Teaching Prima Latina to multiple children?

[KeriJ]

I'm looking at Prima Latina for next year. I read that it was appropriate for K-4th grade students. I will have a K and a 2nd grader this year. Would it work well to teach them together? Would I technically need to wait until the youngest was reading well?

 

Anyone have experience with this?

[Guest janainaz]

The K'er could listen and learn vocabulary (it comes with a cd). I don't think a K'er would be ready to do written work, but would still benefit from listening to the lessons. A 2nd grader would definitely be ready for Prima Latina.

[everlastingstarflower]

We used PL last year. My dd was in 2nd and my ds was in K but, both my dc are reading way above grade level. After using Latina Christiana I this summer, I am finding that the PL teacher's manual didn't do a very good job of explaining the best way to approach the lessons with your children. The LCI teacher's manual is so much more descriptive and helpful by telling you how to break the lessons down.

 

My dc did not like PL. They felt that it went too fast and the workbook was way too much writing for my ds. They did not feel that they were retaining any of the vocabulary. I made pictoral flash cards for them and it helped them to see that they were retaining the vocab, which helped a little bit but, it wasn't until we started LCI that they've been enjoying it more.

 

I had some good advice from a hs classical school principal who told me that if my ds could verbalize the information, he didn't necessarily need to write it all out. So, I would only make my ds complete half of the written work and if he could recite the words to me, that was sufficient. We also reviewed the flash cards every day and that has been one of the best things for them to build their confidence with the language.

 

I would also recommend splitting the lesson and maybe the exercises up into smaller parts. We have found that LCI has the students doing little bits of work everyday instead of doing an entire lesson & drill & exercises all in one day. It really helps to reinforce the work if you repeat parts of the vocab and lesson each day in little snippets. Then when it comes time for the quizes and tests, the dc can answer easier because they will know how to spell the Latin words as well as their meaning.

 

I would also take it slowly and not rush through just to finish the book. We're doing one LCI lesson over a 2 week period, interspersing Latina Angelica songs and Ludere Latine puzzles with it and my dc are actually enjoying Latin this way. They ask to do more work than what I am requiring but, I won't let them because I don't want them to get burned out like they did when we were doing PL. If I had to do PL over again, we'd take it slow and steady with a lot of repetition.

[....]

Yep. Doin' this too. We're using Prima Latina for a 3rd grader and a 2nd grader. I think it might be way too much for a Kindergartener (I'm not using it with my K-er, she would probably look at me and run away). It's almost a little too much writing for the 2nd grader - the spelling is confusing to him, especially since he's still learning how to spell correctly in English (but, he is a Dude) :biggrinjester:. It seems just perfect for the 3rd grader. In the 2nd grader's defense, though...he was reciting the Sanctus in the van on the way home from church the other day...:tongue_smilie:

[AFwife Claire]

I did PL with my first 2 boys starting when they were in 2nd and K-5, and now I am finishing it with my second set of 2 boys, who were in 2nd and 1st last year. We have always done it all orally. We actually do the fisrt part of LC I orally too. We just keep reviewing the vocab and new grammar concepts, as well as the prayers. My older boys are finishing First Forms Latin now, having gone all the way through LC I and II (taking more than 1 year though, esp. for LCII), so doing the first part all orally didn't stop them! For younger kids, I think if you just keep plugging away at it, essentially treating it all basically as memory work, then when they get further along, they will understand it all (and it will be easier since they already know all those endings and vocab!) and be able to put it all together.