Thanks for the vote of confidence! We'll work hard so that we don't let you down!

Beth, Okie, et al., First of all, my profuse apologies to those of you who have not been able to get through to me. I honestly do not recall receiving your emails regarding an errata sheet. I do have a junk filter set on high and may have lost your emails there. I can remember only one such email sent this Spring. I replied to that email saying that I could not get an errata sheet together until the summer. As I am sure many of you ladies understand, it is sometimes very challenging to juggle writing, editing, and teaching along with motherhood. The Spring semester was particularly difficult due to reasons I will not discuss here. I do not see emails sent to the press unless they choose to forward them to me. I have answered every email I have received. I do not ignore anyone. The forum board was truly a great tool for answering such questions and I am sad they had to dismantle it. The press was having terrible problems with spam postings, some of which were really really bad. It had to be shut down until a better solution could be found. I think I have found something that can stand in the gap until they do. Recently, one of my seminar attendees created a yahoo group for Latin Alive. I have become a member and will visit the site often. I think it will be a great place to share ideas and answer questions. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/latinalive/ I will have an errata sheet for LA1 posted both on the yahoo group and at www.latinaliveonline by July 10. As for LA2 we have two editors bearing down on that text now with the utmost scrutiny. I am really impressed with their expert eyes and helpful insight. We are also proofing the TE in tandem which will also eliminate a great many errors in both. LA2 should be available within the month. I will have a TOC posted on the blog site in another couple weeks. I can commit to having an errata sheet for Book 2 posted by the end of September. For some of you I know this information comes too late, and I do wish you all the best with your future Latin studies. For those of you who are considering/committed to using the LA series for your families, I would encourage you to write me with any questions or concerns you may have. I welcome your questions and comments whether by yahoo group, blog site, or email. I believe that such communication helps us to create a better series and makes me a better teacher. Blessings, Karen Moore co-author of Latin Alive

The two are very similar. The key to telling the difference is in the verb. If you have a verb of giving, showing, or telling, then you can expect an indirect object. Otherwise, it is a dative of reference. For example: Puella puero donum dat. The girl gives a gift to the boy. verb shows "giving" so puero is an I.O. Puella puero donum habet. The girl has a gift for the boy. verb does not show "giving" so puero is a dat. of ref. Vir agricolae agrum monstrat. The man shows a field to the farmer. verb of "showing" so agricolae is an I.O. Vir agricolae agrum arat. The man plows a field for the farmer. verb does not show "showing" so agricolae is a dat. of ref. This is a pretty simple explanation and it can become more complex. You will find that many uses of the dative overlap somewhat. However, I think this is really all they need to know for now. They won't see anything more complex than this with respect to dative of ref. in LA1. Further explanation will be given in later books. I've had a few questions on this, so I'll certainly make the next edition more clear.

I'm back - as promised. You are correct about the phrases mentioned. They were in the reading, but not in the reading glossary. Having a Latin-English dictionary at hand will remedy this for now. I know, however, that it would be helpful to have each and every word glossed with the reading. I will make a note of this for the next printing. I do appreciate you letting me know. We are interested in anything we can do to make this text series as helpful as possible for parent/teachers and students. Thank you also for your kind encouragement. It is greatly appreciated! K.Moore

I just saw your post and I am happy to help as much as I can. I am actually waiting on my copy of the TE. I haven't seen it yet. First, if the cover is already falling off, I would encourage you to call customer service at CAP. The number is on the website. Their main office is in Pennsylvania and I'm in Texas. So I don't have much to do with production, just the writing end of things. I am sure they'll be happy to help you. I know they would want to know right away if there was a problem. cano and canto are synonyms. So I can see how this typo easily escaped all the editing eyes. As for the words in italics and other vocabulary, I'll have to get back to you tomorrow evening after I've had a chance to look at the student text. I would encourage you and anyone else to keep a good Latin-English dictionary on hand no matter which text you use. It has often been my experience with numerous other texts, including Wheelock and Introduction to Latin, that occassionally words in the chapter reading are nowhere to be found in that book's glossaries. I have much more patience for this than I used to now that the shoe is on the other foot. We really tried to gloss them all, but it is difficult to catch and gloss every single word used in the larger readings. We will certainly keep expanding the master glossary as we become aware of these things. In the meantime, use a good dictionary, and if that fails please post on the CAP forum board. I'm happy to help. If it has been a while since you applied for membership, I would suggest calling the customer service line and letting them know. I'll be in touch - K. Moore

That is a very nice description of the overall picture. To reduce it down to a nutshell: the clearest and easiest way to help students distinguish between the indirect object and dative of reference is to explain that indirect objects usually accompany verbs of giving, showing, or telling. This use often translates well with the preposition "to." We teach the dative of reference here because it is a very common use of the dative in Latin literature, and because it explains further the English translation of the dative using the preposition "for." There are many varying uses of the dative case and some of them do blend together in a sense. I really appreciate you posting this question. It helps me to see where more clarity may be needed in future versions. Please also feel free to post any questions you may have in LA on the CAP forum board. I monitor my tutoring forum there daily. http://www.classicalsubjects.com/capbb/index.php Karen Moore

ABSOLUTELY! :) It is written for the novice Latin teacher/parent/student. All instruction is included in the text. The TE (now available) includes all answers and some additional teaching tips. I also have an online tutoring forum at www.classicalacademicpress.com where I provide support. -Karen

Latin Alive! is designed as a 3 book series that will cover ALL Latin grammar. Book 2 will be out in Summer 2009. You would not need to move on to another grammar series when finished. I like to think of it as a kinder, gentler Wheelock, more appropriate for younger students. It is a comprehensive grammar based program that will teach students to read original Latin Literature. The recommended age is 7th grade. I use it with 6th graders myself. I would hesitate to recommend this text for the average 5th grader. I do have colleauges, however, who are teaching LA Book 1 over 5th and 6th grades, taking two years to complete one book. This seems to be working well for them. Karen Moore author

T - You had asked earlier about a schedule for Latin Alive. I wanted to let you know that a generic chapter-by-chapter schedule is now posted on the CAP website. I hope this will be of help to you. http://www.classicalacademicpress.com/latinalive.html -Karen

Janice, Okie, et al. A generic chapter-by-chapter lesson plan for Latin Alive is now posted on the CAP website. http://www.classicalacademicpress.com/latinalive.html Hope this helps!

I put together a generic chapter-by-chapter plan this weekend for LA 1. It should be posted on the Classical Academic Press website sometime next week.

I put together a generic chapter-by-chapter plan this weekend for LA 1. It should be posted on the Classical Academic Press website sometime next week.

Christine, I am told the TM goes to print this week. That means it will be available for shipping in approx. 2 weeks. The first unit is online temporarily until the printed version is available. Yes, I am planning (and praying) for Book 2 to be out Summer 2009. It is a little more than half finished, so I do think it will be ready. I am teaching through Book 2 in my own class this year. We are planning on creating DVD's for each of the 3 books in the LA series. Thanks for the encouragement! Blessings, Karen Moore

My personal opinion - If your ds is learning Greek and Spanish, I think that is enough. You accomplish most of the same purposes in studying Greek as in studying Latin. If Greek is his interest - go there, and don't drive yourself insane. If he wants to take Latin later on, he can always pick it up then. It is a fairly smooth transition from one to the other. You get great applause for including a classical language in the c.v.! Karen Moore

It might work well. I've known several who have taught/learned two languages simultaneously, and done so successfully. I think it depends on the student. Be warned, however, that lessons might proceed a little slower since she is taking in two at once. That isn't a bad thing, and she/you shouldn't get frustrated by it.

First, the TM is coming very soon. In the meantime, the TM for the first unit is posted on the CAP website. This is only up temporarily until the TM is available in order to help those who need to start the Latin year. SHHH! - don't tell the students! I have Latin class 4 - 5 days per week. I cover a section or two each day. The regular chapter will take about a week on average (some more, some less). The unit reviews should only take a couple of days. I will be posting a generic schedule on the CAP site in a week or so. (I've been in back-to-school denial and haven't made my own lesson plan yet! Once I do, I'll share a format.) I do agree with Karen Ciavo, I don't see getting LA 1 done in a year with only 3 days per week. You could, however, spread it out over 1.5 or 2 yrs. if you wanted to do so. The complete LA series will include 3 books, and will be the equivalent of Wheelock's in totality. That means after the LA series you will have all the Latin grammar you would ever need (or want) to know. Students will also be reading authentic Latin Literature by the time it is through. I hope that helps answer your questions. Blessings, Karen Moore

Speaking from personal experience, I wouldn't recommend Ecce, Romani! for a 6th grade student. I used Ecce when I was in high school, so it carries a sentimental nostalgia for me. I tried it, however, for 5th and 6th graders and it didn't work very well. Partly, I think, because of the inductive approach. In fact, I couldn't find a text I really liked for that age group. That is why I agreed to write Latin Alive! Of course I do have a bias for LA. :) You will, however, find that there are a few Ecce influences in LA. If you should choose Latin Alive! I can guarantee that it would prepare your daughter for Ecce or anything else. In fact, she would be overly prepared. If you choose to stay with Latin Alive, the complete 3-text series would be the equivalent of the full Ecce series, or any other series that teaches all Latin grammar. By the end she would be reading authentic Latin Literature. Hope that helps some - Blessings, Karen Moore

The pronunciation in LA is classical, whereas the pronunciation for LC is ecclesiastical. So there are some differences. However, I would encourage you not to be "scared" for your son. The differences between classical and ecclesiastical are not that significant, and it is not difficult to adapt from one to the other. I have been "raised" with classical Latin, but I have no difficulty reading ecclesiastical. The biggest difference you will likely see in the LA text is an 'i' instead of 'j.' If he pronounces some words ecclesiastically due to habit, that is really not a problem. Our own language has changed significantly over a span of hundreds of years. Even today a word such as "aunt" is pronounced differently depending upon where you live. My husband (who grew up in Vermont) and I will argue about the proper way to say "guacamole." We still understand each other perfectly, however, when we want to have it for dinner. So I would encourage you to take a look at the content and layout of the texts you are considering, and let that guide you in choosing the best text for your family. Allow pronunciation to play a secondary role. I hope that helps to alleviate your concern. blessings, Karen Moore p.s. - It may interest you to know that early ecclesiastical writings will appear in LA books 2 and 3. Writings from men such as Tertullian, Ambrose, and Augustine. Their Latin was classical or very close to it.

I would agree with Karen Ciavo - probably not wise to proceed straight to Latin Alive 2 from LC II. Latin Alive 2 assumes that students have learned all the material covered in LFC Primers A - C. My experience is that the LFC series covers more material than LC I & II. So students who jump straight to LA2 might encounter some frustrating "holes." LA 1 will doubtless include some review for LC students, but with its greater emphasis on reading, I doubt students will be bored. I taught LA 1 this year to a class of 7th grade students who had completed the LFC series. The chapters that were review we went through very quickly. If I could tell with certainty that they had a firm grasp on the material, then we might go through a chapter in as little as a day or two - just a review to make sure they were solid. This allowed us to spend more time on chapters that did cover new material. I can safely say the students were not bored at all. If anything, their confidence in their language skills was increased. Karen Moore LA author

Yes, Latin Alive! will have instructional DVD's. We have, however, not yet begun work on the DVD. All our efforts right now are focused on getting LA! Book 1 ready for the printer. We are looking at shooting the LA! DVD sometime late Fall in order to have it ready Spring/Summer 2009.

I have been piloting LA with my small 7th grade class this year. 3 students have had LFC A - C, one has not. The one who has not is doing just as well as the others (and better than some of the "veterans").

To answer Question by Profmom "Karen M., do you know if we'll be able to see Latin Alive at the Arlington, TX book fair in early May?" I am hopeful that Latin Alive may be out by May and the Arlington fair. If not, I will definitely have a sample copy available (I'll be at the CAP booth there). LA will be available at the ACCS conference in Austin, TX this June. I will also man a CAP booth at the THSC conference in Woodlands (near Houston) in August. I'd be more than happy to field questions at any of these events. -Karen Moore

I really appreciate all of Karen Ciavo's posts. I thought, however, that I might offer a few answers she is not able to supply. Latin Alive! will be published in 3 books which cover ALL Latin grammar (even a tad more than Wheelock). The first book will be available early this summer - in just a few short months. Book 2 will be available in Summer of 2009 (it is now well underway), and we plan to have Book 3 out just a year later in 2010. All three books together will be the equivalent of what a public school would consider 2 years of High School Latin. There is a TM that will provide answers, tests & keys, teacher tips, some suggestions for additional practice, student projects, and a few drill worksheets that can be used throughout. Latin Alive! should be available at several home school conventions around the country this summer, and at the Association of Classical Christian Schools summer conference. If you are planning to attend one of these events it would provide a great opportunity to flip through the entire book to see if it would be a good match for your needs. Blessings, Karen Moore