Purpose of Ceasar's Gaellic War reading...

[Heathermomster]

What is the purpose of Caesar's Gaellic War reading by Coolidge? Is it for Latin translation practice?

 

I ask because DS will be 7th grade next year and we are new to the WTM classical approach. We start in the Fall. DS has minimal exposure to Latin, like 45 min once per week in 3rd-5th grades while attending a private Christian school. DS is dyslexic, and we will be starting Vocab from Classical Roots A&B.

 

We are using History Odyssey Level 2 Ancients. I plan on using that curriculum as a spine and using the Oxford University Press books as supplements. I understand there is historical significance to Caesar's Gaellic military campaign, so I was planning an overview of the campaign with perhaps map studies and military hardware for the time period. What should I add? Are there other books that we should consider outside this particular text? I understand that this text is difficult. Should I skip this reading entirely? Please help me think this through.

 

Thank-you..Heather

Edited March 27, 2012 by Heathermomster
I wasn't homeschooled....

[redsquirrel]

No, it has been translated into English. No Latin required :001_smile:

 

I think one of the purposes is that it is a primary source. It is what Caesar chose to share. That provides some insight into his mind and the times.

 

I would look at HO to see what the assignments are regarding the book. It will have it assigned and the there will prob be a writing assignment or two.

 

I think only you can decide if it is worth the time and energy or not. You might not be able to decide until you are at that point in the year.

 

You could read it yourself and decide.

[NittanyJen]

As the PP said, it isn't in Latin; it's in English, and considerably easier to read than the original, as it has been adapted somewhat for children, so it is much easier to read than the original. My kiddo (would still be in 5th grade had we not pulled him out to HS last year) would be in 5th grade and is not having any trouble with it.

 

I agree with the PP; maybe the best thing to do is request a copy from the library or pick up a cheap second-hand copy and read it for yourself to decide whether or not to use it-- the great thing about History Odyssey is that it is VERY customizable-- use the parts you want, and skip the parts that don't fit, and you will still get a great history education.

 

We add in a lot more literature at our house, so if I sometimes skip a book here or there, I don't sweat it (right now am deciding what to do about Children's Homer-- we did it last year as a read-aloud for my 7 and 10YO, so I have to decide whether to have my now 11YO read it to himself, or read something like "The Black Ships of Troy").

 

You won't ruin your child over this decision, I promise! The thing to consider is that it is an introduction to using and thinking over a "primary resource" (I put quotes around it, because Coolige's version has been adapted, of course, but it still valuable for this purpose) as opposed to a historian writing about events years or decades later. It is a different perspective.

[Heathermomster]

As the PP said, it isn't in Latin; it's in English, and considerably easier to read than the original, as it has been adapted somewhat for children, so it is much easier to read than the original. My kiddo (would still be in 5th grade had we not pulled him out to HS last year) would be in 5th grade and is not having any trouble with it.

 

I agree with the PP; maybe the best thing to do is request a copy from the library or pick up a cheap second-hand copy and read it for yourself to decide whether or not to use it-- the great thing about History Odyssey is that it is VERY customizable-- use the parts you want, and skip the parts that don't fit, and you will still get a great history education.

 

We add in a lot more literature at our house, so if I sometimes skip a book here or there, I don't sweat it (right now am deciding what to do about Children's Homer-- we did it last year as a read-aloud for my 7 and 10YO, so I have to decide whether to have my now 11YO read it to himself, or read something like "The Black Ships of Troy").

 

You won't ruin your child over this decision, I promise! The thing to consider is that it is an introduction to using and thinking over a "primary resource" (I put quotes around it, because Coolige's version has been adapted, of course, but it still valuable for this purpose) as opposed to a historian writing about events years or decades later. It is a different perspective.

 

I understand now...I'll think of this book as a first foray into a primary resource. I just found where HO Ancients 2 has supplied a synopsis of the book in the Appendix.

 

"The Black Ships of Troy" looks very good BTW. I've been thinking about adding that as well.

 

Thank-you both...Blessings, Heather

[funnygirl]

@Heathermomster - we are SO on the same wavelength. Would you believe I did a forum search just last night about this book, only to find you had posted about it earlier in the day?? Love it!

 

My question is, where does one find a copy of this book? Amazon doesn't have it. I'll check my library, but I'm surprised to not be able to purchase it.

[plain jane]

@Heathermomster - we are SO on the same wavelength. Would you believe I did a forum search just last night about this book, only to find you had posted about it earlier in the day?? Love it!

 

My question is, where does one find a copy of this book? Amazon doesn't have it. I'll check my library, but I'm surprised to not be able to purchase it.

 

You can buy it at Rainbow Resources. That's where I got mine. :)

[Heathermomster]

My question is, where does one find a copy of this book? Amazon doesn't have it. I'll check my library, but I'm surprised to not be able to purchase it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Caesars-Gallic-War-Olivia-Coolidge/dp/0977900029/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1W3O5U7OAHR17&colid=2UIQR8SU0BTJ0

 

ISBN-10: 0977900029

[funnygirl]

That's interesting...I searched that book up one side and down the other and couldn't find this version, but I was on the iphone app. Hmmm....

[Cleopatra]

"The Black Ships of Troy" looks very good BTW. I've been thinking about adding that as well.

 

Thank-you both...Blessings, Heather

 

Not to overload you with books, but if you're looking for good "exposure" books, the following are great!

 

The Iliad for Boys and Girls

 

The Odyssey for Boys and Girls

 

The Aeneid for Boys and Girls

[Gratia271]

Not to overload you with books, but if you're looking for good "exposure" books, the following are great!

 

The Iliad for Boys and Girls

 

The Odyssey for Boys and Girls

 

The Aeneid for Boys and Girls

 

:iagree: These are excellent books.

 

Some classics are available gratis at Project Gutenberg or cheaply on Amazon in kindle format for kindle users.

[Heathermomster]

Awesome!!! I'll look these up. Thank-you...

[Hunter]

Many Latin curricula prepare a student to read Caesar as it's easy to read. It funnels down to reading Caesar in English, and then funnels down to an English ADAPTION.

 

If you are not planning on reading latin texts, then the need to include this book becomes far less important.

 

My son and I read a biography, where the young boys were playing "Gallic War" on the playground, and he used Henle for Latin, so at quite a young age I bought him a Loeb bilingual version of Caesar: The Gallic War. And we did read the Coolidge version.

 

Caesar is very TRADITIONAL. Some families are as deeply attached to Caesar as Winnie-the-Pooh. Part of my educational philosophy is to put Loebs into the hands of children as soon as possible. I want them to understand that there were Latin and Greek AUTHORS and they wrote BOOKS. And some of the BOOKS are about MYTHS, but the CHARACTERS of the MYTHS were written about by REAL people.

 

Children need strong visuals. The Loebs provide a strong visual of something many American adults don't understand. I make sure to put a Loeb in the hands of my remedial students at least once, too. They INSTANTLY understand the ancient world much better.

 

And the Loebs are little and they feel good in the hands. They were designed to fit in the pocket of a suit jacket of a business man. They were designed for middle income classical wannabes, who hadn't received the education they wished they had.

 

It's not that the Coolidge text is that great. It's just the best stepping stone to the Loeb, which I believe is essential to just read a few little bits of.

[Catherine]

I am reading parts of it to him, and for us, it's STILL a tough slog. I prepared him by having him listen to Rufus Fears's Famous Romans lectures, the ones on Crassus, Caesar and Pompey. He has some idea of the people involved and I still have to stop and paraphrase for him often, asking questions as I read to make sure he gets it. I personally find the subject matter dull as dust too so that doesn't help.

[Hunter]

I am reading parts of it to him, and for us, it's STILL a tough slog. I prepared him by having him listen to Rufus Fears's Famous Romans lectures, the ones on Crassus, Caesar and Pompey. He has some idea of the people involved and I still have to stop and paraphrase for him often, asking questions as I read to make sure he gets it. I personally find the subject matter dull as dust too so that doesn't help.

 

It's okay to SAMPLE things and not FINISH them. The time we spend slogging through something that we dislike too much to remember or apply is time NOT spent on something else.

 

Sampling literature is similar to sampling new foods. Just because you taste it, doesn't mean you need to finish it. A taste is often enlightening enough.

[mcconnellboys]

As others have said, all Coolidge's books are adapted for children and a joy to read!

[funnygirl]

It's okay to SAMPLE things and not FINISH them. The time we spend slogging through something that we dislike too much to remember or apply is time NOT spent on something else.

 

Sampling literature is similar to sampling new foods. Just because you taste it, doesn't mean you need to finish it. A taste is often enlightening enough.

__________________

 

Wow. That is the wisest thing I've read in a LONG time. Thank you!!!

[Hunter]

Wow. That is the wisest thing I've read in a LONG time. Thank you!!!

 

One of the greatest gifts of homeschooling is the freedom to taste and quickly move on. Often the bulk of learning comes from STARTING a project, and as we move closer and closer to PRODUCING the PROOF of learning, the less and less LEARNING is taking place.

 

FINISHING Caesar is not high on my priority list, but SAMPLING him is a MUST. The same for SO many other books and projects. We whet the appetite and build the framework, for the student to come back later, IF they want to.