Robin in Tx Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 13yodd succeeded with LITCT but I wasn't particularly fond of the program. I didn't think there was enough explanation or practice with each lesson, and I didn't really like the way each two week lesson was handed to us in one large clump without any sort of schedule recommendations. Dd would finish up all the exercises in a day or so with nothing left to do, yet she really hadn't had enough practice over a long enough period of time to truly learn/absorb the info - too much went to short term memory. There was also a problem with exercises that had no corresponding lesson, and lesson material that had no corresponding exercises (!!). Anyhoo... thinking about a switch next year and was wondering what would be a good program to switch to considering she's already successfully completed year 1 with another program. Any recommendations? Thanks, Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Robin, did you use the Study and Drill sheets? They are in a separate spiral-bound booklet but are an essential part of the program and my ds felt they gave him plenty of practice. In fact, by the end he didn't want to do the exercises in the book because he felt they were so repetetive doing them along with the drill. Also, I found that the TM gave me everything I needed to schedule the work. Sometimes I didn't--ds just worked though the chapter on his own--but if I wanted I could direct his studies. I'm sorry! I know this didn't answer your question and you don't have to like LitCT just because I do. :D I'm just surprised that the things you didn't like about it were things I considered strengths. I hope someone can direct you to a program that will be a better fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Henle would get my vote. Your dd could move through the beginning lessons at a quicker pace, slowing down in the areas where she feels she needs the review. I'd also pick up a copy of Oerberg's Lingua Latina and use that as a supplemental reader. She will most likely be able to move through the first several chapters fairly quickly after a year of LitCT. The running storyline of the Roman family in LL will help make up for some of the less exciting passages in Henle. We are not Catholic, and I've not had a problem with Henle. I have only omitted a few sentences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 My two oldest also did LITCT I last year and were not very fond of it - we're going to switch over to Cambridge Latin. I bought both I and II because I'm not sure exactly where we will fall in that curricullum. I'm think that we will just read the stories in the first volume and really dig into the second but I've not gotten very far in my planning for next year yet. They both wanted something a little more exciting so I thought the stories in Cambridge might peek their interest. I have Lingua Latin so if something blows up with Cambridge I will use that as a back-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieinCO Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Sorry for the ignorance but I don't recognize the acronym. I assume it is a latin course but which one? :tongue_smilie: Thanks! Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Sorry for the ignorance but I don't recognize the acronym. I assume it is a latin course but which one? :tongue_smilie: Thanks! Connie Latin in the Christian Trivium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieinCO Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Thanks, Lisa! I have been out of the loop for a bit and that is a new curriculum to me. Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Hi Maverick, Yes, we did use the study and drill sheets. My dd would do the exercises out of the book in a day or so, and the drill/study sheets in a day or so, and that was too quick. And the exercises were not logically divided up to be done in multiple sittings... programs that are will have (for example) Set A one day, then Set B the second day, and then Set C the third, etc., so that the student would get sufficient review and practice every day. One topic in LitCT might be reviewed in only one exercise out of 20 or 30... so you could go weeks before reviewing it again. Does that make sense? We'd go quite a few weeks without seeing a topic for a while, which caused some problems with forgetting... and then at least once, maybe several times, a topic would be taught and then no examples or exercises... the vocative case comes to mind as such an instance. Did you notice that one of the last tests actually tested on a topic that was never covered at all? And I have the newest edition, for sure. Anyhow, we still managed to get through the program and enjoy it, but it was only first year, and easy enough to feel our way around when we got confused. I have no latin at all and weak grammar, and I just don't feel confident that I can navigate my way through increasingly difficult levels on such a thin rope. I need a big wide plank with lots of safety nets :). Something like a Saxon equivalent for Latin! LOL Daily review, etc. I know lots of people who like LitCT... I hope I'm not discouraging others... I think maybe it's a better fit for someone who works well with a "chapter approach" that lays out the chapter objectives, but leaves individual scheduling, etc, up to the teacher. That's just not me... which is one of the reasons why TOG isn't a good fit for me, either. Thanks so much for mentioning the drill and study sheets, though... you are right... they do add extra practice. Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thanks, Janet... I'll check out Cambridge! Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Lisa, does Henle take you all the way through three years of high school Latin? I was thinking it only covered two years for some reason. I'm hoping to find something that we can do for years two and three. What can you tell me about the exercises in Henle? How many and how often? Do you have to divide up exercise sets over days? From what I've heard about Henle (haven't seen it), I'm afraid that it's very condensed and that we'd have to figure out on our own how to stay on a chapter for some time to master it. I just don't think I want another program that has only 10 - 15 lessons/chapters for the year and we have to stay on one lesson for weeks. I'd like something a little more incremental... at least one lesson a week with several days of structured exercises to follow. Kind of like the way Classical Writing has a weekly schedule. That would be ideal for us. A local school uses Wheelock in 7th and 8th grade (after a couple of years in Latin Primer). I thought that was a college text? Wonder if I should look at it, too... I've also been reading your an others' comments about reading more in latin in the early years. I am definitely thinking about LL as a supplement because of what has been said. LitCT had little reading, to be honest. A couple of paragraphs every other week. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions (not just in this thread)! Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Lisa, does Henle take you all the way through three years of high school Latin? I was thinking it only covered two years for some reason. I'm hoping to find something that we can do for years two and three. What can you tell me about the exercises in Henle? How many and how often? Do you have to divide up exercise sets over days? From what I've heard about Henle (haven't seen it), I'm afraid that it's very condensed and that we'd have to figure out on our own how to stay on a chapter for some time to master it. I just don't think I want another program that has only 10 - 15 lessons/chapters for the year and we have to stay on one lesson for weeks. I'd like something a little more incremental... at least one lesson a week with several days of structured exercises to follow. Kind of like the way Classical Writing has a weekly schedule. That would be ideal for us. A local school uses Wheelock in 7th and 8th grade (after a couple of years in Latin Primer). I thought that was a college text? Wonder if I should look at it, too... I've also been reading your an others' comments about reading more in latin in the early years. I am definitely thinking about LL as a supplement because of what has been said. LitCT had little reading, to be honest. A couple of paragraphs every other week. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions (not just in this thread)! Robin Hi Robin, I used the Memoria Press Henle guide this year w/my 13yo. dd. It only covers Units I & II. The next guide covers units III-V. Since your dd has one year of LitCT, you can move through the first guide at a quicker pace. The pace was PERFECT for my dd this year. She never complained that she did not understand, or that it was too fast a pace. They build in plenty of review. I use the MP Henle quizzes, which I give every week. I also have the Henle tests, which I give every few weeks. You can purchase them Here Henle I is considered two years of HS Latin. There are 4 books in the Henle series. Here is a sample schedule from MP. I would definitely make use of Lingua Latina. Focus Publishing is the place where I get my materials. If you use it as a reader, then all you need is the text, Lingua Latina:Familia Romana, and the College Companion, which explains grammar and vocabulary. There are no translations, as LL is an immersion text. Repeated readings of the stories will greatly facilitate comprehension. Colloquia Personarum is also an excellent supplement, as it contains stories that coincide with each chapter in LL. There are "Pensa" exercises at the end of each chapter in LL, which test comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary. If you want to do those exercises, you might want to get the Teacher Materials, which contains the answers to the Pensa exercises as well as answers to the Exercitia, a separate workbook. (I would not worry about that, since you are using Henle as your main text. The Pensa exercises are enough for your purposes.) The grammar in LL and Henle is presented in a different order, so your dd will encounter grammar in LL that she may not have covered yet. I would not worry too much about it. Just cover the explanations in the College Companion and move on. You can spend A LOT of time in the first several chapters of LL. There is plenty of "meat" there. It starts out deceptively simple at first, so it is best to move slowly. Hope that helps! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.