Latin curriculum for 3rd grade after Getting Started with Latin

[Sweet Home Alabama]

My ds will finish GSwL this year. I need to choose Latin for next year when he'll be in 3rd grade.

 

Background:

We have finished FLL 1/2. We will work through FLL 3 beginning in January and get as far as we can-hopefully finishing it by the end of this year. He is also working on WWE 2. Unless we hit a major snag, we should also finish it this year. He isn't having any problems in grammar.

 

Like just about everyone else, I'm stuck between choosing Lively Latin or Latin for Children.

 

I'm drawn to LL, but I've read that sometimes the directions leave you wondering why you are told to do a certain thing. IOW, there can be a lack of continuity as the teacher and student work through the text. Yet, it is colorful and so cheerful. It LOOKS like FUN! (Not fun for fun's sake, but fun as in engaging so that the student wants to do Latin.... not dread it.) I would have to spend the bucks for the book or spend the bucks to print!!! Yuck!

 

LfC seems to have the bigger following. It sounds like it has better directions and has continuity. It's open and go! Big plus. Yet, it is black/white. Also, from viewing the sample video, I think my ds would roll his eyes in a "Do I have to watch him again" sort of way. I just don't know if my ds would think LfC is fun. We used SSL when he was in 1st grade, and he loved it.

 

I've tried to consider which to choose- from the viewpoint of what we'll know when we finish LL 2 or LfC C.... what would we do next? Which has a better long term plan?

 

I could just let my ds see both and choose the one that HE likes the best.... but I'm not ready to let him make the decision alone.

 

I would like Latin to be engaging and painless..... (easy for teacher and student to open and do and finish in a reasonable amount of time).... the 6th grade brother and 8th grade sister will need help with their school too, so I don't want to get bogged down in frustration with 3rd grade Latin.

 

Bottom line: We will FINISH GSw/L this year. Could you suggest LL or LfC to do after GSwL??? Or is there something better for 3rd grade?

 

I'm considering either R&S 3 or CLE 3 or possibly Abeka Language 3 for grammar next year. LA lineup (right now) looks like:

 

Grammar: R&S 3 or CLE 3 or Abeka 3

WWE 3 or Writing Tales (if ds needs a break)

Latin: ???

[Dmmetler]

My DD has enjoyed LfC, but we stopped doing the videos after about lesson 2 except for the first segment that gives the motions for the chants because she had exactly that reaction. I figured when we started that we'd go slow and plan on going back and doing more with the grammar later, but she's been able to grasp the grammar. She enjoys the chant CD, too. We're using it in combination with Minimus, which she enjoys, and she's gotten very into the history reader.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

My DD has enjoyed LfC, but we stopped doing the videos after about lesson 2 except for the first segment that gives the motions for the chants because she had exactly that reaction. I figured when we started that we'd go slow and plan on going back and doing more with the grammar later, but she's been able to grasp the grammar. She enjoys the chant CD, too. We're using it in combination with Minimus, which she enjoys, and she's gotten very into the history reader.

 

 

Thank you, Dmmetler. There are a few here who use GSwL.... anyone else?

[wapiti]

Having finished GSWL, my dd9 started Nutting's Latin Primer this year. See my description of it in this thread:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217829&highlight=nutting

 

We're only a little ways in right now but dd loves it. In particular, she loves the short sentences to translate English-to-Latin, that follow the Latin-to-English sentences. She also loves what she calls "the conversations." So far we're still doing it orally, but I'd like to transition to her writing the answers. For the English-to-Latin, I write for her, because it can take her a while to do it (she has slow handwriting plus so far the task seems to take more thought). We're still afterschooling, and struggling to find the time for Latin especially now that it's December, but we're planning on homeschooling starting in January so I'm anticipating we'll get a lot more Latin done (I'm planning on having her do it daily, knock on wood!).

 

The biggest downside is the lack of an answer key. So far I've been able to know what the answers are - guess I'll have to keep re-learning Latin as we go along. I'm hoping that such a key will turn up one of these days - I'd been wondering whether a school somewhere had ordered the book, because I couldn't figure out why it is available new after 100 years.

 

ETA: this is not to be confused with another book by another author, also called Latin Primer.

[Ali in OR]

We chose LfC over LL. I have no familiarity with GSWL, but I can share a few things that tipped the decision for me. I would definitely print out samples of both and try to picture using them. Factors for us:

 

1) I like having a book and a dvd. I don't want to print anything myself. I do not want to find audio files on my computer.

 

2) LfC was described as more vocabulary, less writing. This fits my dd with an excellent memory (but slightly pencil-phobic) very well.

 

3) LfC focuses on Latin. No added culture or history lessons. Some folks would prefer a course with this info, but after doing some Prima Latina and Minimus, I really wanted to dive into the grammar and finally see the big picture. We cover the other stuff in history.

 

4) From the printed sample, I could see that LfC fit how my brain works. My dd learns a lot like I do, so picking what was easier for me has worked well for us.

 

5) My dds love the dvds. And since I'm learning alongside of them, it really helps me to see a Latin teacher explain the material. (Incidentally, that's not the part my dds like. They like watching the kids chant and they love the silly continuing stories at the end of the lessons in LfC A and B.)

[Sweet Home Alabama]

5) My dds love the dvds. And since I'm learning alongside of them, it really helps me to see a Latin teacher explain the material. (Incidentally, that's not the part my dds like. They like watching the kids chant and they love the silly continuing stories at the end of the lessons in LfC A and B.)

 

 

 

Thanks, Ali! Only yesterday did I hear about the stories at the end of the lesson. I've looked on the web site, but I've never seen the stories as part of the samples. I'll certainly look harder.

[Another Lynn]

I don't think my situation will be very helpful, but since I'm a loyal GSWL user, I'll reply anyway :D. I was using it with my two oldest last year... actually slowed down my oldest because my 2nd ds wanted to join us. I wasn't sure where we would go next... LFC looked too tedious to me after the simple translating we did in GSWL. I bought Latin Prep knowing my 2nd ds might not be ready for it.

 

It took awhile for me to add Latin back in this school year and by the time I did, 2nd ds had forgotten a fair amount of it. So, I'm going back through GSWL with him alone, faster for review. My hope is to start him in Latin Prep next fall when he'll be 4th grade. (My oldest wants to switch to Spanish, which I hope to do after Christmas.)

 

I totally understand the frustration... there just aren't a lot of Latin programs out there that appeal to me. I have no desire to turn it into a drill and kill subject after GSWL's gradual, painless approach.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I don't think my situation will be very helpful, but since I'm a loyal GSWL user, I'll reply anyway :D. I was using it with my two oldest last year... actually slowed down my oldest because my 2nd ds wanted to join us. I wasn't sure where we would go next... LFC looked too tedious to me after the simple translating we did in GSWL. I bought Latin Prep knowing my 2nd ds might not be ready for it.

 

It took awhile for me to add Latin back in this school year and by the time I did, 2nd ds had forgotten a fair amount of it. So, I'm going back through GSWL with him alone, faster for review. My hope is to start him in Latin Prep next fall when he'll be 4th grade. (My oldest wants to switch to Spanish, which I hope to do after Christmas.)

 

I totally understand the frustration... there just aren't a lot of Latin programs out there that appeal to me. I have no desire to turn it into a drill and kill subject after GSWL's gradual, painless approach.

 

 

 

 

Lynn, I really appreciate your comments. GSwL is just so simple in its concept and use. If I get something too "academic", I'll just lose my ds. He'll ONLY be in 3rd grade, and Latin still needs to be fun, IMO.

 

LL just looks more fun, yet I'm concerned about what others have said about the scanty directions..... I REALLY want to understand the curriculum from a teacher's standpoint so I can make the best use of time. I don't want to have to figure out what the author means. The other disadvantage to LL is simply the printing out of all the pages, and the cost for buying the printed book is quite expensive. (Although, LfC isn't cheap either.)

 

I have another option besides LL or LfC. I have both sets of English from the Roots Up and both sets of Rummy Roots. I could use these. We've used them just a little when he needed a break from GSwL. Then I could look into Latin Prep for 4th. It's a well-loved Latin curriculua from what I've read on this board. Yet, I think there is a question about what to do after that.

 

I Emailed Bill Linney this morning to get his opinion. I'll see what he suggests.

[Another Lynn]

I Emailed Bill Linney this morning to get his opinion. I'll see what he suggests.

 

I'd love to know what he suggests!

[Staceyshoe]

I'd love to know what he suggests!

 

Me three!:bigear:

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Mr. Linney's comment:

 

"I think that at this stage of the game, the challenge is to maintain interest and don't overload the child (goals I tried to accomplish in my book)."

 

He did mention that the lessons from Linney's Latin Class are free and available online, but that they would be for someone older...... not 3rd grade.