[B-Greek] Sunday School Class Advice?

Randall Buth randallbuth at gmail.com
Fri Oct 6 11:28:42 EDT 2006


Barry's advice is a good start, I've got a couple of other notes.

Troy Fullerton egrapse
> I have been attempting to teach some Greek to my college-age bracket Sunday
> school class at church.

Very laudable. EULOGHSAI SE KURIOS

> My goals are pretty simple: Initially, I want them to learn
> the alphabet, a consistent pronunciation system, and a few dozen high-frequency
> words (including some common N.T. scriptures).  As time goes on, I can delve
> more into the grammar.  But my main goal is to take some of the mystique or
> "foreign-ness" out of approaching Greek, to have them able to competently use
> literate Bible study materials, and to have them not feel intimidated when dealing
> with those who challenge their faith on the basis of what "the Greek" supposedly
> says.  I also want to lay the groundwork so that if some of my students wish to
> continue their studies on a more intensive basis, many of the initial hurtles and
> barriers will have been cleared away.
>
> Do any of you have any advice to offer?

RB:
Teach them to recite the Lord's prayer. It is short, doable and a
great way to start class.

> What materials would you recommend
> that would support this (things that could be enjoyed by people who are possibly
> not so "nerdy" as I am).  I have chosen to present Byzantine pronunciation
> instead of "seminary" Greek pronunciation...sorry, but "haw law-gaws" just sticks
> in my throat, as does "ah-pah-stah-lahs"... yet modern Greek pronunciation seems
> to be so replete with letters and blends that sound the same that I think it would
> be hard to learn to spell...any comments, experiences, or advice in this area?

RB:
I'm not sure what you mean by Byznatine. Late Byzantine (post
10century) WAS/IS modern pronunciation. by all means soften the
consonants to veta, dhelta, and ghamma. Earlier Byzantine (5-10 c.)
had an extra u-umlaut vowel. Roman-Byzantine (0-4c) had two extra
vowels beyond modern, Hta (versus E-psilon), and the U-psilon umlaut.
You may want to look at my 10 page PDF where a survey of evidence is
presented in the first seven pages and then the pros and cons of 4
systems are described (pages 7-9 "182-184")

http://www.biblicalulpan.org/PDF Files/PRONSYS1 2005.pdf

*For the Lord's prayer you might want to use modern so that they can
join in whenever visiting a Greek church. (I use a Koine
pronunciation, and it is so close to modern that I can follow along
and am basically understood by Greeks, though those Hta's clang on
modern Greek ears. If I'm in Greece, those Hta slide into Ita's fairly
consistently.)

>
> Some of the kids are "grammar-phobic", too, and wouldn't know a predicate
> nominative from a direct object (in English), despite having graduated from high
> school and having gone to college (for some of them).

RB:
good language teaching methodology should not be dependant on grammar
analysis anyway. if students cannot grasp, understand and use the item
without a grammar description, the presentation and examples were
inadequate.  Use the target structure in more examples and with easy
to grasp contexts.

> I only meet with them
> once per week for class...and I don't want to turn every Sunday into a language
> marathon.  What do you think would be the best approach?

Barry egrapse:
Back in the late 70's, early 80's I remember seeing a workbook
approach that was designed to do this sort of thing (it included both
Greek and Hebrew).  Don't remember the title, don't know if it's still
in print, but maybe someone else on this list does.

Barry:
At TAA, we begin Latin with second grade.  Rather than hit them with
all the specifics of grammar in Latin (they start getting that with
4th), we do Latin mottoes, "fun things to say," mythology, historical
and cultural background.  The goal is to get them used to the idea
that Latin was a real language, and that it's doable, etc.  I think
you want to use a similar approach here, and your initial goals are
quite laudable.  Don't worry about the grammar -- most folks don't
really learn English grammar until they have are taught a second
language, but introduce the concepts as required to make sense out of
what you are presenting.

Barry:
Also, remind them that "a little learning is a dangerous thing..."  :)

RB:
also, greet the students in Greek, XAIRE, XAIRETE, play in Greek, tell
some real easy, real physical stories in Greek.

RB:
I also recommend pictures with sound, and playing in Greek in class.
Our website will announce a Greek summer school next week. We have
finally got the venue and logistics worked out.

ERRWSO
Randall Buth

-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη
שלום לכם וברכות
ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
randallbuth at gmail.com


More information about the B-Greek mailing list