Trying to choose a Latin Program, please help...

[Teresa in MO]

I am going to do Latin next year with my 5th and 6th graders. I am trying to choose between LC 1, Latin for Children, or maybe Latin Prep 1. Could anyone compare these programs, or tell me which program they are using and why they like it. I have a little Latin knowledge, but not much.

[StephanieZ]

We've use Prima Latina and Latin Christiana 1 and now are using Latin Prep.

 

My preference for starting a 5th and 6th grader would be going straight to Latin Prep, presuming you share my goals of several years of Latin study.

 

Caveat 1: If the child were under 3rd/4th grade, I'd do a year of Prima Latina first for a gentle start.

 

Caveat 2: If you only want a couple years of latin, the LC1 & LC2 would be fine. They could also be done very independently by the kids (with the DVDs) and you may be able to avoid learning Latin yourself at all. ;)

 

OK, so I prefer LP b/c

 

1) I am planning several years of Latin and I was fearful of the transition from LC2 to Henle (or whatever). It seemed scary! The more I read, the more I panicked. (I'm not very good with languages and had zero Latin myself.)

 

With Latin Prep, you can do 3 years of LP (1, 2, 3) and then a year of SYRWTL Latin (3) and apparently then they're translating original Virgil and whatnot, so I am thinking they can take more at the university if they want to, but that level sounds fabulous for homeschool/highschool. I very much like the idea of staying with one style/publisher/program throughout. I just started learning Latin myself (having avoided it through Prima Latina and LC1) and so far working with them on LP1 is working well.

 

2) It is fun but very rigorous. Tough, solid stuff. More so than LC, IMHO.

 

3) It is presented clearly; well done books, etc. So far, I can do my own "homework" in 2-3 hours a week and I can understand it all well enough to help/lead/correct the kids. Now, they have their vocab down 100% b/c they do the flashcards everyday and I forget more b/c I don't, but anyway, doing my homework is manageable (at least so far) and I am finding it interesting and doable to learn alongside them.

 

About LC:

 

I didn't do PL or LC myself, but I liked it and the kids did well and liked it fine. I don't think it is as meaty and the kids found it boring (if easier) compared to LP. The kids prefer LP, but that may be b/c they do it with me and eachother, not alone with the DVDs.

 

I think PL/LC is a good program for different purposes. If I were only planning on having the kids study for a couple years and especially if the Christian tone of LC was particularly appealing to me, perhaps LC would be a good choice for many families. The main "pros" in my mind of LC are the DVD teacher (minimizing mom time) and the religious nature which is nice in that the kids learn prayers and stuff that they can do regularly (my 5 yo has been saying the table blessing in Latin at grace every night since she was 3!).

 

I think I'll have my youngest do a year of PL when she is in 2nd/3rd grade and then go straight to Latin Prep. That said, I'm still not ready to sell LC1 just in case she *really* wants to start Latin early. . . In that case, I might have her do PL in 1st/2nd, LC1 in 2nd/3rd and then start LP in 3rd/4th.

[TracyR]

Currently I'm using Prima Latina with my 10 and 8yr old daughters . I find that PL is a very gentle approach to learning Latin . I am learning it right along with my daughters because I have never studied Latin before . I enjoy the fact that they are learning Latin and honestly at this age level I think PL is a good start . I think its a good start for anyone who has a child that is a little hesitant or even if you want to see if it works as well . My daughters enjoy their DVD teacher alot and surprisingly since alot of families say its boring and my girls aren't for boring but they really enjoy this one particular program . I also like that it teaches the prayers in Latin as well . My girls impressed their grandparents last week by saying the Sanctus .

I'm all for the gentle approach if you have a child that has not been exposed to Latin or any other foreign language program . Even though my 10 year old works through it a bit faster then her 8yr old sister she has gained a TON of confidence in learning Latin and she feels really good about herself . I could go as far as saying that a 5th and maybe your 6th grader could start with Prima Latina . It has extra exercises in there that make it pretty challengning for older children to use and start with this program as well . I know today my daughters were writing their Latin words , what they mean , and I added in the exercise by adding in a derivative of the words . That was mighty challenging for them to think of the English Derivatives to the Latin words . I'm also surprised at the age level recommendations , but then maybe that's just me . I have a Ker that sits in on the lessons but she isn't interested in any of it other then sitting and watching the DVD with her sisters . She knows the word toga , and via and that's about it from it all . But its not writing friendly like Sing Song Latin ( ??) that I saw for younger children as far as the writing is concerned . I can't imagine having a 1st or 2nd grader do the writing exercises in the workbook of PL either . I see it age appropriate for at least 3rd and up . I know there is always those children that are the exceptions to the rules though .

 

I have not used any other Latin program ( yet) . I've looked at Latin for Children just in case PL doesn't work for us anymore . So I can't comment .

 

But my suggestion is this , ( and its my two cents but from what I've learned from my girls ) is that if your child has done a foreign language program , or has had some exposure in learning a different language that you could go gung ho and do something rigourous .

OR:

If this is their first experience learning a foreign language I would go gentle and start with PL and if they finish up with that quickly then go into LC1 and so forth .

I'll tell you though that PL works just fine with this old brain of mine as well . I've never studied any other foreign language so this is a good start for me as well . I suggest learning along with them because I'll agree with the other poster , looking at Henle scares me too . But I'm not going to try to freak myself out yet beacause I'm sure when the time is right I'll be able to tackle it along with my girls when we get to that point .

[Teresa in MO]

bump

[Niebski]

After trying Latin Primer and Latin for Children, I'm sold on Latin Prep! It's just the right combo of fun and rigor, it's parts to whole, and has a small amount of vocab to memorize, which is vital for my 10yo. I just reorder the chants the "american" way!

 

Sue

[Laura Corin]

Latin Prep is a great choice for those ages. The explanations are very clear, the progression is logical, and there is a lot of great translation practice. The course is secular, and is laced with quirky translation passages and amusing cartoons. The author has twenty years of experience teaching Latin to this age group, and the tone is droll and age appropriate.

 

The basic course is the text book and answer book - one of each per year. There are also optional workbooks if you feel the need of extra practice. You can see samples here:

 

http://www.galorepark.co.uk/product/home_schoolers/127/latin-prep-book-1.html

 

The books are available in the US from http://www.horriblebooks.com (Ray may have some on hand - otherwise he orders periodically in batches) or direct from the UK with free shipping from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk. I've used BD several times; service has always been excellent and very swift.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[GailV]

I am going to do Latin next year with my 5th and 6th graders. I am trying to choose between LC 1, Latin for Children, or maybe Latin Prep 1. Could anyone compare these programs, or tell me which program they are using and why they like it. I have a little Latin knowledge, but not much.

 

We have used LC1 (also Prima Latina and part of LC2) and Latin for Children.

 

At first we thought LC1 was fine, although dull. Then we happened to try Minimus for a change of pace, and it occurred to dd that Latin didn't have to be so horribly boring. We tried to carry on with LC2, but ... B.O.R.I.N.G. Maybe others are able to spice it up, but I know little about Latin and so couldn't do much to zip it up on my own.

 

We floundered around for a bit, and then someone sold us a used copy of Latin for Children for cheap (it had NOT worked out for her family, although I couldn't say why). Dd LOVED it. It had a workbook (she loves workbooks). She could do it fairly independently. She liked the way the book explains things. And, best of all, it wasn't LC! She is now happily working her way through Latin for Children B, and practically swooned when they came out with Spanish for Children, as that's her modern language of choice.

 

I think we might have been just as happy with Latin Prep, but I'm not willing to switch from something dd likes so much.

 

I'm sorry I can't give more info on why dd likes LfC so much more that LC so that you can decide if those reasons apply to your situation.

 

For my own Latin course I'm using Henle, btw.

[covenant.christian]

Latin's Not So Tough. I know it is for younger children, but I used it starting in 5th grade, and my children liked it. They went through them quicker than they would have when they were younger, but they are in high school now and I see the benefit of it.

[Susan in SoCal]

I'm familiar with all three programs. My recommendation for this age is Latin Prep, mostly for all the reasons that Laura in China listed. It's just a really nice combination of translation (both Latin to English AND English to Latin) & reading. It's humorous/sarcastic and colorful and fun. The explanations are thorough and good. It's a program that limits vocabulary while developing the full grammar of Latin (like Henle's approach).

 

LC is fine for a younger crowd. But it's not going to give full explanations, which can be frustrating for an older crowd that wants to know "why?"

 

LfC gives fuller explanations than LC, but not as full as LPrep (after all, it's also a program designed to be started in 3rd grade). The first couple levels are much more focused on vocabulary acquisition than on developing more grammar/reading fluency. Not a bad thing, just different than LPrep.

 

My .02 is to go for LPrep. You can't find many (any?) people on this board that have been disappointed with it this year. It's just really very good.

[Jenny in Atl]

Another LP happy fan!!! :party: