spring 2024) ___________________________________________________ 9th Grade Courses English I Honors (Period 1, Fall 2024) Band Intermediate (Period 2, Fall 2024) JROTC I (Period 3, Fall 2024) Career Management (Period 4, Fall 2024) Earth & Environmental Science (Period 1, Spring 2025) NC Math 3 Honors (Period 2, Spring 2025) World History Honors (Period 3, Spring 2025) Health/Physical Education (Period 4, Spring 2025) ___________________________________________________ 10th Grade Courses Microsoft Excel Honors (Period 1, Fall 2025) NC Math 4 Honors (Period 2, Fall 2025) English II Honors (Period 3, Fall 2025) Theater Arts Beginning (Period 4, Fall, 2025) AP United States Government and Politics (Period 1, Spring 2026) AP Psychology (Period 2, Spring 2026) NCVPS: Latin I Honors (Period 3, Spring 2026) Biology Honors (Period 4, Spring 2026) ___________________________________________________

Sessions

Upcoming

All

✋ ATTENDANCE POLICY

Official Forensic Unit Protocol: To ensure we solve every case, consistency is key. Please adhere to the following:

1. The "Two-Strike" Rule: Because this is a cumulative investigation, learners who miss two consecutive sessions without notifying the lead investigator (me!) in advance may be withdrawn to make room for those who want to join.

2. Punctuality: Investigations begin promptly. Please arrive within the first 5 minutes.

3. Communication: If you know you’ll be "undercover" (absent) for a week, send a message through the Schoolhouse platform at least 24 hours before the session.

3. Active Participation: Since we don't use breakout rooms since schoolhouse doesn't allow it (would be nice if they did), your participation in the main room via chat or mic is vital. "Ghosting" the investigation makes it harder for the team to crack the code!

SESSION 1

2

Mar

SESSION 1

Language Learning

Mon 11:00 PM - Tue, 12:30 AM UTCMar 2, 11:00 PM - Mar 3, 12:30 AM UTC

Session 1: In Principio (In the Beginning)
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The Case of the Missing Letters. We begin our investigation by examining the Roman Alphabet "crime scene." Why are there no Js, Us, or Ws in ancient inscriptions? We will analyze the Classical pronunciation (where 'V' sounds like 'W') and compare it to the Ecclesiastical (Church) style. You’ll learn your first English Respellings to decode original Roman stones and discover why the "Latin DNA" still dictates how we spell English words today.

SESSION 2

10

Mar

SESSION 2

Language Learning

Tue 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCMar 10, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 2: Imperium Romanum (The Roman Empire)
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The Great Linguistic Infection. How did one city’s dialect take over the world? We investigate the spread of Latin across Europe. We’ll compare Classical Latin (the formal "Suspect") with Vulgar Latin (the "Street" version). By looking at map coordinates of the Empire, we’ll see how Latin "mutated" into early Spanish and Portuguese, and we’ll track how military terms left fingerprints on the English map.

SESSION 3

18

Mar

SESSION 3

Language Learning

Wed 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCMar 18, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 3: Cives et Servi (Citizens and Slaves)
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The Case of the Changing Endings. In Latin, a word’s position doesn’t matter as much as its "ending." We’ll treat noun endings like forensic markers that tell us who committed the action and who received it. We will investigate how these "cases" survived in Modern Romanian and German, and why English pronouns (like he vs. him) are the last remaining evidence of this ancient system.

SESSION 4

26

Mar

SESSION 4

Language Learning

Thu 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCMar 26, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 4: Domus et Familia (Home and Family)
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Domestic DNA. We go "undercover" into a Roman Insula (apartment). By analyzing the Latin words for family and household objects, we’ll see how they evolved into Italian and French. Why does the French word for "head" (tête) come from the Latin word for a "pot" (testa)? We’ll solve this mystery while practicing French and Italian pronunciations alongside their Latin ancestors.

SESSION 5

3

Apr

SESSION 5

Language Learning

Fri 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCApr 3, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 5: Panem et Circenses (Bread and Circuses)
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The Language of the Arena. The Colosseum was a place of high drama and specific terminology. We will investigate the words used in Roman entertainment and see how they were "recycled" into modern sports and theater. We’ll look at the Romance Language variations of "bread" and "games" and investigate how English borrows "gladiator" logic for our modern stadiums.

SESSION 6

9

Apr

SESSION 6

Language Learning

Thu 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCApr 9, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 6: Deus ex Machina (God from the Machine)
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The Celestial Evidence. The Roman gods aren't dead; they are hidden in our calendars and clocks. We will investigate the names of the planets and the days of the week. You’ll learn why the Spanish Martes and French Mardi are direct evidence of the god Mars, and we'll compare this to how English replaced Roman gods with Germanic ones (like Tiu/Tuesday).

SESSION 7

15

Apr

SESSION 7

Language Learning

Wed 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCApr 15, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 7: Lex et Iustitia (Law and Justice)
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Forensics in the Courtroom. This is a true forensic investigation into the language of Law. We will examine famous Latin maxims like Habeas Corpus and Pro Bono. We’ll see how Roman legal logic provides the "skeleton" for the American and British legal systems. We will also investigate how Italian and Spanish legal terms still mirror their Latin roots more closely than English.

SESSION 8

21

Apr

SESSION 8

Language Learning

Tue 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTCApr 21, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM UTC

Session 8: Veni, Vidi, Vici (The Final Verdict)
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Closing the Cold Case. In our final session, we perform a "Linguistic Autopsy" on a single Latin root. We will track one word as it travels through Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, and English, seeing how it changed shape over 2,000 years. We will review our important figures (Cicero, Caesar, and the Pompeiians) and certify all learners as official CSI: Lingua Latina investigators.

Public Discussion

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Mar 2 - Apr 21

8 weeks

90 mins

/ session

Next session on March 2, 2026