LAC 28:CVII.501. Focus

A. Standard 1 defines "communication" as it applies to the learning of a classical language. The written messages from the ancient world, from epic poetry to Pompeian graffiti, are our major source of knowledge and our major line of communication with the Greeks and Romans. Reading, then, is the first standard and the key to communicating with the ancient world. But the Forum and the Agora were alive with the sounds of commerce, the speeches of politicians, the noise of gossip. The recitation of poetry published the sounds of an active literature. To hear these sounds, to imitate those cadences in the classroom, to practice writing words and ideas in the ancient language enhance the ability to read. The second standard of the communication strand emphasizes the importance of oral skills, listening, and writing as tools to improve reading.