Would it be redundant to do Prima Latina followed by Big Book of Lively Latin 1?

[Mommy7]

I want to start my 2 boys who will be in 4th grade next year with some Latin. One of them would probably be ready for the pace of Lively Latin...but, the other wouldn't, I fear.

 

So, could I meet them in the middle with Prima Latina? Then, follow it up with Lively Latin? I wasn't sure how much repetition there would be between the two courses.

 

Thanks!

[Mommy7]

bump

[NittanyJen]

Lively Latin follows Prima Latina very well.

 

LL gets into far more grammar and more vocabulary as well as the art, history, and geography components. A few vocabulary words will be repeated, but that is a good thing, for reinforcement.

 

 

[Mommy7]

Do you think it would be worth it to start with PL or just wait a year and do LL?

[highfamily]

I would skip Prima Latina, and free up time to focus on something else this year. Lively Latin went really well for us last year (girls were 3rd and 4th grade - first exposure to Latin), and this year we completed First Form Latin from Memoria Press. They did really well, and they already knew quite a bit of it from Lively Latin. I started Prima Latina with my oldest when he was in 3rd grade; he was bored with it, so we dropped it and moved into something else. I think Lively Latin is a great first step and does a good job building enjoyment of the subject. It is also much more fun with a buddy - I think your boys will really like it! There is absolutely nothing wrong with Prima Latina - I just don't think the extra year at a younger age is that helpful.

[NittanyJen]

Do you think it would be worth it to start with PL or just wait a year and do LL?

 

 

If your budget is tight, you can skip it and wait a year. If you try to use primarily secular materials, you cans skip it and wait a year.

 

Prima Latina will be a nice first exposure to vocabulary, in a pretty manageable format. It is very logical and well-laid out, and will not be a waste of time; it does not take long to work on daily, even with vocabulary review (we did not memorize all the Latin prayers). It is a well-done program for introducing Latin. It can be skipped if you have other things you'd rather do with your time or money. I will say that with any language, the earlier it is introduced, the better it will take in the long run, but I am not sure that this will be the case when so little grammar is being introduced; he will not be speaking dialogues with it or anything in PL, or translating stories in it at that level.

 

Other options for the intervening year: a Latin-based vocabulary program, such as Caesar's English, which will introduce them to about 50 Latin stems and 50 great Latin-related vocabulary words across 20 lessons (10 each of 5 stems and 5 vocabulary words in alternating weeks). CE will also make comparisons between words in English, Latin, and Spanish for interest. Or there is the comic-book style story Minimus, which comes with a teacher guide and is based around real items excavated from a site near Hadrian's Wall. Written in Latin for younger kids, it gives vocabulary words on each page and pictures with the text to help decipher it. It's a fun way to introduce Latin and gain some introductory familiarity with how it works. You can take it as slowly as you like, and not insist that they master all of it, but learn some of the vocabulary and just get the exposure to it early as a primer for starting Lively Latin the following year.

[Mommy7]

Hmmm...I'm beginning to think I should wait and just do LL next year. I could focus on writing this year that way. It would save money too. This year, that is tighter than ever. I sort of forget that when I delve into the world of captivating curriculum!! :lol: