Latin question for a wide range of grades (3rd - 8th)

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Is it too soon to be thinking about next year? (2011-2012) :lol::tongue_smilie:

 

I'm just wondering about Latin. My youngest is working through Getting Started with Latin in his 2nd grade year. My oldest two are working through Rosetta Stone Spanish. (This year is year 2 of three years..... one more year to go next year.) The olders are in 5th and 7th grades this year.

 

We might switch everyone over to Latin next year. (I'd let the older two finish RS Year 3 and start Latin at the same time). I'm most fond of Lively Latin. Could my youngest use Lively Latin next year and my older two use Galore Parks Latin Prep???? Would that be a good combination? Would it be too much to finish RS Year 3 and do Latin at the same time? Would that be too teacher intensive?

 

Or.... could all three use LL together? (Next year, they would be in 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades.) Is LL to "easy" for an 8th grade beginning Latin student?

 

Getting Started in Latin would have my youngest prepared, but will RS be enough to prep my olders for Galore Park's Latin Prep?

 

What is the best way to teach Latin to 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades together when only the youngest has had the most Latin exposure?

[Ester Maria]

I wouldn't teach them together. I'd get a "serious" program for the 6th and the 8th graders and get them started on it, and I'd amuse the youngest with something more accessible to younger students. And yes, the older ones can continue Spanish while working on Latin at the same time.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I wouldn't teach them together. I'd get a "serious" program for the 6th and the 8th graders and get them started on it, and I'd amuse the youngest with something more accessible to younger students. And yes, the older ones can continue Spanish while working on Latin at the same time.

 

Thanks, Ester Maria!

What do you think would be serious yet doable for first-time Latin study for 6th and 8th grades?

 

Lively Latin, GP Latin Prep, other????

 

Suggestions for 3rd grade?

[siloam]

Thanks, Ester Maria!

What do you think would be serious yet doable for first-time Latin study for 6th and 8th grades?

 

Lively Latin, GP Latin Prep, other????

 

Suggestions for 3rd grade?

 

Lively Latin will work for the 3rd grader, but for the older two I would look at something geared to middle school students. For a grammar based approach: Latin Alive, First Form Latin, Latin Prep. For a immersion/reading approach: Cambridge slowed down (it is a high school program) or Ecce Romani (which is also supposed to be strong on grammar).

 

I am sure there are other good programs, those are just the ones I looked at. My oldest dd prefers the immersion approach so I think we will give Ecce Romani a try.

 

Heather

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Lively Latin will work for the 3rd grader, but for the older two I would look at something geared to middle school students. For a grammar based approach: Latin Alive, First Form Latin, Latin Prep. For a immersion/reading approach: Cambridge slowed down (it is a high school program) or Ecce Romani (which is also supposed to be strong on grammar).

 

I am sure there are other good programs, those are just the ones I looked at. My oldest dd prefers the immersion approach so I think we will give Ecce Romani a try.

 

Heather

 

Thanks, Heather!

I prefer the grammar approach, and my youngest and I have used classical pronunciation from the beginning.

 

I kind of like the combination of LL and Latin Prep. If my 3rd grader started in LL and my 5th and 8th graders did Latin Prep, would that make sense? I have in the back of my mind the thoughts that my oldest would need 2-3 years of a foreign language in high school, and Latin could fill that requirement.

 

I think this may be a bit expensive.... I'm not sure which form of LL to go with, and I don't know how much Latin Prep is.

 

What about the level of teacher intensiveness??? I have no formal Latin background..... only what my youngest and I have learned together. Also, will RS Spanish be a benefit for first-time Latin students?

[siloam]

Thanks, Heather!

I prefer the grammar approach, and my youngest and I have used classical pronunciation from the beginning.

 

I kind of like the combination of LL and Latin Prep. If my 3rd grader started in LL and my 5th and 8th graders did Latin Prep, would that make sense? I have in the back of my mind the thoughts that my oldest would need 2-3 years of a foreign language in high school, and Latin could fill that requirement.

 

I think this may be a bit expensive.... I'm not sure which form of LL to go with, and I don't know how much Latin Prep is.

 

What about the level of teacher intensiveness??? I have no formal Latin background..... only what my youngest and I have learned together. Also, will RS Spanish be a benefit for first-time Latin students?

 

The 5th grader could do LL if you prefer. From what I read about LP the first book is easy, and well loved, but there were a percentage of people who found the 2nd book too much and dropped it. Because of that I am going to stay away. Like you I don't have a lot of Latin and right now I don't have the time to learn it. My point being that your oldest would probably find it easier to get through the tough book, and your 5th grader would be most likely to get stuck. You could drop the 5th grader down and do LL first then LP.

 

Yes the Spanish will help because Latin has cases as well. Latin just has case for nouns and such as well as verbs so it is more complicated, or it seems to be for me. All my understanding comes for the first level of LL and then I didn't make it through the whole book. I dropped out around chapter 12. At least you don't have to worry about pronunciation, which I never did well with in Spanish.

 

If you look at the TOC for LL and compared it to the TOC for Getting Started with Latin, you should be able to see if there are serious gaps. There is also a yahoo group for LL, though it is a very slow one.

 

Heather