theflyingbunny Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 What do you recommend for Latin in high school? My 9th grader has never taken Latin before. He would like to take at least two years of Latin to satisfy his foreign language requirments. (He took many years of Spanish and is tired of it). He is a sharp student so I know he could handle Latin, but I don't know which program would be the best. I've heard of so many different options and I am getting overwhelmed and now I have decision paralysis. Here are a few I have heard of: Wheelock's Henle Lone Pine Classical School Lukeion The Keystone school Artes Latinae Powerspeak 12 Memoria Press Scholars online Veritas Latin Trivium Carmenta Online Latin School I am open to your advice and suggestions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Lukeion uses Wheelock's and it is wonderful. DS took Latin 3 last year and AP Latin this year and loved it. DD took Latin 1 this year and really enjoyed it as well. It is challenging, but not overly difficult (Some of the reviews on this board made me a bit leary to try it, but both of my children have done very well). I would add that, IMO, the real fun of Latin starts in Latin 3, when the nitty-gritty of the grammar has been learned and the concentration is on translation. If you are looking for something a bit lighter, Memoria Press would be one to consider. I have a friend whose dd is taking this now and has enjoyed it. I will add that part of your decision will be based on your goal for Latin. Wheelock's (a college text) is classical Latin, heavy on vocabulary and grammar, with a focus on reading ancient authors. Memoria Press uses Henle (a high school text), which has less vocabulary. Henle does have quite a heavy focus on translating Caesar. With my oldest ds, we did one year of Henle at home (6th grade). Ds and I did Latin 1 at home using Wheelocks (7th grade), and then switched to an online course for Latin 2 in 8th grade. In hindsight, I wish I would have just started ds off with Lukeion right away. I think he has a few gaps in his Latin knowledge because of our haphazard start. This is why I went ahead and started dd with Lukeion 1 this year. I have heard good things about some of the other programs you listed, so hopefully those with experience with them will chime in as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 If he likes a grammatical approach, we really like Jenney's Latin. Cathy Duffy reviewed it. http://cathyduffyreviews.com/foreign-language/jenney-latin.htm We have not felt a need for the teacher's guide, as it is very self explanatory, though I am working through it with him. If you were not planning on doing the Latin as well, the tests and answers are only in the teachers guide. Years three and four are just readers. The instruction is all in books one and two. They are more than enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I like Cambridge Latin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 If you want to use Wheelock's, I would look into http://shop.signumuniversity.org/products-page/course-packs/elementary-latin-i-summer-2012/ Dd really liked his teaching and for $95 it is worth having someone discuss every chpt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 The first question you need to ask yourself is if you want to outsource this, or try to teach it independently. If you are outsourcing it, I think there are a dozen factors more important than the text used to consider. These factors include if it is online or in person, the personality match of the teacher, when it is offered, if there is a path to AP, is NLE prep included, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Yes, "best" depends. I taught in a local program where the majority of parents just wanted exposure. We used Henle's Latin, which is solid and reasonable for someone who hasn't studied a lot themselves. My Latin 2 students had open book tests per the request of the parents. The students didn't do well on the National Latin Exam, and by no means were they on track for the Latin AP/SAT II. But the majority were not wanting that anyway. Mine began locally with that program, but I decided that we needed a different track. We switched to Lukeion for one, and VPSA for the other. No regrets, lots of National Latin Exam awards; the oldest did the AP in May and will do the SAT II next Saturday. I did fine with the first two years of Latin, but that's it for me. To go further would require a lot more time than I have, so we outsourced beyond Latin 2. A woman has to know her limitations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingbunny Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Has anyone used the Keystone school online Latin course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 First, zip through Getting Started with Latin by Linney, then do any of the above. This book is THE best intro into latin, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Mint Hill Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Have you thought about Latin for the New Millenium (LNM)? Our students have really been enjoying this new curriculum! It has the best of both worlds--the inductive experience of Latin passages and also the deductive drilling of forms. I taught using Wheelock's (which I still love!) for many years, but most students found it very burdensome--no matter how much I added lively exercises, they groaned when it came to translating the sentences in the chapters. And with each edition of Wheelock's the sentences got more complicated. :glare: So we at the Harvey Center have finally switched to LNM and we love the engaging textbook, along with the extra workbook which gives us some easy exercises and sentences for practice. And to top it all off, the book is beautiful! The group of girls who are studying in the Summer Intensive Latin I (taught by Kaitlin Hundscheid) are just raving to me about how much they are enjoying the class! (Which in one way has surprised me, because it is a lot of hard work. But on the other hand I knew they would be charmed by Kait. :001_smile: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 We did a Latin Intensive program this year. http://coramdeotutorials.com/directed-study/latinintensive/ Ds enjoyed it and learned tons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 "Memoria Press uses Henle (a high school text), which has less vocabulary. " And Memoria Press also uses the Form Series, First through Fourth. I tried Latin years ago when they were younger and at the time, it was a subject that was the first to get dropped. For my sophmore and 7th grader, we chose MP online class this year for First Form. I'm so thankful MP has taken this off my teaching plate. Ideally I would be learning the material first but that is not reality during this season for me. We were pleased and will continue in the fall with Second Form. My students found the material progressively challenging but not overwhelming and I feel they've done very well. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Half-Elven Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Have you thought about Latin for the New Millenium (LNM)? Our students have really been enjoying this new curriculum! It has the best of both worlds--the inductive experience of Latin passages and also the deductive drilling of forms. I taught using Wheelock's (which I still love!) for many years, but most students found it very burdensome--no matter how much I added lively exercises, they groaned when it came to translating the sentences in the chapters. And with each edition of Wheelock's the sentences got more complicated. :glare: So we at the Harvey Center have finally switched to LNM and we love the engaging textbook, along with the extra workbook which gives us some easy exercises and sentences for practice. And to top it all off, the book is beautiful! The group of girls who are studying in the Summer Intensive Latin I (taught by Kaitlin Hundscheid) are just raving to me about how much they are enjoying the class! (Which in one way has surprised me, because it is a lot of hard work. But on the other hand I knew they would be charmed by Kait. :001_smile: ) Hi Beth, I've been using Latin for Children Primers A and B for my now 5th grader. It is dry at times, and because I don't test her, she doesn't always retain the vocab. If we went ahead with Primer C, I made the decision to test her weekly. I've heard many positives about LNM. What does it comprise of? Grammar and translations? Thinking of getting A Beginning Christian Reader for my 5th Grader as opposed to Primer C. Seems like the translations would make it less dry and more interesting and therefore she may retain the vocab and grammar. For my now 8th Grader, we are using Lingua Latina, so far so good. My goal for Latin is not necessarily conversational, but for my students to be able to read it proficiently and therefore have a better grasp, understanding and command of the English language. Thanks, Gina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Mint Hill Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Hi Beth, I've been using Latin for Children Primers A and B for my now 5th grader. It is dry at times, and because I don't test her, she doesn't always retain the vocab. If we went ahead with Primer C, I made the decision to test her weekly. I've heard many positives about LNM. What does it comprise of? Grammar and translations? Thinking of getting A Beginning Christian Reader for my 5th Grader as opposed to Primer C. Seems like the translations would make it less dry and more interesting and therefore she may retain the vocab and grammar. For my now 8th Grader, we are using Lingua Latina, so far so good. My goal for Latin is not necessarily conversational, but for my students to be able to read it proficiently and therefore have a better grasp, understanding and command of the English language. Thanks, Gina Yes, LNM is very engaging. This is why we switched to it--after years of using Wheelock's (a text I love, but the students get so wearied by the sentence translations there, which are a little too philosophical for most 12-15 yos). The LNM text has everything you could want: reading passages from classical and medieval Latin, grammar and syntax instruction along with exercises that practice this, conversation, beautiful pictures, Roman history and culture. It is a rich text! You can read more about it at the Bolchazy's site, or go to our website and we have a brochure linked there that describes it well! About vocabulary: it is very important to drill and test vocabulary. A student will be crippled in their later studies if they haven't mastered a good core of vocab. So do many and varied drills; make them fun by associating words that are difficult to remember with something silly or vivid. Make your own flash cards (but not for ALL words, this would get too unwieldy a pile) just the words which they are having trouble remembering. Color code them (different colors for genders, etc). The BEST way to master a word is to say it aloud in a simple sentence, using it to communicate. Back to LNM... I wouldn't recommend it to elementary level students as a start in Latin. It gets very advanced quickly. Although it does have plenty of easy practice sentences for each chapter. (lack of enough practice drills is one of the main weaknesses of Latin Alive). But I would recommend it for a middle schooler who has had a year of two of Latin previously, or for any high schooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingbunny Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Uggghhh. I am still so nervous about choosing a Latin program for my 10th grader. I feel like whatever we choose we have to stick with because he needs at least the 2 years of Latin and I don't want to jump around from program to program. Anymore thoughts....suggestions for me. As you can see I have decision paralysis :) Thanks, Denny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I like Cambridge Latin, but all others are good! I took Wheelock's in college, just prefer Cambridge method for learning the intricacies of Latin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingbunny Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 I like Cambridge Latin, but all others are good! I took Wheelock's in college, just prefer Cambridge method for learning the intricacies of Latin. What is Cambridge Latin? Is it a book, dvd, online course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Sorry to bump this old thread, but I want to be able to find it later -- I can't always find the threads that I'm supposed to be following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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