Errors in Lively Latin and Answer key

[Medieval Mom]

I have read in many posts about the errors in Lively Latin. Could anyone tell me a bit more? Are these typographical errors, such as "eth" for "the", missing punctuation, etc. ? Or are there major errors in translation, information? Error of omission, that is, missing content?

 

Have these errors been fixed?

 

 

Secondly-- Is the answer key a duplicate of the student pages with answers filled in, or just a list of answers as an appendix?

 

 

Thanks!

[siloam]

They haven't been fixed to date. She intends to now that the 2nd volume is done. I don't know how long that will take her.

 

The answer key is the full text with the answers added.

 

The errors are just infrequent enough for you to forget that there might be an error, but just often enough that you are not surprised when you discover there is one.

 

The errors vary. I seem to remember having a couple of times when the vocab words on the review cards don't line up. Once I think they duplicated a word, so I had to look at the list and figure out which was the missing word. Another time they had a word that wasn't on the list at all, and another word was left out (like they changed it at the last minuet but forgot to change the cards). There are several errors in the answer keys and times when their are various errors in the main material. I didn't really have a hard time finding the errors, it didn't effect out learning of Latin, in fact if anything they focused me to make sure I was right by going back and re-reading. But they do drive you a little nuts becuase they make you second guess yourself and have to go back and re-read.

 

It wasn't enough to make me not use the program again. My 2nd dd will be starting it soon. I was enough to make me think three times about moving on to the more difficult material in level 2, where I might not be able to easily follow the difference between an error and just not getting something, KWIM? Level 1 just doesn't go deep enough for it to be a big deal. I hadn't had Latin before but I did have enough Spanish to be familiar with cases and such. Book 2 might not have been a problem, but I no longer have the time to stay ahead of her, and I just wasn't willing to risk it.

 

Heather

[nd293]

The errors are frequent enough to be annoying, but not frequent enough to put me off the programme. They are mostly of the "careless" variety imo - they don't dramatically affect understanding. In other words - wrong word given in translation, answers occasionally omitted, mistake in cases, macrons omitted. Dd9 works independently (I read through any notes with her, she does the worksheets independently) and picks up some errors - I pick up other in the answer sheets. The answer sheets are a full duplication of the student text with answers filled in.

 

I've found LL easy to use, and it doesn't require much of my time. We will be using BB2 next year.

 

Nikki

[Medieval Mom]

Thank you, both, for your frank and detailed replies. :)

 

I was hoping that the errors ran more in the nature of irksome typographical errors. The errors you both describe, I must admit, do give me pause about using this program. :001_huh:

 

On the other hand, I am glad to read that the answer key is the full-page with answers in place. I definitely prefer that style.

 

Thank you both, again! :)

[Medieval Mom]

Hmm... I'm HEAVILY researching Latin programs right now, and I just can't seem to let this one go.

 

Does it introduce nouns in their nominative, genitive, gender, definition forms, i.e. puella, puellae, f., girl ? There is only one sample vocabulary sheet, but it seems to do this. :) Furthermore, in comparison with other elementary Latin programs out there, it seems to be the ONLY program that has children memorizing nouns in this way, right from the beginning (which I consider to be a very, VERY good thing!)

 

ETA: Ah! I see that Latin for Children also does this... ;)

Edited September 30, 2010 by Medieval Mom

[Medieval Mom]

Thanks to anyone who can chime in as to WHY they use this program DESPITE the errors. :D

[FloridaLisa]

I was enough to make me think three times about moving on to the more difficult material in level 2, where I might not be able to easily follow the difference between an error and just not getting something, KWIM?

 

So, Heather, you didn't go on to LL2? I'm just about to make a purchase. If not, what did you use instead? We really liked LL1, enjoyed the history, the fun approach and practice provided.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[jeri]

For my 10 yo ds, I love LL because it is ssoooo incremental it borders on slow. But for him, that is very necessary. He is an unwilling Latin candidate and LL is something that I can slow way down on. Now for you, and a sharp willing student, you can just pick up the pace and go! It won't hold you back!

 

Another like about this is the amount of Roman military history. This is wonderful for my ds, who is all boy in that department.

 

Honestly, I don't even use the answer key, except for the Roman history questions. I'm fortunate in that my dd (13) is way ahead of ds, and as of last year, even way ahead of me. So, if I have a question about an answer, I will ask her instead of going to the answer key.

 

Re. LfC: We used this, many years ago, and I remember really liking it and it being a very solid program. So, I think between the two, you can't go wrong!

 

jeri

[Medieval Mom]

...We really liked LL1, enjoyed the history, the fun approach and practice provided.

 

 

...

Another like about this is the amount of Roman military history. This is wonderful for my ds, who is all boy in that department.

 

H...

jeri

 

The history in LL is part of the appeal for me, too. Ds loves that sort of thing NOW, but wasn't very interested in 1st, when we read about the ancients. I think he'd welcome a Latin program that included it.

 

Thanks for your responses! MM

[siloam]

Hmm... I'm HEAVILY researching Latin programs right now, and I just can't seem to let this one go.

 

Does it introduce nouns in their nominative, genitive, gender, definition forms, i.e. puella, puellae, f., girl ? There is only one sample vocabulary sheet, but it seems to do this. :) Furthermore, in comparison with other elementary Latin programs out there, it seems to be the ONLY program that has children memorizing nouns in this way, right from the beginning (which I consider to be a very, VERY good thing!)

 

ETA: Ah! I see that Latin for Children also does this... ;)

Yes all the vocab cards have that, and most of the time when they list the words on the sheets they do so with both and the gender.

 

The first level really is nice and gentle. I don't see the errors as a big deal. I even try to start a thread with corrections so everyone could refer to one place, but it didn't take off. I also probably marked most of the corrections on my TM, so after the first time through it is almost a non-issue.

 

I chose LL because when I looked at the samples it just made sense to me. All the other programs/samples left me confused. LL was so easy to implement and has less memorization that most of the rest of the programs (a plus with our dyslexic issues) that it just doesn't make sense to do anything else now that I own it. Once my 2nd dd is ready to move on I will consider either using LL2 or Latin Alive, because she more the scientist where my oldest is the writer. Hopefully by that time the errors will all be corrected.

 

BTW the author does try to answer questions quickly, and she is on the yahoo group.

 

Heather

Edited September 30, 2010 by siloam

[siloam]

So, Heather, you didn't go on to LL2? I'm just about to make a purchase. If not, what did you use instead? We really liked LL1, enjoyed the history, the fun approach and practice provided.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

 

Lisa,

 

You have no idea how much I have flipped on this one. My top pics were LL2, Latin Alive! (plug and play), Cambridge and Ecce Romani. My dd went from doing LL 1 to Minimus because I had it laying around. I had intended to do Minimus on the last day of the week for a fun break, but she loved LL so much it just didn't happen. In the end I couldn't make up my mind what to do next, so I asked my dd what she wanted to do, and hands down she wanted to do more stories, thus we are doing Cambridge (what comes after Minimus). Not that she didn't enjoy LL, but she is my story gal, so this really didn't surprise me.

 

Also keep in mind that I had thought that we would need a program before LL 2 was finished. I had mentally let go of LL 2 already thinking it wouldn't be done before I needed to buy.

 

Heather

[corbie]

For the record - We are using LL2 after LL1. My 6th grader loves it. She does it pretty much on her own, after a year of LL1. She knows there are occasional errors. It's still worth it for us.

[Medieval Mom]

For the record - We are using LL2 after LL1. My 6th grader loves it. She does it pretty much on her own, after a year of LL1. She knows there are occasional errors. It's still worth it for us.

 

Thanks! I'm glad to know it's worth it :)

[FloridaLisa]

Lisa,

 

You have no idea how much I have flipped on this one. My top pics were LL2, Latin Alive! (plug and play), Cambridge and Ecce Romani. My dd went from doing LL 1 to Minimus because I had it laying around. I had intended to do Minimus on the last day of the week for a fun break, but she loved LL so much it just didn't happen. In the end I couldn't make up my mind what to do next, so I asked my dd what she wanted to do, and hands down she wanted to do more stories, thus we are doing Cambridge (what comes after Minimus). Not that she didn't enjoy LL, but she is my story gal, so this really didn't surprise me.

 

Also keep in mind that I had thought that we would need a program before LL 2 was finished. I had mentally let go of LL 2 already thinking it wouldn't be done before I needed to buy.

 

Heather

 

Thanks for your reply, Heather. I think I'll likely go with LL2, mostly so I don't have to get used to teaching with an entirely new format. Maybe watching for errors will keep us on our toes. ;)

 

Lisa