Latin in 3rd grade?

[mirabillis]

Hi ladies!

 

I'm researching for next year's curriculum, and am considering following the suggestions to begin Latin for my DD in 3rd grade this fall.

 

Who else has done so? Pros/Cons? Did you then postpone the introduction of another foreign language (ie. Spanish), and how did that go? How hard is Latin to incorporate? How long did you spend per day on it? Suggestions on curricula? Thanks in advance!!!

 

Any & all thoughts you have are VERY appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Teachaheart]

Hi ladies!

 

I'm researching for next year's curriculum, and am considering following the suggestions to begin Latin for my DD in 3rd grade this fall.

 

Who else has done so? Pros/Cons? Did you then postpone the introduction of another foreign language (ie. Spanish), and how did that go? How hard is Latin to incorporate? How long did you spend per day on it? Suggestions on curricula? Thanks in advance!!!

 

Any & all thoughts you have are VERY appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

I taught 3rd grade Latin for seven years, and in my experience, children who were comfortable with reading and spelling did well with Latin. They usually had no trouble learning the declensions and conjugations, especially since we chanted and sang them on a daily basis. They easily learned the vocabulary and loved finding Latin words and derivatives in books and materials for other subjects. The Latin grammar reinforced the English grammar they were learning.

 

We used the Latin for Children student workbooks and generally tackled one chapter each week. We spent 20-30 minutes each day on Latin. For most students that was a good pace. In your homeschool you will have the advantage of adjusting the pace to your child's needs. Generally, I like the approach LFC takes. Each chapter begins with a memory page that introduces the chant and vocabulary for the week. Next is a grammar page that explains one or two grammar concepts related to the chant and vocabulary. The third page is a worksheet that reviews the chant, vocabulary, grammar and derivatives. Last is a quiz page. I think the most recent edition may have a second worksheet as well. I added in games like Latin Pictionary, Latin Bingo (Vinco!), Latin Connect Four, Latin Tic Tac Toe, and even Latin Duck Duck Goose. We even made derivative flowers.

 

The main cons of learning Latin that young are things I think can be avoided by concentrating on your own child's development. LFC includes parsing words and analyzing sentences, and many children have a very difficult time with this. Some children have trouble applying the various endings in context and need a lot of detailed guidance.

 

The only other Latin curricula I have taught, I really did not like. My first year teaching Latin we used the Latin Primer series from Canon Press. I did not like the way the lessons were structured or the lack of direct instruction in the student books. This series has been revised recently, and the samples I have seen look better. We also used Elementary Latin by Nancy Sattler, and while it was a nice little introduction to Latin, I would not use it again, especially not as a full curriculum. It does not take the systematic grammatical approach that LFC does but is more topical in nature.

 

As for Spanish and when to start, it depends on your goal and your student. If your goal is fluency, especially spoken fluency, you would probably be better off starting Spanish first and waiting until 4th or 5th grade to start Latin. Some children would have no problem starting both languages at once, especially if you use two different approaches, i.e. Rosetta Stone for Spanish and LFC for Latin. Just keep in mind that the younger a person begins learning a spoken language, the more likely he is to gain fluency in that language.

[Jlynn]

I've used and loved LfC for my son since he was in 3rd grade. But, because Latin was new for me too, we took it much slower. I realized that he was still getting English Grammar down, so it took a bit longer for the first book. It's taken us 3 years to finish the first two books and, since I have it to do over again with my daughter I think I'll happily wait till she's in 5th grade to begin Latin (we'll still use LfC though - I just like his approach). I think at that age (10-11), they are also getting more independent with their personal study time, at least my son is, and he's also used to a heavier work load.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Jlynn
spelling error and missing words

[mirabillis]

Very helpful, thanks!

 

Anybody want to weigh in on when you started or wished you'd started Latin?

 

Thanks!

[Tam101]

I'm starting Latin this fall with my 3rd grader. I decided to go with Getting Started with Latin and move into Latin Prep in 4th grade. I like scripted text and MP3 lessons of GSL and it should work well with my son. He is not workbook kid!

[christine in al]

I'd do a modern foreign language until fifth. Then Id do Latin, there's so much logic to Latin,

I'd wait until mine were more logic stage thinkers.

and I'd use the natural language learning time of parrot stage to do heavy exposure to a MFL, so their accent is strong.

 

But I didn't, and I liked Song School Latin and Minimus, and Getting started.

Will you be doing classical or ecclesiastical

Christine inal

[Guest Quilty]

Hi ladies!

 

I'm researching for next year's curriculum, and am considering following the suggestions to begin Latin for my DD in 3rd grade this fall.

 

Who else has done so? Pros/Cons? Did you then postpone the introduction of another foreign language (ie. Spanish), and how did that go? How hard is Latin to incorporate? How long did you spend per day on it? Suggestions on curricula? Thanks in advance!!!

 

Any & all thoughts you have are VERY appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

I introduced Latin when we started homeschooling at age 5. I started with the I am Reading Latin Series from Bolchazy-Carducci. There are two sets of books and a CD. Very simple, just an introduction to Latin vocabulary. After that we used Minimus, and Minimus Secundus.

 

My 9 year old and 4 year old both like Minimus. I got the CD so we can hear it pronounced, and the 9 YO reads the minibooks to his sister. I try to spend at least 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week on Latin. I really didn't find it difficult to work in, so far it has been mostly fun for the kids.

 

I'm not sure what we will use next.

[Guest Quilty]

Teachaheart, I would really love to learn about these chants and songs for declensions and conjugations.

[nd293]

We introduced Latin in Gr3 last year, but only in the second half of the year. We started with a couple of months of Song School Latin, which was way too easy, but fun to listen to, and took any anxiety out of moving to the next step. That step for us was Lively Latin which has been lots of fun. We don't to any of the history portion, and spend 30-45 minutes two or three times a week. I basically split a lesson over 3 weeks, then we read from Lingua Latina in the 4th week, but don't use any of the grammar. It's working out well for us.

[Pata]

We officially started 3rd grade several weeks ago, as we will be taking off several months around Christmas since we will be back in the States. We've been using Prima Latina and so far my dd loves it. It takes us 10 to 15 min four times a week. I've found it very easy to incorporate into our day and I'm glad that I decided to start Latin this year. Hope that helps!

[Mom in High Heels]

We're starting Latin this fall in 3rd grade. We're also studying German (though we started that in 2nd grade, but we live in Germany). We'll be using Minimus for Latin. GL!

[whitestavern]

I started DD w/Getting Started w/Latin in 3rd. I thought it complemented everything she was learning in FLL3 at the time and I thought it was fine beginning in 3rd. For 4th we moved to Lively Latin and she's done fine with that as well.

 

DS is beginning 3rd in the fall and I'm not sure which program I will start him with. He's a much younger 3rd grader than my dd and not as advanced as I think she was. I'm not sure he's ready for Latin, but we'll start and see what happens. I think LL might be too much so I will probably do Getting Started, or I will modify LL and remove the history portion (at least) as it seems many folks do.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I would like to start Latin for my 3rd grader some time soon. Thanks for the info.

J

[JadeOrchidSong]

We officially started 3rd grade several weeks ago, as we will be taking off several months around Christmas since we will be back in the States. We've been using Prima Latina and so far my dd loves it. It takes us 10 to 15 min four times a week. I've found it very easy to incorporate into our day and I'm glad that I decided to start Latin this year. Hope that helps!

Paige,

What do you need to buy to do Prima Latina? There are so many beginner Latin programs that I don't know which one is good for my 3rd grader. But it is good to hear that PL is so easy to do. Thanks,

J

[Karenciavo]

ds8:

1st grade - 1/2 Latina Christiana I and 1/2 Minimus I

2nd grade - finished LC I, finished Minimus I

3rd grade - ? I think I'm going to try Logos Latin I. The complete TM which includes the complete student workbook is available as a pdf if you'd like to look through it.

 

His older brothers began Latin when we started homeschooling, 3rd & 5th grades. We used LC I then switched to LFC A-C along with Latin Book 1 and part of Latin Book 2 (2.5 yrs), then Latin Alive 1 and 2, and ds17 did Henle I and II in one year, then part of Henle III. Both are moving on to Italian next school year.

[Daydream333]

I started Prima Latina with my 2nd grader this summer. I really like the program so far. I do recommend you buy the DVD set to go along with it. I believe the program is geared towards this age group, so 3rd grade should not be a concern.

 

Edited to include materials we use:

Student Book

Teacher Manual

DVD set

CD set (Have yet to use the cd's, but will do so soon. The repetition is necessary in my opinion)

 

I found complete flash card sets online for free.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Daydream333

[Ali in OR]

We did Prima Latina and Minimus in 1st and 2nd grade and by 3rd grade I was really wanting a real Latin program with grammar where you understand the structure of the language. We love LfC and I think we would have been fine using it in 3rd even if we hadn't done PL and Minimus. We also study Spanish using Spanish for Children, also by Classical Academic Press. It works fine for us to study both languages at the same time, and since our curricula come from the same company, there are similarities in structure to the programs that I think make the learning easier. It's fun to compare Latin, Spanish, and English and see how the Latin has changed in the other two languages.

[Pata]

Paige,

What do you need to buy to do Prima Latina? There are so many beginner Latin programs that I don't know which one is good for my 3rd grader. But it is good to hear that PL is so easy to do. Thanks,

J

 

All I have is the student workbook, the teacher's guide and the CD. It's worked fine for us and I don't miss not having the DVD's.

[crazyforlatin]

I waited until dd could read and then used Getting Started with Latin. We tried Prima Latina at first but we weren't really moving along until I found GSWL. After finishing that in 4 months, we tried Latina Christiana, but again for some odd reason, it didn't suit us, until I tried Henle, which seems to be working for now. I like Galore's Latin Prep but dd always ends up choosing Henle.

 

If I known about SSL and LfC, I may have gone this route because now Classical Academic Press has this free website http://www.headventureland.com that has stories, games and videos corresponding with their books.

 

I was reading Spanish books to dd before teaching her Latin, but held off formal Spanish lessons until a year later. We're using Getting Started with Spanish now and dd has been able to see the connection between Latin and Spanish, so it's actually a good idea to study both of these languages either at the same or hold off Spanish until the child is getting off to a good start with Latin. In fact, MCT Island teaches Latin and Spanish words in one of their books.

[Laura Corin]

I like to start with a modern foreign language - when children are small they soak up living language and accent, and it seems a shame to miss that time. We start Latin at around nine with Latin Prep; sometimes we play with Minimus before that.

 

Laura

[Guest CarolineUK]

DS9 has really enjoyed Minimus.