dietmom Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 So at what age do you recommend adding Latin to your curriculum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I think if your goal is mastery of Latin and ability to translate texts and you want to really be efficient about learning it, 7th grade is a good time to start. You'd probably be using a more serious text - Wheelocks, Heinle, Galore Park SYRWTL. If your goal is a 'taste of Latin', just to inspire, you could probably start around 3rd grade-ish or when a child was a solid fluent reader and writer. You'd probably be using one of the starter texts like Song School Latin, or Latin For Children or Lively Latin or Minimus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We start in 4th. For us it's a good year to start because we don't start any other subjects that year (in 3rd we start formal writing, in 5th there's logic and music theory). My goal is for my kids to be able to read Latin texts with reasonable fluency by high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We like to start with a modern foreign language. This make use of the 'sponge' period when children pick up accent and grammar easily by immersion. We start Latin (without dropping the modern language) at about age nine. That gives plenty of time to get to reading original texts by age fourteen or fifteen. FWIW, my boys learned Mandarin, Latin and French at home. Calvin is continuing with all three languages at school. Hobbes learns Mandarin privately at present, but learns Latin, French and Spanish at school. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We added it this year (K and 1st) as a way to round out our week. It's turned into my kids' favorite subject. Because they are young, we take a very gentle approach using Song School Latin. Mostly my kids color and listen to the songs :) In a few years we'll switch to Lively Latin and and take a more formal approach, but they are soaking up the vocab like crazy while they're young! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We also added it early (age 5) starting with Song School Latin. My dd loves it! I'm amazed at how she picks up Latin just hearing it in everyday situations. My ear isn't able to do that. I'm so glad she's learning all her vocabulary. We're ramping it up a bit this spring now with Getting Started with Latin and Lively Latin (need to finish printing this out first). She also loves Spanish, which we also started last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'm waiting until sometime during my dd's 4th grade year (which is upcoming; don't know yet whether I will start Latin when we start the school year, which is first week of July). We wanted to work on a modern language first, and I also wanted my dd to have a more solid grasp of English grammar before tackling Latin. Additionally, I didn't want to use one of the little kid Latin courses, such as Song School Latin, because I don't see much value in that (for us ... I realize other people use these programs and love them, and that's fine!). I feel like those are placeholders until a more serious study of Latin begins, and I didn't have the time, money, or inclination to do that. We will be starting with Getting Started With Latin and Salvete and then moving on to either Latin for Children/Salvete or Latin Prep/Salvete. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We start in 3rd grade after a good base in reading is established. We use a grammar based Latin program so I've found it nice the kids have a basis in English grammar as well (we start English grammar in 1st grade). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We just added it two weeks ago. DD will be 8 tomorrow, this is the end of grade 2 for us. I based it on finishing phonics instruction more tahn anything else :). We're using Prima Latina, and she really enjoys it actually :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I wrote about that a lot in the past: I started mine in K and they are well into texts already (13 and 14 now), however, the more I think about it, the more in favor I am of a start between 4th and 6th grades - I believe that, all advantages and disadvantages considered, that is the best age to start for the majority of children. I started in 5th (well, 6th, but for me it was 5th) and that was not a late start AT ALL. Nowadays all Italian classical lycees start in 8th (9th), they kicked Latin out of middle school (which I strongly disagree with), but the results are still extremely good because older kids learn faster. With littles you cannot do much "meaty" stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We started this year (8y/o-3rd grade) and it is hands down his favorite subject. We started with Minimus (and will go back to it eventually), but since I know zero Latin, it was difficult to teach. In Jan we switched over to Lively Latin and it has been fantastic. We have both learned a lot in just a short period of time. We also study German (we live in Germany, so he hears it on a daily basis), but Latin is his favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 We also added it early (age 5) starting with Song School Latin. My dd loves it! I'm amazed at how she picks up Latin just hearing it in everyday situations. My ear isn't able to do that. I'm so glad she's learning all her vocabulary. We're ramping it up a bit this spring now with Getting Started with Latin and Lively Latin (need to finish printing this out first). She also loves Spanish, which we also started last year. Since your daughter and mine are the same age and you've actually purchased Lively Latin....does it seem about the right level for a solid reader? We've been planning to wait a few years, but patience is not my strong suit :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brennab Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I really like Latin for Children. We started at the end of their 4th & 5th grade year with Primer A. My boys will be going into 6th & 7th grades, and they'll be in Primer C in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC5 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) mMy first child started Latin in 4th grade (Lively Latin). I want to start my second son this year in 3rd grade, but I'm not sure he's ready for Lively Latin. He is a pretty good reader, but I think Lively Latin has a little too much writing for him. (There isn't a lot, but any writing is painfully slow for him.) He'll try it anyway if I can't find something better suited. What would you use for a 3rd-grade boy who's almost 9 before moving into Lively Latin in 4th grade? Is he too old for Song School Latin? Would it be a waste of time? Is there something that would be good for him for just this year but not just token Latin to say we're doing it? I'll probably have this same issue with at least one of my other boys as they get to this point. Maybe GSWL? The reason I'm wanting to start Latin in 3rd is... I just decided (if the Latin thing works out) to do this schedule for grammar: 1st - FLL 1 2nd- FLL 2 3rd- begin Latin (and continue Spanish), English: occasionally review parts of speech 4th- FLL 4 (continue Latin and Spanish) 5th-8th- ALL 1-4 (continue Latin and Spanish) Alternately, I guess we could do FLL 1-3 and skip FLL 4 for a Latin intro. I just think it would be better to have FLL 4 right before jumping into ALL. Any thoughts? (sorry of this is hijacking) Edited August 20, 2011 by Teonei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 We start Latin when the child is old enough to take the class from someone else and be successful. For my oldest that was last year as a young seventh grader. My older son is a young sixth grader this year. He is not ready for it now and may not be next year either. I will wait. But we all started Japanese last year and are continuing it this year. We are working on the modern spoken language at a younger age in a hope to get a correct accent. I think it is too late for my oldest to achieve that, my middle one might get there, and I am hopeful that the little guy will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 We'll be starting in 5th grade with Latin Road. Time up to to then is used to cement a strong grammar foundation. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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