Jump to content

Menu

Which Latin curriculum?


Runningmom80
 Share

Recommended Posts

We did Song School Latin in first grade, but towards the end of the year my accelerated child started complaining about how "babyish" it was. Now we've started Lively Latin. It's a huge jump forward; she's going to be declining nouns pretty soon here. We like it a lot, though. We like the varied activities, the inclusion of history, and the linguistic analysis. (My daughter loves nothing more than to pore over the chart of how different languages are related to each other.)

 

If you know some Latin yourself, you might try Minimus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have used Power Glide Latin for 1-2 grades, Prima Latina for 3-4, Latina Christiana for 5-7th. I have the Power Glide available if you want to try it. It is a tape set in a case with books. PM me if you are interested.

We are using Rosetta Stone Spanish and some spanish tapes and don't have time for Power Glide anymore. It is fun to do ( at least for us):001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My DD, who LOVES languages and was dying to learn Latin at age 5, enjoyed Song School Latin, followed by Minimus combined with LFC 1 chants, Headventureland, and some of the activity pages (but didn't like the LFC textbook or videos much at all), and, after she finished Minimus Secundus, we moved to Cambridge Latin I, which is technically a high school class, but is the same sort of immersive, reading-based course with a lot of Roman history/cultural information.

 

With the exception of a few topics that haven't been quite age-appropriate for a 7 yr old (dirty jokes and people doing silly things while intoxicated have both been topics of stories that have flown over her head), it's worked well for her, coupled with the LFC CDs. A middle/high school Latin teacher friend of mine suggested CLC, saying that it was designed to keep 9th grade boys engaged and therefore was on about the humor level of the typical 1st grader :)-and it has generally worked.

 

My plan is that we'll do a more grammatically intense Latin curriculum later, but for now, CLC is letting her enjoy reading Latin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GSWL is a great intro. We've switched to Visual Latin and are loving it (videos and worksheets). I can learn as they're learning now and not have to freak out over pronunciation. The boys find the teacher funny, too.

 

ETA: It might be a little above a first grade level.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.... after she finished Minimus Secundus, we moved to Cambridge Latin I, which is technically a high school class, but is the same sort of immersive, reading-based course with a lot of Roman history/cultural information.

 

I was amongst the early cohorts of students to use Cambridge in the 1970s. It was designed to be used in senior school, which starts at age 11 in England. I began French at 11 and Latin, with Cambridge, at 12. Calvin's school uses it in that way so that they can get through books 4 or 5 (depending on academic aim) by age 16.

 

I don't know if the US edition has been pitched differently.

 

Laura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We experimented a little with SSL last year when DD was 4.5. She enjoyed it but yes, it is a somewhat "babyish" presentation. I would recommend just getting the student book which comes with the CD and using only the songs as a gentle intro while you're working out what to actually use. I like dmmetler's sequence. We have minimus and I may introduce that after DD turns 6 in May.

If you know no Latin SSL would be no stress but it also wouldn't teach you anything much. If you have an ereader there are a number of free or cheap vintage Latin tutors available which would be good for you :)

Edited by Greenmama2
sp!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was amongst the early cohorts of students to use Cambridge in the 1970s. It was designed to be used in senior school, which starts at age 11 in England. I began French at 11 and Latin, with Cambridge, at 12. Calvin's school uses it in that way so that they can get through books 4 or 5 (depending on academic aim) by age 16.

 

I don't know if the US edition has been pitched differently.

 

Laura

 

That makes a lot more sense-so maybe it's just being listed incorrectly in the US (although I do have the "North American Edition"-which is what is easiest to find used-I don't know if it's different from the UK version or not, only that if I go an edition back, it's dirt cheap on Amazon). I suspect part of the problem is that in the US it's rare to start languages before high school, middle school at best, and when they are, it's usually a modern language taught for 30 minutes a week for purposes of "exposure".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My DS and I have really enjoyed GSWL (I knew no Latin either). Be warned it has *no fun stuff*, if your DC is into pictures and activities and such. It is all business, but DS loves it anyway! We are also getting ready to do Minimus in parallel with GSWL - in fact, DS has already started reading Minimus on his own with great enthusiasm! :001_smile:

 

I also have I Speak Latin, but we haven't gotten into that one yet, so I can't comment on it yet. But you might look it up as another possibility.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SSL is fun but definitely more "babyish". It is a very gentle (sometimes too gentle) program. For a 1st grader I recommend I Speak Latin followed by Getting Starting with Latin and then Lively Latin. From there you can do Lingua Latina, Wheelock's, etc. We also like Latin Prep, so that's something to consider.

Sorry, I'm going into total planning mode. Anyway, those are our favorite currics. Now please excuse while I sneak off and plan out the entire high school course sequence for all six of my kids (including the 3-year-old).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're looking for a fun, silly, childish intro, I also like SSL. If you're looking for real Latin, (and if reading & English grammar are at least 3rd grade level), I'd recommend Latin for Children.

 

We did Prima Latina in between these two programs because I wasn't quite ready for the more formal grammar. I think PL is a good introduction to more serious Latin. It reinforces parts of speech and covers lots of derivatives but doesn't delve into declensions or conjugation until the last chapter. It was a nice bridge between SSL and LFC for us. It is rather dry compared to the classical academic press materials but dd learned a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...