Jump to content

Menu

Latin - Henle or Wheelocks


Recommended Posts

My son is starting Henle II this year (8th grade) and I am looking ahead to next year because we buy materials gradually. MODG syllabus suggests bypassing Henle III and IV and going directly into Wheelocks. Does anyone know why they choose to go this route? Is Wheelocks better? Wheelocks seems to have many more resources but I hear that an answer key can be very difficult to get. Does anyone have experience with this? There is no way that I can do this without an answer key. Should I just stick with Henle? Are there any advantages to taking on Wheelocks? Help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used both Henle and Wheelock's to teach myself Latin, and I prefer Wheelock's because it does not seem as dry to me, and I appreciate all of the extra helps. I've heard the same stories about trouble getting the answer key, but I had no trouble whatsoever.

 

I plan to use Wheelock's for my sons so that if/when they get ahead of me, I can enroll them in the Scholar's Online Latin courses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you complete Henle's First and Second Years you should be able to go on to actual Latin authors (as in Henle III and IV) rather than another grammar text like Wheelock's Latin. Yes, I am aware that Wheelock's Latin includes some readings beyond the grammar but imho you don't buy Wheelock's Latin for the supplemental readings.

 

I have used both Wheelock's (to relearn my own Latin) and Henle Latin (to teach my dd's). I think the strength of Henle is that it focuses on the grammar and teaches the vocabulary necessary to read Caesar. It has lots of repetition which is good for a younger student but that limited vocabulary can make the work somewhat dull. I leaven the lump with readings from Lingua Latina (Orberg). Wheelock's is aimed at older learners and covers a variety of authors -- which means a larger vocabulary. But I feel it lacks sufficient repetition to truly solidify the grammar.

 

I chose to complete Henle I & II with my eldest and then to enroll her in Latin III at Scholars Online as I didn't feel that my own command of Latin was up to really comprehending the more complex Latin authors at anything like the speed necessary. She loves it and is doing extremely well. She has had to learn a lot of vocabulary but her grammar seems to be more solid than the students who went through Wheelock's simply because she had more practice with it -- especially translating English to Latin which is when you discover just how well you understood the grammar. I am currently completing Henle I with my younger daughter.

 

The reward for completing either Henle I & II or Wheelock's Latin should be to begin reading real Latin so as to experience the author's ideas directly rather than through a translator's perception of those ideas not to start another grammar text which seems to be what is being suggested by the supplier you mentioned.

 

HTH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree with Moira. After spending all of that time in Henle I & II, a student is ready to begin tackling real Latin authors. I would *definitely* not recommend going back to Wheelock's. Oy! (How's that for Latin? lol)

Instead, I would suggest some of the Bolchazy Latin reader programs. Jane in NC has her son going through these. I think they would be a MUCH more worthwhile endeavor. :001_smile:

 

To compensate for the shorter vocabulary list in Henle, just supplement with readings from Cambridge or Oerberg's Lingua Latina. A bonus with doing it this way is that your student is more apt to remember the vocabulary, since they are seeing it repeatedly in contextual stories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...