Questions concerning Wheelock's Latin

[MBH]

Background: My children have completed Latin Primer I, II, and III. They are finishing up Artes Latinae I and most likely we will move on to Artes Latinae II. Both of them have done very well with these programs. They are 12 and 14 years old.

 

Should I move them to Wheelock's Latin after we finish Artes Latinae II (since Wheelock is a college program, and Artes Latinae is a highschool program)? Or are they about the same as far as content is concerned?

 

I read in the first WTM book that a student can choose either one. Would it be a waste of time to do Wheelock's latin after completing Artes Latinae II?

 

Which one (Artes or Wheelock) would prepare them for AP Latin?

 

Thanks.

[latinteach]

Background: My children have completed Latin Primer I, II, and III. They are finishing up Artes Latinae I and most likely we will move on to Artes Latinae II. Both of them have done very well with these programs. They are 12 and 14 years old.

 

Should I move them to Wheelock's Latin after we finish Artes Latinae II (since Wheelock is a college program, and Artes Latinae is a highschool program)? Or are they about the same as far as content is concerned?

 

I read in the first WTM book that a student can choose either one. Would it be a waste of time to do Wheelock's latin after completing Artes Latinae II?

 

Which one (Artes or Wheelock) would prepare them for AP Latin?

 

Thanks.

 

Here's the Artes Latinae FAQ:

http://www.bolchazy.com/al/alfaq.htm

 

According to the FAQ, AL 1 and 2 cover all the basic grammar. So you shouldn't need to move to Wheelock's Latin, which also covers all the basic grammar. (Most college students will work through Wheelock's in two semesters. You will probably work through AL 1 and 2 in between 1-2 years, depending on how quickly you pace it. The difference is pacing. You could always pace AL faster or pace Wheelock's slower. AL is a very good programmed reading course with plenty of grammar. WL is a grammar-based curriculum.)

 

When you finish AL or WL, you would transition to third and fourth year high school Latin, which involves reading original, authentic authors. If you plan to take the AP Latin exam, you will likely read Vergil's Aeneid. (The College Board used to offer 2 Latin syllabi, but there is now just one capstone test based on the Aeneid. However, by the time you finish AL, there may be a different capstone exam covering different authors. Most Latin teachers are calling for a syllabus that reads more than just one author, but for now it's just Vergil until a new syllabus is written.)

 

So, after you finish AL (or WL) you will start to read original Latin authors. You might choose to read Vergil for both years, but it's more likely you'd want to read something else (less difficult poetry, or maybe some prose) for the third year. Typical third year Latin authors are Catullus, Ovid, Horace (poets) and Cicero (prose). Bolchazy, who publishes Artes Latinae, has a large number of transitional Latin readers based on those authors for intermediate students as well as Vergil materials. Wheelock's Latin is followed by Wheelock's Latin Reader, which is a very nice anthology of intermediate to advanced level Latin. There are lots of other choices too. Cambridge, Oxford and Ecce Romani all have anthologies to follow their introductory materials and you could certainly select from them too. Focus Publishing is also another company that specializes in intermediate and advanced level Latin readers.

 

Then you would probably read Vergil's Aeneid in Latin for the fourth year, using the prescription of the AP Latin syllabus. Most people take the AP Latin exam after completing the third or fourth year of Latin.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited May 25, 2009 by latinteach

[MBH]

Thank you Latinteach for taking the time to answer my question in depth. After reading your response, I feel much better about what we are doing.