I find it very difficult to learn Latin without going into a History lesson, and that should not be the go to activity when trying to bring culture into the classroom. I mean it is necessary to go over the history of the culture but that is not the only aspect of their culture that the students and the teacher can glean from the ancient Romans. The other problem with incorporating culture into a Latin classroom is the level, lower levels are going to be looking more easier readings than a third year. So this list of culture ideas is fitted more for the advanced students, like third and fourth years.
Roman Military: discuss the positions held, who held them, what were the different names and how one advanced into those positions. Look at the uniform for a Roman soldier comparing it between an officer and a normal soldier, possibly even bring up Ephesians 6 in the bible and compare it to the armor of God.
Aristocrats and Commoners: Compare the day to day lives between the affluent and the common people. Bring in works of art, letters, clothing.
Street Food and Entertainment: Bring in similar foods that Romans ate while on the run or at the games. Go over what entertainment looked like then, who endorsed it, who was involved. Maybe even do a mock Coliseum event in the classroom.
All of these ideas are only the tip of the ice burg so to speak, there are many other options that would help Latin students learn more about Roman culture than just a history lesson.
Ms. Smith 
Val–
Culture is in some ways the intersection between history and language, as you pointed out in your last paper for Survey of Classical Literature. The Roman military unit looks particularly well thought out and could connect to Caesar, Livy, or Tacitus as well as Ephesians. For street food, the proto-pizza I showed you from Pompeii might work well if you could figure out a way to cook it (of course, the point of the proto-pizza was that someone else cooked it).
Thanks for all your work this quarter, and I hope that you get to deploy a lot of these ideas when you teach. I also hope that a lot of the theory and concepts, however abstract, will help you frame your work in larger terms and talk with colleagues in other disciplines.
Blessings, Owen Ewald
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