Greek for Elementary Children

[ofthevine]

Has anyone used any curriculum to teach koine/biblical Greek to elementary-aged kids?

 

Any information would be useful.  Thanks!

[Dolphin]

Has anyone used any curriculum to teach koine/biblical Greek to elementary-aged kids?

 

Any information would be useful.  Thanks!

 

You will probably get more responses about this on the k-8 board.

 

We have used Hey Andrew, Just to get started, but we are thinking of switching from Koine to Classical.

 

Here is a thread that talks about the different types of Greek.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/87846-greek-koine-attic-new-testament/?hl=%2Bkoine+%2Battic

[crazyforlatin]

I've used parts of Elementary Greek and may finish the series before our Athenaze class starts in August. It's pretty much an open-and-go curriculum. It's great for younger elementary children, even older students, but rather than putting more time into Koine after Elementary Greek, it makes more sense for us to use Athenaze.

[ofthevine]

You will probably get more responses about this on the k-8 board.

 

We have used Hey Andrew, Just to get started, but we are thinking of switching from Koine to Classical.

 

 

 

Thanks! I just x-posted it.  I am new to these boards and the layout confuses me. :)

 

What did/do you like about Hey Andrew?

 

Why would you like to switch now?

[Dolphin]

Thanks! I just x-posted it.  I am new to these boards and the layout confuses me. :)

 

What did/do you like about Hey Andrew?

 

Why would you like to switch now?

 

I have been here around 4 years, and the new boards still confuse me.  :lol:

 

My son was in 5th grade when he announced that he wanted to learn Greek. Hey Andrew is workbook style, I just handed it to him, and away he went. It was a nice slow start, with LOTS of practice on writing the letters of the alphabet. Using a different alphabet with a different language seemed overwhelming, but it wasn't with Hey Andrew.

 

We are switching now for 2 reasons.

 

1. Galore Park has come out with a Classical book that I think will be a good intro before trying the Lukeion project online with Athenaze which I think he is still not ready for.  

 

2. He is really starting to express an interest in majoring in Classical Studies when he goes to College. Latin Language, Greek Language, and the History. He thinks he wants to double major Classical with either History or Theater Arts. 

 

Hey Andrew is a great intro program for Elementary. Really user friendly. It is Koine which is good for roots and bible readings. We would stick with it, if it was not for the fact that he wants to continue Greek studies past the High School level.

[HollyDay]

We used Hey Andrew.  It was quite fun

[ofthevine]

 

 

2. He is really starting to express an interest in majoring in Classical Studies when he goes to College. Latin Language, Greek Language, and the History. He thinks he wants to double major Classical with either History or Theater Arts. 

 

 

Did you teach Latin, as well? If so, did you teach it first?

[Dolphin]

Did you teach Latin, as well? If so, did you teach it first?

 

Yes we started Latin in 3rd and Greek in 5th. Both very lightly. He is going to do a more intense Latin in an online course next year. Then in a year or two we will add a Greek online class.

[Guest elizmarie]

I come from a linguistic background and would like to recommend a fantastic program for learning Koine Greek actively, ie. in a method which mimics learning a living language. The site is:  http://www.biblicallanguagecenter.com/

They offer materials for both Hebrew and Greek. They also offer workshops in various locations. I myself have used their materials and find them suitable for children as well. For the beginner level, they offer a format based on the "Learnables" method in which the student listens to the audio recording while looking at cartoon pictures depicting progressively complicated phrase structures & vocabulary. The audio is available on CD, mp3 and mp4 formats. I would be so bold as to say this is probably the best method available for learning Greek & Hebrew because it activates the language center in the brain and uses multiple stimuli. Check it out!

 

[EndOfOrdinary]

 

Why would you like to switch now?

When my son first showed an interest in Greek, I was involved in a seminar where a Classical language professor discussed the various differences in the three forms of Greek - Ancient or Attic, Koine or Biblical, and Modern Greek. He explained it like a timeline. You start with the complex Ancient Greek. As the language progresses, you get a form of more regular, less formal Greek spoken by most people. This is the language which became Koine Greek. It was the language of the people, spoken in church and distributed in religious text. Further in time you begin to get all the various changes to the language with cultural shifts and history which has become Modern Greek. Modern Greek is a language of exceptions and half rules, blended or dropped declinations, and quite the mish-mash that happens to a culture as old as Greek is.

 

None of these languages is bad to learn, nor is one better than another. It is important, however that you decide what the point of learning the language is. If you want to visit Greece or be conversational, then Modern is the way to go. If the reason is religious, then Koine. If the student wants to be able to read historic text or work with the Classics, then Attic. If you are totally up in the air, go Attic.

 

When you move forward in time through the languages - Attic, Koine, then Modern - you are going from the most complex to the least. The professor openly stated he does not know of many people working well the opposite direction. Adding the complexity means you are trying to unlearn and that is very difficult. The first two years (or most elementary instruction) do not matter much. He was very clear about that. After such a time, though, when the student is really studying, it matters quite a lot.

 

My son wants to major in Classics, as well as visit Greece. We are a Biblical family, and I am sure Koine is going to probably evolve somewhere along the next eight years. For these reasons we chose Ancient Greek. If for any reason he shifts, he will be in a really good place to do so because his options are open.

[SarahW]

My son wants to major in Classics, as well as visit Greece. We are a Biblical family, and I am sure Koine is going to probably evolve somewhere along the next eight years. For these reasons we chose Ancient Greek. If for any reason he shifts, he will be in a really good place to do so because his options are open.

 

 

And, Attic does not preclude Koine. In the third semester of my College Greek sequence (after Athenaze 2) we read a major portion of the Book of Acts. No one in the class thought it necessary to switch from our abridged-Liddels or middle-Liddels (standard Classical dictionaries) to read Acts.

 

Differences between Koine and Attic are overblown, imo. The only real difference is that with Koine you can read only a very limited corpus.