Question for Latin geeks

[Diviya]

So, I'm thinking long term here, and just trying to get a sense of where the road leads.

We have just started to get intense with Latin study, and if all goes as planned, (ha!), my dd will finish the equivalent of high school Latin 3 by about 8th grade. So, assuming I have all of high school to really study Latin texts, what would a course of study look like? How do you pick whom to study, and which selections? Especially if you have the luxury of going off the beaten track.

My Latin is rusty, but I'm brushing up on it. I did AP Vergil in high school. That was the end of my Latin, except for one class in college, which I absolutely loved, but can't even remember what we studied :blush: I'm perfectly willing to outsource when it becomes necessary, but I should be good for at least the next few years.

 

I'll be back to ask about Greek later. Never studied that one. Have no clue. Will see what I think when my Greek books arrive!

 

Thanks for your thoughts and any help/advice!

[Kathy in Richmond]

Hi Diviya,

 

Gosh, I don't like to see a post go by w/o replies. I was too busy to answer you yesterday, but I have a free moment or two now.:)

 

My daughter and I studied Latin together at home, and she completed Latin grammar (Henle book 2, so about three years of typical high school Latin) by midway through ninth grade. After that, we read through Latin authors for her final years at home. We used the syllabi for the AP Latin Literature and Vergil exams for three years (the old Latin Lit exam came in different 'flavors,' so it contained enough material for two years). I realize that's changed and now only a Caesar & Vergil AP is offered, but Bolchazy-Carducci publishing house still sells the old curricula for those exams. Our particular outline of study for our beyond Henle 2 years was the following:

 

We spent three years using these resources:)

 

Vergil Legamus transitional reader/ TM - one transitional reader was enough for dd, but I'd recommend using as many as needed - they're wonderful resources!

 

Vergil text/ tm

 

Vergil AP vocabulary cards

 

Catullus text/ tm

 

Catullus workbook / tm

Ovid text/ tm ( not Bolchazy-Carducci)

 

Ovid wkbk/ tm

Horace text/tm

 

Horace wkbk/ tm

 

Cicero text

 

These general resources proved useful over the years:

 

Classical Mythology text

 

Excelability in Advanced Latin / TM

 

Amsco Latin III/IV Review wkbk & key (the site won't allow me to reference the exact page, so search on the site for "Latin Three and Four Years: Prose and Poetry (Review Text)")

 

REA study guides for AP and SAT II Latin exams

 

Hope that helps! Dd and I had a blast learning Latin together, and it worked out fine for us to skip outsourcing. She's happily double-majoring in Latin at college & will be studying at a Classics center in Rome next fall.:)

 

I know that Ester Maria has posted helpful suggestions in the past - you might want to search through her old posts. She had more 'off the beaten track' ideas. I'm not nearly as expert in the language as she is, though, and had to rely on texts published with teacher helps to make it through! Bolchazy Carducci has a great catalog full of ideas that you might want to request.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Kathy in Richmond

[Diviya]

Kathy,

Thank you SO much for your response! This is very helpful (as always). I was starting to think there were no Latin geeks on this board, which would be very sad indeed :)

 

I've ordered from Bolchazy-Carducci in the past; it's a wonderful site - I will definitely spend more time on it now that I have an idea of what to look for.

 

I'll have to dig through Ester Maria's old posts too.

 

Thanks again!

[Beth in Mint Hill]

So, I'm thinking long term here, and just trying to get a sense of where the road leads. ... How do you pick whom to study, and which selections? Especially if you have the luxury of going off the beaten track. ...

 

If I were picking a classic to read after Latin 3 it would be Confessions of St. Augustine. He was one of the last great authors to write in beautiful classical Latin, yet the work is almost modern in its sensibilities. Most of its subject matter is accessible for a young person.

 

Of course, Vergil is the ultimate for an advanced Latin student. Its just so exciting to read, since here we get the story of the Trojan horse, etc. If you do need to outsource this course I would highly recommend Dr. Grote, who teaches it online at Regina Coeli.