After GSWL, would you do Prima Latina, Ecce Romani, LfC or Latin Prep?

[Halcyon]

My son is enjoying GSWL and will be finished soon. Here's what we're looking for:

 

1. something rigorous but that will not require more than 45 minutes a day.

2. nothing too cutesy-straightforward is appreciated

3. he enjoys translating, which is why we've also looking at Ecce Romani. Has anyone used that?

4. Prefer a workbook as opposed to something we need to copy out of. Also, I don't want to print out sheets (one reason why Lively Latin is out).

 

My son will be continuing Latin through high school, if that matters.

 

I think that's all our "requirements"....I would appreciate feedback.

[AngelBee]

I only have experience with Prima Latina and we are really enjoying it.

[Haiku]

:lurk5:

[JudoMom]

I wouldn't start Latin Prep before 5th grade. I plan on having my 3rd grader do LfC A next year before he begins Latin Prep.

[RainbowSprinkles]

My son is enjoying GSWL and will be finished soon. Here's what we're looking for:

 

1. something rigorous but that will not require more than 45 minutes a day.

2. nothing too cutesy-straightforward is appreciated

3. he enjoys translating, which is why we've also looking at Ecce Romani. Has anyone used that?

4. Prefer a workbook as opposed to something we need to copy out of. Also, I don't want to print out sheets (one reason why Lively Latin is out).

 

My son will be continuing Latin through high school, if that matters.

 

I think that's all our "requirements"....I would appreciate feedback.

 

 

We have not done GSWL. We tried Prima Latina, but found it boring. I purchased SSL to use as an intro for dd and then LfC to do afterwards. She will be in 4th grade when we start so SSL will not take too long to do and we can get started with LfC. My ds will also do SSL, but he will be in 2nd grade so I think it willl take him a little longer to finish.

[Halcyon]

I wouldn't start Latin Prep before 5th grade. I plan on having my 3rd grader do LfC A next year before he begins Latin Prep.

 

I've heard this too. But I have also heard that if your child is ahead in grammar and reading, it may be okay. My son just placed into 5th grade grammar (he's finishing up GWG4) and reads at a 6th grade level, and he also can apply himself well, so I it might work. Of course, if I could look at some pages beyond the first few, that would help, as I hear it does ramp up considerably in later chapters. He loves Latin, and I absolutely do not want to turn him off.

[Halcyon]

I wouldn't start Latin Prep before 5th grade. I plan on having my 3rd grader do LfC A next year before he begins Latin Prep.

 

Do you think LFC A would work for my to-be 4th grade? Decisions are hard when you can't see the material!

[ReneTL]

I have a 5th & 3rd grader and after trying to get through Prima Latina since fall of '09, we finally scrapped it and everyone is very glad we did! We're in week 3 of Latin for Children A and what a difference! They are both happy to do Latin and listen to the CD's on their own. It's moving at a good pace and the DVD gives a clear explanation of the material. After week 18 I think, LFC offers a history reader for translating.

 

Nothing against PL & Latina Christiana - they are both very solid programs - but I'm very happy to have something just as rigorous with a bit more pizazz.

 

Good luck!

[Laura Corin]

Latin Prep fits your bill. It has workbooks that coordinate with the first book - after that, the exercises are all in the text books. I would not start Latin Prep until age nine at the earliest, however; age ten is a much better idea for most children.

 

Laura

[Halcyon]

Latin Prep fits your bill. It has workbooks that coordinate with the first book - after that, the exercises are all in the text books. I would not start Latin Prep until age nine at the earliest, however; age ten is a much better idea for most children.

 

Laura

 

My son will be 9. I just wish I could see more of the book, darn it

[Poke Salad Annie]

Latin Book One (vintage) is available via the yahoo group, and has audio of many lessons, as well as a teacher's guide in pdf.

 

Visual Latin looks very interesting, and I'm giving it serious consideration.

 

Latin for Children A also looks intriguing, and seems to have a bit more of the *fun* factor added in.

 

Editing to add...

 

Ecce Romani gets good reviews from some of the posters here. It could be had cheaply used, and you could use this time to study ahead.

 

Just my thoughts...

Edited January 20, 2011 by Poke Salad Annie

[Catherine]

Without reading any responses, I'd vote Latin Prep. I went to Cambridge and regretted it-not clear enough about grammar and by book 2 we were both floundering. LP is excellent.

[blakereese]

To those of you recommending Latin Prep at age 10ish/5th grade...what would you use before? LfC? I would like to do something in 3rd and 4th grade, then go to Latin Prep in 5th. Hopefully. :)

[Laura Corin]

To those of you recommending Latin Prep at age 10ish/5th grade...what would you use before? LfC? I would like to do something in 3rd and 4th grade, then go to Latin Prep in 5th. Hopefully. :)

 

With Calvin I used Minimus. He didn't retain much, but it was a fun introduction. We got half way through book two, then realised we needed more structure, so we started on Latin Prep. With Hobbes, we didn't do anything before LP: we laid a good basis in a modern foreign language instead.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

My son will be 9. I just wish I could see more of the book, darn it

 

I started Latin Prep with Hobbes when he was about to turn ten. He already had one foreign language (Mandarin) under his belt. We moved very slowly with LP, as I knew that it ramped up pretty fast. We did less than half the book in six months, making sure that he was really solid on what he was learning: I think this was a good decision, despite Hobbes being a bright child. He is now re-doing LP1 at school and I still don't think that it is wasted time.

 

So, if you want to start LP at nine, I would expect your sequence to go something like:

 

Age 9-11: LP1 plus both workbooks (two years for one textbook)

Age 11-14: LP2 and 3 (three years to do two books).

 

You will have a phenomenally strong basis for moving into reading original texts at this point - it's much more important to get it solid than to move fast. Alternatively you can start later and move faster, which might be a better idea.

 

You might like to look at the samples for the second book, to get an idea of where you are heading.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

I've heard this too. But I have also heard that if your child is ahead in grammar and reading, it may be okay. My son just placed into 5th grade grammar (he's finishing up GWG4) and reads at a 6th grade level, and he also can apply himself well, so I it might work. Of course, if I could look at some pages beyond the first few, that would help, as I hear it does ramp up considerably in later chapters. He loves Latin, and I absolutely do not want to turn him off.

 

As you get into the later chapters, translating requires holding more and more different elements in your head at the same time. I've seen Calvin's face screwed up like a little wrinkled monkey, as he tried to think about everything simultaneously. English grammar doesn't require the same kind of manipulation energy, because it's our native language (I assume).

 

Laura

[blakereese]

With Calvin I used Minimus. He didn't retain much, but it was a fun introduction. We got half way through book two, then realised we needed more structure, so we started on Latin Prep. With Hobbes, we didn't do anything before LP: we laid a good basis in a modern foreign language instead.

 

Laura

 

You know, that is good to hear. I have Minimus and I was going to start that in the fall. I knew it would be sort of fun and basic, so I was thinking of also doing LfC next year. But now you got me thinking about starting later, but maybe more seriously...anyway, it is good food for thought. I'm hoping to peek at some of these things at convention.

 

Thanks Halcyon for starting this thread. :001_smile::bigear:

[Halcyon]

I started Latin Prep with Hobbes when he was about to turn ten. He already had one foreign language (Mandarin) under his belt. We moved very slowly with LP, as I knew that it ramped up pretty fast. We did less than half the book in six months, making sure that he was really solid on what he was learning: I think this was a good decision, despite Hobbes being a bright child. He is now re-doing LP1 at school and I still don't think that it is wasted time.

 

So, if you want to start LP at nine, I would expect your sequence to go something like:

 

Age 9-11: LP1 plus both workbooks (two years for one textbook)

Age 11-14: LP2 and 3 (three years to do two books).

 

You will have a phenomenally strong basis for moving into reading original texts at this point - it's much more important to get it solid than to move fast. Alternatively you can start later and move faster, which might be a better idea.

 

You might like to look at the samples for the second book, to get an idea of where you are heading.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

 

Thank you for this. I will have to think on it. My son is really enjoying Latin now, so whichever curriculum we decide on, we will go slowly, with lots of overteaching.

[Zoo Keeper]

I have one doing GSwL this year and one doing LfCA this year; I think that LfCA would work well for you. I does move quickly, so I think your Latin lover would not be bored. I'm having to slow it down for my oldest boy, so that he can take time to work through and understand the concepts (which is hard work for him), not just memorize the chants and vocab (that is the easy part for him). I have Latin Prep I, and after looking through it, I think it would be too much for a younger child--but I'm glad that Laura could do it with her boy.:) Hats off.

[Another Lynn]

I have not moved beyond GSWL yet, but have Latin Prep on my shelf with high hopes. So, no experienced advice here... just this opinion: I think it would be next to impossible to go to a "memory-driven" program after GSWL. I imagine if I had had the fun of gentle translating and then afterwards someone had handed me a year's worth of "code" to memorize for (seemingly) no purpose - I might revolt, LOL. Or, if after a year of fun and gentle translating, someone had wanted to burden me with lots of grammar rules and details before I ever got to translate again.... I might revolt. It's my hope that Latin Prep will keep a balance in this regard, but again I have no experience to back that up yet.

 

I DO know that when I looked at typical elementary level Latin programs at convention last year, nothing looked very appealing after GSWL.

[Halcyon]

I have not moved beyond GSWL yet, but have Latin Prep on my shelf with high hopes. So, no experienced advice here... just this opinion: I think it would be next to impossible to go to a "memory-driven" program after GSWL. I imagine if I had had the fun of gentle translating and then afterwards someone had handed me a year's worth of "code" to memorize for (seemingly) no purpose - I might revolt, LOL. Or, if after a year of fun and gentle translating, someone had wanted to burden me with lots of grammar rules and details before I ever got to translate again.... I might revolt. It's my hope that Latin Prep will keep a balance in this regard, but again I have no experience to back that up yet.

 

I DO know that when I looked at typical elementary level Latin programs at convention last year, nothing looked very appealing after GSWL.

 

Since you have LP in your hot little hands, can you sense that it will work as a followup to GWSL? My son's memory is great, but he's only 8, and I want to keep Latin enjoyable yet still move forward in his learning. I will look again at LFC.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I have not moved beyond GSWL yet, but have Latin Prep on my shelf with high hopes. So, no experienced advice here... just this opinion: I think it would be next to impossible to go to a "memory-driven" program after GSWL. I imagine if I had had the fun of gentle translating and then afterwards someone had handed me a year's worth of "code" to memorize for (seemingly) no purpose - I might revolt, LOL. Or, if after a year of fun and gentle translating, someone had wanted to burden me with lots of grammar rules and details before I ever got to translate again.... I might revolt. It's my hope that Latin Prep will keep a balance in this regard, but again I have no experience to back that up yet.

 

I DO know that when I looked at typical elementary level Latin programs at convention last year, nothing looked very appealing after GSWL.

 

We are doing GSWL and I enjoy it very much. The kids do very well with it, too. Your post gets me worried. I purchased LfC A to use after GSWL. Do you think it is too memory-driven? I was tempted to switch to Lively Latin, but heard that LfC works well for many people. I hear that there is not enough practice for the many new words "learned". My ds is 8.5 and it sounds like Latin Prep might work after he turns 9.5? I am using GSWL with both 8.5 yr and 6.5 yr old boys. I hope to keep them together in Latin so that it is less time and work on me. The revolting part you mentioned really made sense but got me worried about LfC.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I started Latin Prep with Hobbes when he was about to turn ten. He already had one foreign language (Mandarin) under his belt. We moved very slowly with LP, as I knew that it ramped up pretty fast. We did less than half the book in six months, making sure that he was really solid on what he was learning: I think this was a good decision, despite Hobbes being a bright child. He is now re-doing LP1 at school and I still don't think that it is wasted time.

 

So, if you want to start LP at nine, I would expect your sequence to go something like:

 

Age 9-11: LP1 plus both workbooks (two years for one textbook)

Age 11-14: LP2 and 3 (three years to do two books).

 

You will have a phenomenally strong basis for moving into reading original texts at this point - it's much more important to get it solid than to move fast. Alternatively you can start later and move faster, which might be a better idea.

 

You might like to look at the samples for the second book, to get an idea of where you are heading.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

I like this age break up for the three levels. I have LfC A and plan to use it after GSWL (we are half way through with boys 8.5 and 6.4. I hope to keep both boys together in their Latin study, though.

[crazyforlatin]

Your son seems strong in language arts just based on other threads I've read by you. LP would be fine for him after GSWL. In fact, Henle would be fine as well. I used GSWL with DD and moved straight into Henle and we haven't faced any problems....yet. I do have LP (and some other Latin curricula) but I just prefer a more no-nonsense, straight-forward, no-cartoons sort of book. Henle does not have a workbook and the font is small, so in the beginning I used to type out all the exercises and also do them orally, but recently someone on the forum directed me to a pdf file online that has almost all the lessons typed out in Latin, so it can be a workbook. LP is humorous while Henle has some violent content.

Edited June 3, 2011 by crazyforlatin

[abbeyej]

I haven't seen it mentioned in this thread, but I think Lively Latin is a good intro for kids who aren't ready (age/maturity-wise) for Latin Prep yet.

[SnMomof7]

We are doing PL right now, and really, if your son is already exposed to/interested in Latin, I think you could start LCI if you wanted to. PL doesn't really teach a lot of the Latin grammar at all, it's mainly vocab, and really - there isn't much translation to speak of - mostly just in the memorized prayers.

 

It is definitely a workbook program and is easy to implement without a lot of fussing around, so it meets those requirements easily :). It also isn't fluffy.

[Halcyon]

Your son seems strong in language arts just based on other threads I've read by you. LP would be fine for him after GSWL. In fact, Henle would be fine as well. I used GSWL with DD and moved straight into Henle and we haven't faced any problems....yet. I do have LP (and some other Latin curricula) but I just prefer a more no-nonsense, straight-forward, no-cartoons sort of book. Henle does not have a workbook and the font is small, so in the beginning I used to type out all the exercises and also do them orally, but recently someone on the forum directed me to a pdf file online that has almost all the lessons typed out in Latin, so it can be a workbook. LP is humorous while Henle has some violent content.

 

 

My son definitely likes a no-nonsense approach to Latin. Since starting this thread, we HAVE purchased LfC A, so we're going to see how it works forr him. If he doesn't like it, I will look at LP. I might even go straight to Henle-do you have the link to that PDF file? Does it have an answer key?

Edited June 6, 2011 by Halcyon

[crazyforlatin]

My son definitely likes a no-nonsense approach to Latin. Since I started this thread, we HAVE purchased LfC A, so we're going to see how it works forr him. If he doesn't like it, I will look at LP. I might even go straight to Henle-do you have the link to that PDF file? Does it have an answer key?

 

I have MP's guide, but I will be buying the Seton answer key which is supposed to contain all the answers to every problem in Henle. I'll send you a P/M with an attachment since I can't seem to find that website. If I can find it again, I'll post it here.

[crazyforlatin]

The link is in this post.

[Halcyon]

I have MP's guide, but I will be buying the Seton answer key which is supposed to contain all the answers to every problem in Henle. I'll send you a P/M with an attachment since I can't seem to find that website. If I can find it again, I'll post it here.

 

 

Ah! I see now-seton has the answer key-thank you! (I asked in my PM to you whether you had the answer key). Thank you so much! Looking through Henle on Amazon (the sample pages), it looks like Henle WOULD be doable for my son. Since we already have LfC in our hot little hands, I am going to give it a try first.

Edited June 7, 2011 by Halcyon