Handful of questions for First Form Latin users...

[Colleen]

Now that I've used a variety of Latin resources (Memoria Press, Minimus, Galore Park) during a variety of grades, I'm fairly settled on incorporating the subject, using First Form Latin, around the middle school years. My second son, a rising 7th grader, previously used Latina Christiana 1 and part of Latin Prep from Galore Park. He didn't study Latin this year but I wouldn't mind exposing him to the subject a bit more via First Form. My third son, a rising 5th grader, is using LC 1 this year. I plan to have to him move on to First Form this fall or next.

 

For those familiar with First Form, do you think these two guys could work through First Form at the same pace? Does it seem like a 5th grader who completed LC 1 would finish First Form in a standard school year?

 

Did you purchase First Form directly from Memoria Press, or...? I know I'll need two copies of the student workbook; will each boy also need his own student textbook?

 

Thanks for your help!:)

[Kristine in VA]

We are just finishing First Form Latin here. My dd is in 4th grade and had completed Prima Latina and LCI. My ds is in 7th grade and had completed LCI and LCII. I thought he needed a good review before moving on.

FFL has worked very well for us. Ds has really solidified his knowledge, especially with translations. DD needs more translation work, but really learned the conjugations, declensions, and vocabulary well.

 

It was nice to have them both doing the same oral work, and they could quiz each other on vocabulary.

 

It sounds very doable with the work your children have already completed.

 

Kristine in VA

[Colleen]

We are just finishing First Form Latin here. My dd is in 4th grade and had completed Prima Latina and LCI. My ds is in 7th grade and had completed LCI and LCII. I thought he needed a good review before moving on.

FFL has worked very well for us. Ds has really solidified his knowledge, especially with translations. DD needs more translation work, but really learned the conjugations, declensions, and vocabulary well.

 

It was nice to have them both doing the same oral work, and they could quiz each other on vocabulary.

 

It sounds very doable with the work your children have already completed.

 

Kristine in VA

Thank you for your reply, Kristine. So your children worked through First Form at the same pace? Did you purchase a separate student workbook, textbook, and set of quizzes/tests for each of them?

[AFwife Claire]

I'm not Kristine, but I had 7th grade and 5th grade boys this year, who both are working through First Form Latin. They are doing it at the same pace with no problems (they have always been together for Latin). I bought 2 workbooks and sets of tests/quizzes, but only one textbook. My 5th grader is a total early riser, and he gets right up and does all his Latin and whatever else he can before breakfast. My 7th grader is not such an early riser, LOL, and his morning proceeds much more leisurely. So they have never had conflicts about both needing the book at the same time! They are not going to finish the book until this summer--maybe September actually--but that is just because we had a weird year. (We did both Classical Conversations and another co-op, and our weeks were just screwed up because we were only home 3 days a week. Never again!) Otherwise, they certainly would both finish in one year. I agree with Kristine's assessment of how it has really solidified their technical grammar knowledge. It's been really good for my boys!

[KIN]

Colleen -

You can also purchase First From products from Rainbow Resources. I'm just starting it with my rising 5th grader, so I can't answer many other questions. :)

[Colleen]

Thanks for chiming in, Claire. I think one student text would work fine for us as well. My guys do get up together ~ gotta get out to the barn and work ~ but I can just have them complete their Latin work at different points in the morning. Do you have a time, though, when you introduce the lesson to both your guys together?

 

I'm not Kristine, but I had 7th grade and 5th grade boys this year, who both are working through First Form Latin. They are doing it at the same pace with no problems (they have always been together for Latin). I bought 2 workbooks and sets of tests/quizzes, but only one textbook. My 5th grader is a total early riser, and he gets right up and does all his Latin and whatever else he can before breakfast. My 7th grader is not such an early riser, LOL, and his morning proceeds much more leisurely. So they have never had conflicts about both needing the book at the same time! They are not going to finish the book until this summer--maybe September actually--but that is just because we had a weird year. (We did both Classical Conversations and another co-op, and our weeks were just screwed up because we were only home 3 days a week. Never again!) Otherwise, they certainly would both finish in one year. I agree with Kristine's assessment of how it has really solidified their technical grammar knowledge. It's been really good for my boys!

[Colleen]

Colleen -

You can also purchase First From products from Rainbow Resources. I'm just starting it with my rising 5th grader, so I can't answer many other questions. :)

Thanks for the tip, Kathy.:)

[AFwife Claire]

Do you have a time, though, when you introduce the lesson to both your guys together?

 

Actually, no. Not this year, which is a first. They just read it and did their stuff, asking each other if they had questions. It's pretty self-explanatory, and they both have been all the way through LC II, so they already had a pretty firm foundation for Latin. Next year I am planning on doing Henle, and since I want to do it with them, I will definitely make it a priority to go over the lesson with them! This is mainly for my benefit though, LOL. Ah, to be young and able to just absorb and remember complicated things so effortlessly again . . .

[Kristine in VA]

Hey,

Just catching up with your question!

 

Yes, my children each had their own text and workbook. They took notes sometimes in the text margins, and since we did everything together it helped that they had their own text. The tests were part of the teachers manual I purchased and so were easy to copy. I have the beta version, so the final publishing may be different.

 

Hope that helps,

Kristine in VA