X-Post: Cambridge Latin? Lingua Latina?

[runningirl71]

I am teaching a highschool and middle school Latin class in my local homeschool co-op this year. We are using a grammar/translation based curriculum, Latin Alive!. I have loved using this program with my students for the most part, but am wondering about working in more reading. The book has chapter readings, but they are not necessarily the easiest to go through. The stories don't seem natural, have a lengthy glossary of words that are NOT in the chapter vocab. list, and work in grammar that the student is learning, doesn't have mastered, from that same chapter.

 

My goal for my class is that they will feel comfortable with reading Latin and that, at some point, they'll just be able to read without trying to translate the meaning in their head. I will be teaching a Latin II course this fall with most of the students who want to continue. For those of you who use Cambridge or Lingua Latina, how would these texts fare as a supplement? It looks like my students will know all grammar introduced in Cambridge Unit 1 and Unit 2 by the end of the year. I was thinking of using one or both of these books alongside our core book next year.

 

I would love your opinions on these two reading/immersion programs. I am a self learner in Latin and have gone through part of Wheelocks and I've gone through the Latin Alive! book ahead of my students, but I have never studied Latin formally in a class room setting. Would using either one of these books be too ambitious for me with my limited knowledge or would there be adequate teacher materials for me to feel well prepared?

 

I want to create a love for learning Latin and WANT my students to feel engaged. Right now, I'm not sure that is happening. I have a wonderful class of students who work hard (except for maybe one) and right now they are doing well simply b/c of their drive to do so. Any thoughts?

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[forty-two]

I'm using both LL and CLC for myself, so here's my two cents:

 

CLC has a bunch of really fun stories that are great to review and consolidate grammar. There are quite a few words (10-20) in the stories that are not in the vocab list and thus glossed at the bottom of the page, but it's not too annoying. I'm using it as review, and I've had no trouble understanding everything with just the student text.

 

LL has fun stories that actually *teach* the grammar and vocab, in context - they are amazing. It's my primary program, and I'm glad to have the College Companion. I also have the answer keys (teacher materials) and the exercitia, but I haven't used them much yet.

 

I recommend both :tongue_smilie:, but if you have to pick just one, I find CLC's stories more entertaining, but LL's stories to be far better, pedagogically speaking - so it depends on your goals.

 

HTH

[runningirl71]

I AM ordering Lingua Latina for myself, so after that maybe I can make a better decision. I am thinking of CLC for my students. Since we're doing a grammar/translation program, I thought it would be fun to have a "reader." I would love to just use CLC as a reader to review what we've already studied, I'm just not sure how CLC is set up and if this is possible, but it sounds like it is. I'm looking for something to give my students confidence and to say, "Wow! I can read Latin!"

 

Would CLC work for that when we've gone through the grammar of the first two units? It should be easy for my students to read the first book, I'm guessing.

 

Thanks for your input! I appreciate it!:)

[forty-two]

I would love to just use CLC as a reader to review what we've already studied, I'm just not sure how CLC is set up and if this is possible, but it sounds like it is. I'm looking for something to give my students confidence and to say, "Wow! I can read Latin!"

 

Would CLC work for that when we've gone through the grammar of the first two units? It should be easy for my students to read the first book, I'm guessing.

 

Thanks for your input! I appreciate it!:)

Both CLC and LL should give that "Wow! I can read Latin!" feeling ;).

 

CLC moves slower than LL at the beginning - you don't need much grammar to get all the way through Unit 1. I found it easy to read even with my half-forgotten high school Latin. I think CLC would make a great reader - your students should have a lot of fun with it :). (I was constantly laughing out loud and telling the good bits to my dh :tongue_smilie:.)

[In The Great White North]

And Cambridge has a website with games and exercises:

 

http://www.cambridgescp.com/page.php?p=clc^oa_intro^intro

 

I got an email saying it was now $10 a year, but it didn't seem to require paying anything when I tried it just now.

[runningirl71]

And Cambridge has a website with games and exercises:

 

http://www.cambridgescp.com/page.php?p=clc^oa_intro^intro

 

I got an email saying it was now $10 a year, but it didn't seem to require paying anything when I tried it just now.

 

I saw that! It seems like a REALLY good program to use, especially with a class. I just wish I had my kids everyday. We could really have some fun. As it is, we meet once a week. I also like the set up of Cambridge with the history and nice pictures throughout.:)