Frustrations with Latin! Please Help!

[JMDRAD]

First off, I have very little support when it comes to teaching Latin. I often just don't mention it because I've gotten the idea that a few people think it's rather snooty to be learning it so early. That said, I'm running into some difficulties teaching it to my dd. I've never taken it before so I'm learning along with her. We are currently using Latina Christiana and this year we've only made it to lesson 9. I have the DVDs but nothing makes much sense to me let alone to her. The grammar is incredibly confusing. I have nobody to ask about this so I'm begging you all for help! :D

 

I just came across a book called Getting STarted with Latin. From my very uneducated view, it seems like something doable for us. If LC did not work do any of you think GSWL would work? Does it explain things better? Any other recommendations? TIA!:bigear::bigear::bigear::bigear:

[melmichigan]

My DC are all using GSWL as an intro this year. I love the simplicity.

[2_girls_mommy]

Did you do Prima Latina before LCI? I started w/it for 3rd grade ala WTM, then moved into LCI. The grammar is a HUGE step up in LCI, but doable. The background vocabulary and beginning conjugation memory work from PL gave us a lot of confidence to move up to LCI. Sorry you are having troubles.

 

Can you post your specific grammar question? Maybe we can help with it.

[8filltheheart]

First off, I have very little support when it comes to teaching Latin. I often just don't mention it because I've gotten the idea that a few people think it's rather snooty to be learning it so early. That said, I'm running into some difficulties teaching it to my dd. I've never taken it before so I'm learning along with her. We are currently using Latina Christiana and this year we've only made it to lesson 9. I have the DVDs but nothing makes much sense to me let alone to her. The grammar is incredibly confusing. I have nobody to ask about this so I'm begging you all for help! :D

 

I just came across a book called Getting STarted with Latin. From my very uneducated view, it seems like something doable for us. If LC did not work do any of you think GSWL would work? Does it explain things better? Any other recommendations? TIA!:bigear::bigear::bigear::bigear:

 

I wonder if perhaps you are misreading people? There are 2 ways you can approach Latin: a list of vocabulary words or a language to be studied. If a child has a firm understanding of grammar, studying it as a language when they are young is not an issue. However, if the child does not understand grammar, it will be an issue and you will be more limited in studying it along the lines of lists of vocabulary.

 

I have kids who were ready young and others who weren't.. I have a dd that started foreign languages in 3rd grade b/c she is very language-oriented. However, I have other children that have not really mastered grammar until 4th or 5th grade.

 

I guess you can also do it where they are learning to conjugate verbs and very simple vocabulary. But, to actually study Latin sentences/structure, nominative/objective case, person, verbs/tenses need to be understood at minimum b/c sentences are translated based on word (case) ending not word order.

Edited August 10, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[RegularMom]

Both of my dd's started Lively Latin Book 1 in second grade. The way I approached it was simply to not worry about retention. We worked a page a day and did vocabulary cards a few times a week. It took about 2 years for them to finish Big Book 1. They retained a lot more of it than I expected them to (more than I did, actually :tongue_smilie:).

 

The difficult part came when we needed to transition my 5th grader to something else. I tried Big Book 2 and we got bogged down halfway through. So I switched to LC1 and that was too easy for my 5th grader. So I moved her up into FFL and that seems to have worked.

 

This coming year, my 4th grader will work through LC1 (since I have the material and don't want to waste it). I've explained to her that it will feel a lot easier than LL1 did, but that it will be a good transition into FFL in 5th grade.

 

My 6th grader will finish FFL and start SFL. At least, that's the Plan. We'll see how it all goes. :)

[Genevieve]

GSWL might. Like 8 said, there are different approaches to any language. Immersion, vocab-based and grammar-based. Generally speaking the higher-level language studies are grammar-based. So LC is loosely more vocab orientated than GSWL but I think that's because they are assuming the kids have less grammar knowledge. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that GSWL is more confusing. I actually find it less confusing but for my younger children (3rd grade and under), I've had to elaborate on some of the grammatical terms. Sometimes consulting a more comprehensive grammar text/resource helps resolve my confusion in Latin.

 

The reason why *I* like GSWL is it explains one concept at a time. So when I first started learning Latin, it was hard to figure out how to break up a lesson especially if there was too much information. Now that I'm more familiar with various foreign language resources, I am better able to take a high school level text and break it up to suit my younger students and myself. After GSWL, we've moved to a high school level language text, but modified to suit the pace that my kids can handle.

 

This is generally the approach I've taken for Latin, Spanish & Chinese. As with any grammar-intensive text, I've always combined it with a more immersion-based program to help develop their vocab in a relaxed manner.

[Amy Jo]

Can you post what part is confusing? It took me awhile to figure out the system, but once I 'got' it, the grammar is much simpler to me. Not that I'm a great Latinist, but I have been able to explain FFL to my son so far.

 

I'd recommend trying Getting Started with Latin for you (with the website), if nothing else. Or you both could work through GSWL and then go to First Form - it seems people tend to like FFL more than LC. (I don't know why, I've only used FF and PL so far.)

 

Have you tried asking on the Memoria Press board if you don't want to ask here? They are very helpful.