Feedback - Latina Christiana, First Form, Latin Primer, or Big Book?

[loftmama]

I planned on using Latina Christian I because we've enjoyed our past year with Prima Latina. But I was just looking at their schedule and it looks like I may need to transition to First Form. However, I'm confused because my boys are split. It lists:

 

Latina Christian I : grades 3-6 - just right for my youngest (4th) but too young for my oldest (7th).

First Form, it suggests grades 5-12, possibly too advanced for my youngest??

 

My hunch is to go with LC which will not be very challenging for my oldest. Has anyone used LC I with a 13yo? Or maybe to go with FF but simplify it for my younger son. Has anyone used First Form with a 9yo?

 

Backstory: We used Prima Latina 2 years ago when they were ages 7 & 10. They liked it at first but grew to dread it. The large vocab list plus chants was too much to fit in each week. Plus they thought it was really dry. The LC has been more fun, I think, bc they are familiar with all the prayers. I do still have the Prima Latina books, though, and could probably go back and pick them up where we stopped - around lesson 11, I think.

 

I guess my main concern is not turning off my oldest to Latin too much (with Prima Latina) but also not expecting too little of him (with Latina Christiana I.) Is LC I sufficient or too little?

 

And since I'm re-thinking Latin, I may as well look at the Big Book of Lively Latin which I've not yet considered.

 

Another thought just occurred to me. Since we already own the Prima Latina books, I guess we could slow it down to LC pace: half the vocab words and 2 weeks to cover a chant. However, the prayers really are fun. We go to a very small, but very old-school Anglican church, and they enjoy knowing the prayers in Latin or at least being able to transcribe them in my ear. Plus I like the accompanying Copybooks.

 

Perhaps my goals for Latin should be re-considered. My goal is not really that they become fluent in Latin but that 1) taking the SAT/ACT test will be easier with a solid Latin background (I once taught SAT tests to juniors and seniors) and 2) learning a second language will come easier with the Latin building blocks. So... I guess that means I'm looking for a Latin program that will be useful as building blocks to vocabulary/testing and for language acquisition.

 

Oh and for context: My 12yo is also going through "Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek" and my youngest is reading simple books to me in Spanish and already has a bit of conversational Spanish down, since we lived in Mexico for a while. I liked the grammar reinforcement they got in Prima Latina.

 

Whew, didn't mean to write so much. I wonder how much we figure out on our own by just asking the question. I seemed to have narrowed it down somewhat. But still, I'd love to hear from anyone else about your experience with these programs and/or with similar situations.

 

Thanks!

[MorningGlory]

I don't guess you would consider splitting your sons up for Latin, would you?

 

My boys are the same space apart, and I never combined them for Latin. It would not have worked in our case...for some of the same reasons that you have voiced.

 

This is the plan I used with my boys (my older son went through this sequence before First Form was released):

Older son: 2nd--Prima Latina, 3rd--1/2 LC I, 4th--1/2 LC I, 1/2 LC II, 5th--1/2 LC II, began Henle, 6th--more Henle, 7th---more Henle, 8th--Lone Pine Latin using Lingua Latina (this son is now studying Spanish in high school...and you are right, with all this Latin, Spanish has been relatively easy).

Younger son: 3rd--Prima Latina, 4th--1/2 LC I, 5th, 1/2 LC I, 6th--First Form

 

So you can see from that list, when my younger son was in 4th (like yours), he worked through half of LC I while the older son (in 7th) was in his 3rd year of Henle! Big difference!

 

I would think your older son is definitely capable of, and ready for, First Form Latin. Your younger son could either finish Prima Latina or start LC I. First Form may be a stretch for him...although you could do it at a much slower pace.

 

Hope that helps somewhat!

[Omma]

My dc are ages 13 and 11. We just started First Form Latin 3 weeks ago, and we are loving it! No complaints! We bought the optional DVDs which really help us (since I have no Latin background). I think this program is very organized and to the point. But you do start immediately parsing out Latin verbs (ie the verb tense markers, stem vowel, etc.) and need to be able to grasp the different between imperfect, future perfect, pluperfect, etc. as they are systematically being explained. The 7th grader should do fine. I would agree about having the younger do LC and the older one doing First Form, if you can swing the initial cost. The younger could always listen in on the DVDs, just for fun. Blessings, Brenda

[RootAnn]

I personally really liked having the LC base before going into First Form. I don't think it will hurt your older to go through LC before First Form (or go straight into Henle or an online Latin course) if you want to keep them together.

 

I had my dd#1 & #2 together last school year (not the school year we are currently finishing) for Latin. They are much closer in age than your two, but the older one was really being "held back" by the younger. I finally let the older one go at her own pace & she soared. She took a year to review while hitting Spanish harder & will do First Form next year with a light Spanish year. I started First Form about two months ago. It really goes QUICKLY and I would have been lost without the base from LC, even with the DVDs. But I'm more of a math/science gal (engineer) and my grammar base is terrible.

 

As long as you are looking at re-evaluating keeping them together after LC1, I think it would be fine for them to do it together.

(First Form is a LOT of writing, BTW.)

[loftmama]

I appreciate your input! It looks like the time has come when I will have to separate their assignments more. Latina Christiana I looks perfect for my 9yo but too easy for my 12 yo and First Form is probably the right one to get. I'm fairly sure he's not ready for Henle, especially with the Greek thrown in. I haven't yet decided how far he needs to go in Latin if he is also studying Greek. So more to research... For now, I think I'll buy all of the LCI and just the book for FF and see how it progresses.

[RootAnn]

just the book for FF

 

FYI, there are a lot of "books" for FF (student book, workbook, text book, quiz book, etc.). At the minimum, you would want the Student text & student workbook.

Rainbow's deal is pretty good $52.95. If their shipping is still free for orders over $50, that's an even better deal than homeschool buyer's co-op, but not much savings from MP's $55 (plus whatever their shipping is).

[MorningGlory]

I appreciate your input! It looks like the time has come when I will have to separate their assignments more. Latina Christiana I looks perfect for my 9yo but too easy for my 12 yo and First Form is probably the right one to get. I'm fairly sure he's not ready for Henle, especially with the Greek thrown in. I haven't yet decided how far he needs to go in Latin if he is also studying Greek. So more to research... For now, I think I'll buy all of the LCI and just the book for FF and see how it progresses.

 

Let me throw something else at you. :)

 

First Form is much, much better than LC. So if I were in your shoes, I would buy the FF package...all the student stuff plus the Teacher's Manual and possibly the DVDs...and then *just* the LC workbook. First Form does move very quickly, and it does have a LOT of writing like RootAnn mentioned, but its layout and teaching notes are an immense improvement over LC's. And the First Form DVDs are also much better. The beauty of First Form will only appear in the whole package; it is a very well-thought out program.

 

By the way, my younger son (11-12 yo while doing it) and I worked through First Form together (I had my own workbook), and we generally spent 7-8 days on each new lesson and 4 or fewer days on the review lessons. Now that I really think about it, you could have your 9 year old spend 3 weeks or so on just ONE First Form lesson before moving on to the next. It might not be overwhelming that way. Do just a little bit each day. What's that quote I've seen associated with Latin? "How do you eat an elephant? Just one bite a day!" Yeah...that's it. Let your younger son do just a little tiny bit a day out of FF...your older son may move way ahead, but that way you would only have to work from one program.

 

Good luck!

[loftmama]

Good thoughts. LCI does look much too easy for my 12yo but perfect for my 9yo. So, I'll go with the "set" for FF and the book/tm/CD for my 9yo. Although I do wonder if I need the TM; the sample worksheets look pretty easy and the pronunciation CD for FF might be enough. Any more thoughts? I do think I'll supplement with Ludere Latin bc it just looks like fun. But there's no way my 9yo would do that much writing for FF even if he could answer everything. I'd call him an excellent memorizer but late writer.

 

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