Latin ideas please

[EmmaNZ]

My ds, almost 10, has been doing latin prep for about 6 to 8 months. He did GSWL before this. He's pretty bright, but doesn't always enjoy challenging his brain! He does ok with Latin prep, but I just feel like he could do with a bit more time on each new thing.

 

Where would you recommend I go from here? I suppose the options I'm toying with are a. Start over from the beginning, b. Start a whole new program that moves a bit slower or c. Add something in as a supplement (not sure what though)

 

Any thoughts very gratefully received

[Laura Corin]

Did you use the workbooks to go with Latin Prep 1?  If not, you could use those to go over the ground again.

 

I'm sure that others will have different ideas for review.  One thing that I found very helpful was this little grammar book.  As we learned things in our main Latin books, I sought them out in the Bass book, then set up the Bass pages for continual review.  Calvin found this very helpful.

 

L

[EmmaNZ]

Thanks Laura, I hadn't seen those books. I'll go and check them out.

 

Yes, he is doing the workbook after each chapter as a sort of test/review. It just doesn't feel like enough for him to properly get his head around everything now that we are getting deeper.

 

 

[tagglelim]

We were just like you. We spent about 6-8 months using Latin Prep and reached a point where we needed more repetition/review. I loved (love) the humor in Latin Prep, and the translation work as well, but we felt lost - even using the workbook.

 

Anyway, we switched to First Form Latin. I thought we would be bored with the repetition, but instead we feel much more confident. We really like it. I do keep Latin Prep on hand, though, to have fun with translation.

[EmmaNZ]

Thanks for your input. I wondered about first form as it seems pretty popular. I know it uses ecclesiastical though, and for some reason that makes me wary. I'll have another good look at it I think.

[tagglelim]

Memoria now offers a classical pronunciation CD, if that helps. We aren't too far into First Form, so I don't yet know how ecclesiastical it's focus might get, though. So far, it seems like a basic Latin intro.

[Laura Corin]

Another thought, Emma: how are you approaching memorisation?  Each piece of grammar should be completely memorised before you move on in LP.  We did it by reading aloud, then covering up the page and seeing if he could remember, then looking again.  Repeat as necessary.

 

The author of LP says that you should reach '3 in the morning' comfort with the grammar: if someone shook you awake in the middle of the night, could you come out with the grammar without hesitation?

 

Just a thought - complete comfort with the grammar might help your son to move forward.

 

L

[EmmaNZ]

Hi Laura, got so busy I didn't get chance to reply. You are right in that he needs to memorize more. It is something he is working on, but he doesn't do well with chants and such. He is much better at memorising things after frequent use. I want to find more things for him to do so he can learn it without the pain!

[tagglelim]

Ah - Memoria might not be the best fit then. First Form is full of recitation, charts, and such.

[EndOfOrdinary]

My son really likes the app Speed Latin.  The learning curve is steep, but it is full of fun forms of drill.  You answer with a timer counting down.  If it reaches the end before you answer, or if you answer wrong it is one strike.  You get three and you die.  The high scores get posted up with everyone else playing.  If I remember right it was .99 cents.  I do not know if you have an iPad, but it really worked well with my son.