The Greek Alphabet Code Cracker and Sing Song Greek

[Nicholas_mom]

Hi,

 

This year we have done Sing Song Latin and my son loves it. He is also retaining with playing the memory game. He is interested in learning Greek. I saw on the site for SSL that there is SS Greek, but there is another book called The Greek Alphabet Code cracker. Do I do this book first before SS Greek or do I use it along with SS Greek?

 

my son is 9 yrs old.

[Zoo Keeper]

You don't have to do one before the other; each program is made to stand alone and not have to be dependent upon the other. SSG is targeted for lower to mid elementary; with the age of your son, I would just do Code Cracker (which is written for upper elementary) and then go right to Greek for Children (since you like the products from CAP). My boys (the older two) enjoyed doing Code Cracker at the beginning of last year, and are doing Elementary Greek right now.

[Nicholas_mom]

Thanks for your reply. I am not sure its because I like the materials, that I will stick with it, but my son does like it. He is a visual spatial learner and I want to contiue with Latin but I actually chose a different type of Latin curriculum instead of Latin for Children.

[taffnus]

I agree. Code Cracker is lots of fun. My dd did it last year in 3rd grade. It's perfect for 8-10.

[Paige]

My son loved Greek Code Cracker. He did it when he was 8 and the retention was very good. We did a lot of handwriting practice in addition to what was assigned. You can print the sheets out of the back or online. I forgot which. Then we tried to do Greek for Children when he was 9 and it was way too hard. It moved too fast and DS was overwhelmed. We took a year off and I took vocab for GFC and he practiced it every day- writing, memorizing, reading, but just the vocab words. Then we tried again at 10 and I discovered the DVD that goes with it. The DVD helps tremendously. I'd never be able to have DS (now 11) doing Greek without the DVD. DS routinely impresses the ministers at our church who have studied Greek with his vocab, grammar, and writing. He has far surpassed me. We are still taking it slow because Greek for Children has a lot in each chapter but I think it is good.

 

I would go straight to Greek Code Cracker and then maybe move to Hey Andrew or something easier or do your own thing until your DS is a little older unless he really loves it. Greek Code Cracker takes about 1 month to complete.

[Tess in the Burbs]

My kids asked for GCC and enjoyed doing it. They knew the alphabet while they wrote notes to each other but have since forgotten it. But they loved the book!

[lorisuewho]

We do Song School Greek. My children had a year of Greek school last year where they learned the alphabet. If they didn't know the alphabet I would have preferred for them to do the Code Cracker first since I think it does a better job at teaching the alphabet. The alphabet is taught in the first few chapters of Song School Greek, but there is vocabulary that it would be helpful to be able to read right from the get-go.

[Zoo Keeper]

My son loved Greek Code Cracker. He did it when he was 8 and the retention was very good. We did a lot of handwriting practice in addition to what was assigned. You can print the sheets out of the back or online. I forgot which. Then we tried to do Greek for Children when he was 9 and it was way too hard. It moved too fast and DS was overwhelmed. We took a year off and I took vocab for GFC and he practiced it every day- writing, memorizing, reading, but just the vocab words. Then we tried again at 10 and I discovered the DVD that goes with it. The DVD helps tremendously. I'd never be able to have DS (now 11) doing Greek without the DVD. DS routinely impresses the ministers at our church who have studied Greek with his vocab, grammar, and writing. He has far surpassed me. We are still taking it slow because Greek for Children has a lot in each chapter but I think it is good.

 

 

I do like GfC--but I agree, that it moves quickly (rather like LfC does...). My boys take two or three weeks to work through each LfC chapter. I like the pacing of EG better than GfC.

[Dmmetler]

My DD loved both, but I will tell you that I think SSL is more effective than SSG-SSG has a lot more songs that don't really define the words in the song and the retention seemed much harder for DD in SSG. But she did have fun with it.

[Paige]

 

My boys take two or three weeks to work through each LfC chapter. I like the pacing of EG better than GfC.

 

 

I'm gad to hear it's not just me. We do a chapter a week and my DS complains I am making him go too slow. I don't think he'd retain as much if he went faster.

[Nicholas_mom]

Thank you everyone for responses. They are very helpful. So, do you think I could do Code the Cracker first, just to get the lettering down and then do SS GreeK? This is now what I am thinking of doing.

[lorisuewho]

Thank you everyone for responses. They are very helpful. So, do you think I could do Code the Cracker first, just to get the lettering down and then do SS GreeK? This is now what I am thinking of doing.

 

I think this is a solid plan.

[Milknhoney]

Just another vote here for Code Cracker. My son LOVED it. Loved, as in, as soon as it came out of the box he was reading it and doing all the lessons on his own, even though it was summer break.

 

I decided to just go straight into Elementary Greek from there just because, although we loved SSL, he got bored with it before we were all the way through because he had already learned all of the songs.

 

I am kind of thinking now of getting SSG just for fun. Not to do the lessons, but just for the songs. Anybody done that?