The Latin Road to English Grammar...thoughts?

[Sue G in PA]

Anyone using or used this? We are doing the Phonics Road now and I will likely continue. At the rate we are going...ds8 will be finished with PR in 2 years. So, he'll be in 5th grade. We are just blowing through Level 1. I hope my finances can keep up! So, what do you think of The Latin Road as opposed to all the other programs out there? I have Latina Christiana sitting unused on my shelf b/c my kids all roll their little eyes when I even mention Latin. I want dd12 to learn Latin and I want to learn it as well. I was thinking of doing this with her at home after school (or if I bring her home). Seems like I wouldn't really need any other grammar program b/c it incorporates much English Grammar...is this right? To use something like LLATL would be redundant, then?

 

Thanks for any thoughts you might have. Just trying to get my ducks in a row!

[1bassoon]

I'm probably going to be no help -

 

But everyone I know who's tried it (including your truly) has given up and decided it was much too teacher intensive.

 

HTH!

[Sue G in PA]

:001_unsure: Hmmm...I read that it is not a program you can just hand to your student and have them learn it on their own. The website said it took about 50-60 min. each day. I want to learn Latin as well, so I was thinking of actually doing it along with my dd. I'm crazy...I know. :D So...when you say teacher intensive...how much time are we really talking here?

[Kalypso]

We used LRTEG volume 1 in 7th grade. Both of my dd's made it through, but it did take at least an hour per day. I went over all the exercises with them, but I wasn't much help other than that. Both girls had previosly completed Latina Christiana I and II in 5th and 6th grade. We have since given up on LRTEG vol 2. My oldest dd almost completed it, but it just got to be too much because she couldn't figure it out on her own. She started to hate it.

 

We always did another grammar program with it. I do not think it teaches enough English grammar to use it alone.

 

IMHO, if you have a lot of time to learn Latin and do the exercises ahead of the student, then this program could work well for you. Otherwise, I would use something else. If your dd hasn't had any prior Latin, she could probably work through the Latina Christiana I & II quickly (since you already have it) and then move on to a high school level course.

 

HTH

[HollyDay]

I am using vol 1 now for 8th grade. We are on lesson 6. So far so good. Dd loves it. For me, it is the first program that has taught latin so that it makes sense. After trying to wade through Minimus, LfC, and LNST, I finally "get" latin. The approach is very straight forward. It is "old fashioned" and in my opinion, it teaches parsing rather than diagraming. It uses the terms we used to use in grammar (accusative, genetive, ablative, etc). It is teacher intensive, but not more so than many other programs. I have not found it to be more demanding than CW for instance. We take about 2 weeks with a chapter. This is not because we need that much time to do the chapter. We usually complete the lessons in less time than the planner allows. But, it does take time to memorize the vocab. Even though the text work is done, the drill work still needs to be done to solidify the learning. Once we get to the drill part, it probably takes us about 15 min/day. We also are not keeping the notebook "exactly" like the author intended. You need to make the program work for you, not you for the program.

 

I agree with other posters that this is not a complete grammar program. If you dc still has grammar to learn, then you will need another program (IMHO). My dd happens to love grammar and has always done very well. She likes to diagram sentences. I am not so much concerned with teaching new grammar concepts are retaining the ones she has already learned. I am using Queen's Language Lessons as a supplement. The lessons are short, but effective for what I want at this time. Writing is a struggle for this dd, so I am still intensively teaching writing. Grammar is also reinforced through the writing process.

 

I will finish the year out with LRTEG vol 1. Getting in the swing of it was daunting for me. I would like to use the other vol. and complete the program. I probably will not buy the dvds again. While they were very helpful getting me started, I have not found the need for them the past 3 lessons. I looked at them again recently thinking I was missing something important, but so far, I have not. Not getting the dvds will help cut the expense down somewhat. Also, if I recall, SWB recommends LRTEG as alternative #3. HTH!

Edited September 21, 2009 by HollyDay
left out grade level

[Sue G in PA]

Oh, I had forgotten that it was a SWB recommendation! A plus! Thank you everyone for the great reviews. While it would be nice to have something to just hand over to her :D I realize that Latin isn't one of those things. So, I would like to learn it myself along with her and even though it will take some time out of each day. It's something we can do together! Yeah! Now...to find the finances to purchase it. :001_huh:

[bluemongoose]

Not to hijack, but I had a q about this.

 

We are starting the Phonics Road next fall with my DD. We plan to move on to the Latin road when we finish with PR. My understanding was that those who had a beefy grammar program or who had gone through PR would be set for grammar during the Latin Road. Is this not the case? I am trying to figure out if I would still need to add something (or keep something in mind) for grammar, and would I need to add it for PR as well? Would something like Easy Grammar or Easy grammars Daily Grams work? As for writing we will be using the Writing Aids with our TOG curriculum. That should cover writing well enough, right?

[Rebecca77]

Hey Sue I have this posted on the sale and swap board. It's the package Sonlight sells for $135, it's never been used in excellent condition. You can make me an offer, if your interested.

Edited September 21, 2009 by Rebecca77

[kangato3]

I used this program with dd 7th grader last year. Personally, after the first lesson, I did not work ahead as the program suggests the teacher does. The lessons have a consistent flow to them. I just picked up the book and went through the day's lesson with my daughter (and I don't have a Latin background). I spent about 15 minutes a day. My dd usually spent about 30-40 min. The one thing I modified is splitting the worksheet into two days, as they are rather lenghty. My dd and I found it very understandable and thorough.

 

The only thing I would mention is the low prospects of reselling. I've posted over several months time and never got even an inquiry. I don't think it's a popular program.

 

Louise