Anyone else not prefer Henle Latin?

[Ann.without.an.e]

If so, have you found an alternative?

 

thank ya'll :)

[G5052]

Henle is great for the struggling Latin teacher.  It builds line-upon-line and gets you there. It is so much better than Latin's Not So Tough, which is what CC used for Challenge A and B before switching to Henle for those levels as well.  Latin's Not So Tough is all over the map IMHO, with gaps that make it very hard to teach well.  Some disagree of course, but it drove me nuts. We did Henle for Challenge A and B on our own with a little Latin's Not So Tough thrown in to keep them with the class. And I was able to teach Challenge II Latin for two years despite being a pretty shallow Latin scholar.  Any other textbook, and I would have gone down in flames.

 

The books are hard to read though (so dense!), and are somewhat narrow in their focus in terms of the content of the passage you translate. The vocabulary lists in both Henle I and II are purposively short (he felt that vocabulary was secondary to grammar), but that also means that students who use Henle will usually have to go back a level or more if they switch to another program because of gaps in their vocabulary. Because they pre-date the National Latin Exam, Latin AP, and Latin SAT II, they don't track well with those exams if that is one of your goals for Latin study.  CC students typically don't do well on the National Latin Exam unless they study outside of their assignments there.  In other words, they are good Latin books overall, but I personally think that there are better choices for modern students if they want to prove themselves beyond just study with Henle.  

 

I'm very impressed with Wheelock's, although I don't know if I could teach with it myself.  There are a lot of helps for it, and various online classes and lectures that you can purchase.  It will set you up well for the exams, depending of course on far you want to go.

 

Latin Alive is another possibility, although we've only used it as a summer "lite" program to keep up their skills. What I've seen is very good though, and I hope to study with it on my own next year to keep myself involved in Latin.  Just too busy this year!

[Melissa B]

Are you asking for other suggestions for high school Latin?

 

My dd used Wheelock's Latin with good result.

[TeaCookiesBears]

After doing research I thought Henle would be right for dd but I decided at the last minute to do Wheelocks because:

 

One there were more resources (a lot free) out there to help us along if we got stuck.

Two was because I knew my daughter would not like reading about the Gauls and dead soldilers day in day out.

Three I heard people who used Wheelock's vs Henle did better on the NLE I guess because it has more vocabulary. I do not know how true that is but it stuck with me.

 

I will say one thing I do use the Henle Grammar book as a Reference when I get stuck as it explains things nicely for me.

 

If I had the resources I would have chosen to use CAP Latin Program but I found many Henle and Wheelock's materials for cheep at used book stores so I decided to use what I had plus both have a proven track records.

[Finnella]

I didn't like Henle, though the grammar reference book is great. Choosing between the two, I'd take Wheelock.

 

We're using Latin Prep though I wouldn't recommend it for a teacher without any Latin background. It's a more manageable format for my foreign language challenged son. I've had lots of Latin, so it's easy for me to use. I don't know how well it would work for someone new to the language.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I like Latin Prep (higher books) with a Latin tutor.  Some think it is a lighter weight program but neither the tutor (who has taught Latin in high schools for many years) or my son and I have been disappointed in it.  He's also done just fine on the NLE.  Our goals are to do well in Latin but not necessarily to major in it, if you know what I mean.  So finding something that engages my son means more to me because if he is interested he does so much better.  

[nansk]

Other options:

 

1. Classical Latin and its companion workbook by James McKeown. It looks more interesting to me than Wheelock. This is a high school/college level course. It has a companion site with audio and helps.

 

2. Latin For The New Millenium from Bolchazy-Carducci.  A high-school level course that incorporates grammar and authentic reading practice. It is glossy and expensive and comes with workbooks and other helps. I like the samples of this very much.
 

3. Latin Alive And Well by Peggy Chambers. This is also a high school/college level introductory course. I found the review from Bryn Mawr Classical Review quite helpful.

[EndOfOrdinary]

We use Jenney's Latin.  It is a highly grammatical approach, though.  So if your child doesn't have a really strong foundation in grammar, it would be struggle. In example, first year, chapter 2 jumps right into predicate nominatives. There are no explanations of what an appositive versus a predicate nominative are, their are just explanations of what to do with each of these parts of a sentence in the Latin language. That said, there is no need to have any background in Latin for either the student or the teacher.  It could easily be an independent study curriculum.

So, if your child (or you) have a strong foundation in English, we have found nothing better than Jenney's.  It is hardcore, to the point, and very thorough.