partyof5 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Oldest dd is 12 now and we have only "played" at Latin over the years, never finishing anything with Prima Latina and only dabbling in LCI. Why? Busy schedule? Hard to get into the LC style and approach? Honestly, none of us love it and while I am diligent in getting all other subjects done well, I've let Latin (and Logic also :glare:) slip. I own it all--the dvd's the books, etc. but it's not getting done. Now that we're nearly done grade 7 I'm wondering what to do--continue LCI & II and just force ourselves to do it?? Or is there something more engaging and interesting for this age since she's likely outgrown that program's target age? Looking ahead, I don't know what language we will pursue in high school, but if it's Latin (which is my hope) I want to be ready for that and I want her to be prepared for a high school level program. My concern is that I don't know how we'll fit it in, but if I'm willing to work that part out, I want to at least use a Latin program that will engage my child more than LC has...she loves Life of Fred for math, so dry humor and wordy texts are not a problem here. Thanks for any suggestions you may have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I am sort of in the same boat--only went thru some of Prima Latina over two years. I am looking at Galore Park's latin. Have you seen it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I've heard good things about Galore Park also. Also, Veritas Press Scholars has an online "Latin Transitions" course which is described as a course to transition those students with little or no latin experience right into High School latin the following year. It might be a good fit, if you're not averse to online stuff. Warm Regards, Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 If Galore Park's Latin is anything like their French, I'd say to use that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) I would either: (a) simply start with a high school program in 8th grade- although they may be intense, high school programs usually assume no prior Latin, so I don't know what the point would be in slogging through LC I/II first, if that's a huge chore for her. Or, (b) if you feel that prior Latin would ease the way forward considerably, one option, instead of LC, might be to do GSWL now through the end of this year, or else over the summer, and then start a high school program in the fall, for 8th grade. We found that GSWL was a wonderful introduction that smoothed the way for dd to start Henle. Otherwise Henle would have been a bit more than she could chew (dd is almost 10). It might be nice to do GSWL over the summer, rather than right now, so that the student doesn't forget what she just learned before starting a more intense program ;). There are 134 lessons, but the early lessons are quite simple, so it's easy to do multiple lessons per day. It slows down a bit around the half-way point, i.e., it gets a little harder, but it's still not hard to do more than one lesson per day. I'm not familiar with LC. I can assure you that GSWL would be a breeze for a middle school student. Just my two cents :) Edited March 5, 2011 by wapiti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 If Galore Park's Latin is anything like their French, I'd say to use that! I will look into this today--thank you! Haven't heard much about Galore Park from any local friends, and I bet there are some other threads here to refer to as well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 I would either: (a) simply start with a high school program in 8th grade- although they may be intense, high school programs usually assume no prior Latin, so I don't know what the point would be in slogging through LC I/II first, if that's a huge chore for her. Or, (b) if you feel that prior Latin would ease the way forward considerably, one option, instead of LC, might be to do GSWL now through the end of this year, or else over the summer, and then start a high school program in the fall, for 8th grade. We found that GSWL was a wonderful introduction that smoothed the way for dd to start Henle. Otherwise Henle would have been a bit more than she could chew (dd is almost 10). It might be nice to do GSWL over the summer, rather than right now, so that the student doesn't forget what she just learned before starting a more intense program ;). There are 134 lessons, but the early lessons are quite simple, so it's easy to do multiple lessons per day. It slows down a bit around the half-way point, i.e., it gets a little harder, but it's still not hard to do more than one lesson per day. I'm not familiar with LC. I can assure you that GSWL would be a breeze for a middle school student. Just my two cents :) This is a great approach, no matter the program I think. I've been hearing a lot about Henle for high school and with that in mind, I do need to do some catching up to have her be ready and get the Latin wheels spinning a bit. Summer work would be okay with her I think. And I'm okay with it being "a breeze" as long as she'd be prepared for whatever high school level program is next. What is GSWL? I'm straining my brain to make a Latin program title out of this?! I'm sure I've seen it but this isn't ringing a bell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Oooooh, I might have to look at this as well. (Veritas Press online course) We don't do any online classes and I'm looking to maybe try that out for her--she loves being on the computer but has no need to in general. This would give a little more purpose to online time. Have you done this course and found it effective? Edited March 5, 2011 by partyof5 added info--didn't quote Jackie in NE in my reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 What is GSWL? I'm straining my brain to make a Latin program title out of this?! I'm sure I've seen it but this isn't ringing a bell... http://www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 http://www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com/ Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Oooooh, I might have to look at this as well. (Veritas Press online course) We don't do any online classes and I'm looking to maybe try that out for her--she loves being on the computer but has no need to in general. This would give a little more purpose to online time. Have you done this course and found it effective? No, we haven't used this particular course. Dd did LC I and II at home, then Latin I (Wheelock) with RCA. She then went to VP for Latin II (Wheelock). The Latin at VP was very good. Dd would also like to take their Latin III (Latin Readings) if she can fit it into her schedule. We have taken many other online classes with VP and they have all been very, very good. VP will also allow you to sit in on classes so that you can see how things work. Warm Regards, Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calandalsmom Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I have recently purchased So You Really Want to Learn Latin from Galore Park. it is quick and frill free. I bought it for an 8th grader. I also looked at Latin Prep from Galore Park. I am really unclear on which series would be best and will probably end up buying Latin Prep as well. Its slower but both seem pretty much grammar based. I have done lessons one and two in the So You Want to Learn book myself and have felt it was easy enough to understand but have definite concerns going forward- that it may move too quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Latin Prep is awesome and my older 2 boys loved it. It's got some humor, and really explains things well. That said, we're switching to Latin Alive for the next 2 years before high school. The main reason is that I was having difficulty finding the time to check their work (and there is a lot of exercises to grade). I constantly felt like I wasn't sure if they knew what they were doing, and I was afraid we'd get to high school level Latin and I'd find out they didn't really know what they were doing. My boys don't really want to switch, but I finally just had to decide what I thought was best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 You know, we're doing BJUP's Latin this year (7th grade), and we really like it. It's very methodical, straightforward, and incremental. The TM (so far) tells me everything I need to know. I just read it in advance. The workbook exercises are right on target. And the audio CD is thorough. The tone and topics are of interest to a middle schooler -- though, admittedly, not as swashbuckling bloody as Latin Prep! We loved the action of Latin Prep, but there were times I felt it left me hanging, as a teacher who doesn't know Latin. We're going very slowly. It's going to take us forever to finish the book. But what we've covered, we've learned well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 We're using Song School Latin for the youngers and Latin for Children with DD11 which seems to be enjoyed around here! There are quite a few threads about both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 Thank you all so much for your quick (and varied!) replies! I am trying to compare each of these programs to each other and to the LC I & II materials I have on hand. I really need to figure out if I'm getting in my own way or if buying another program will be the fix we need. What do these programs have that I don't own already? That's what I have to consider before spending more money... I think at this time of year, and after 6 years of homeschooling, I'm just feeling like a change might be what invigorates us to get Latin "done" but it's so hard to know if that will be the fix or I just need to buckle down and get this on our schedule. Thanks for all your help and suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMom Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I would not use LC with a 7th or an 8th grader. I would go ahead and get your high school program and start working on it. Just take it as slowly as you need to for mastery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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