Feedback for Latin for the New Millenium?

[jetzmama]

One of my ds has done average with Henle and would like to switch to online Latin this fall.  Anytime an outsider can be the one keeping him accountable is great for this ds, so this is a win-win situation for us. 

 

Another ds has excelled with Henle and would like to continue with Henle (partially b/c of CC friends he is doing Henle with). I have concerns about 'fixing what is not broken' but also have concerns about him reaching upper level Henle and having no one to help him when concepts really get tough. Also, I'm aware that Henle is not good prep for the AP exam (and as long he's so invested in it, shouldn't he be able to get credit for it later?). 

 

So I guess I have two questions....  1. Would you switch a 13yo (8th) out of Henle if he was doing well with it?  and 2. If you had to choose between an online class using Latin for the New Millenium (TPS) or Wheelock (Lukeion), which would you choose and why?  (We've had previous experience with TPS that has bee outstanding, so leaning this way, but a search for 'Latin for the New Millenium' turns up no entries here). 

 

Thanks!

[jetzmama]

But a google search did unearth this helpful thread:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/477569-latin-for-the-new-millennium/ 

2. If you had to choose between an online class using Latin for the New Millenium (TPS) or Wheelock (Lukeion), which would you choose and why?

 

Frankly, of all the factors in my decision, the textbook would not be one of them.  They are both great texts.  I would pick based on quality of the teachers, time and amount of direct instruction, rigor of teaching, prep for NLE/AP, cost, style of instruction, fit with my child, etc. etc. etc.

[nansk]

But a google search did unearth this helpful thread:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/477569-latin-for-the-new-millennium/

 

FYI, Beth (who started that thread) now teaches LNM through Harvey Center.

 

Here is one more thread about LNM.

[jetzmama]

Thanks!  The other factors are definitely a consideration, as well!  Thanks for the other link nansk. Very helpful and answered a question about a specific online school we're considering.  

[Beth in Mint Hill]

Hi there,

I just ran across this discussion of my new favorite text! Latin for the New Millenium. It is so well balanced and easy to use, not to mention beautiful. The aesthetic aspect is very important, and so helpful, when one is going to be immersed in a subject for so long.  

 

Just a little bit about the Harvey Center Latin classes:

I will be teaching the Latin I and II in the Fall. Dr. Dale Grote (author of the Comprehensive Guide to Wheelock's) will be teaching Latin III this year and adding Latin IV next year, which will prepare the student for AP Latin. He has had many years of experience teaching Latin and is a marvelous teacher. This year our Latin III students will be utilizing Wheelock's resources and some other reading material that Dr.Grote has developed over the years. In future years we will be going over to LNM III. 

 

Our students also take the NLE and do very well. This past year a large percentage won gold and silver medals, while one even had a perfect score. Our courses are designed to be sure that they cover all that's need for the student to do well on the national exams. One of the best things about our classes is that they are small, and we work hard to get to know our students, making sure that they are getting everything they need to succeed with the class. We have weekly quizzes and homework, which is graded and annotated for any errors.

 

On July 31st we will have a live online Open House, find the information here.

 

 

[Gratia271]

I have used both Henle and LNM with my children and children I have tutored.  I highly recommend LNM.  All three of my children found Henle dreadfully boring, and LNM was a welcomed change.  In addition to its visually appealing text, it incorporates significant translation as well as culture nearly from the beginning.  Bolchazy is the best IMO.

[jetzmama]

Thanks to all!  School definitely has a different look this year, since my oldest is now attending a b&m school for 10th (after hsing since K).  Latin is not an option, but what he wants. We could not find an online class that meets during after school hours, so he is using Visual Latin (CD's were already on the shelf).  The school will give him credit for the class using the grade I submit for him at the end of the school year.  I was really excited about LNM, but just not in the cards this time through. Thanks again for your help.

[Latinmom]

I posted this on another LNM question thread, but I read so many of these boards while contemplating this curriculum last summer, that I feel I should post in all the places I read. :)  Just my perspective.

 

Last summer I pored over all the posts on this topic I could find, trying to decide whether to switch curricula. I've been teaching homeschool Latin for eighteen years--to my own six children plus many others who joined us along the way. I had always used the Latin for Americans series and was quite happy with it, but the textbooks were a bit expensive. LNM had textbook rental options online and the posts I read here and elsewhere were primarily positive, so I took the plunge.

 

Ugh.

 

It wasn't until after I (and this year's students) were committed to that course that I discovered some of the drawbacks--primarily in posts on the teacher forums at Bolchazy-Carducci (LNM publisher's website), a resource that obviously wasn't available to me in the decision-making stage.

 

Looking back, it seems to me that one of the chief benefits that was touted was the fact that LNM uses original readings. In actuality, these are edited readings--necessarily so, I am sure, for beginning students, but in my mind that doesn't make them much different from the reading passages in other texts which retell Roman myths or episodes from Roman history. The LNM selections also result in some rather obscure vocabulary words; I can't imagine students will run across "passer" (sparrow) or "gremium" (lap) very often in their Latin studies, and it seems a waste of time for them to memorize such words simply to accommodate a reading passage.  Even with those extraneous additions to vocabulary, the LNM passages are so heavily glossed as to diminish the benefit of the translation exercise. I would much rather my students translate a passage that is primarily composed of Latin vocabulary they already know, so as to decrease reliance on glosses and instead focus on accurately applying the grammatical knowledge they have gained.

 

I find the presentation of grammar to be much clearer in the Latin for Americans texts. Fortunately I have linguistically-gifted students this year, so the effect has not been as detrimental as it could have been with a larger class and more diverse ability levels. I have ended up supplementing LNM to accommodate what I perceive as its deficiencies, especially as we prepare for the National Latin exam at the end of February. 

 

I also made the mistake of purchasing the teacher's book; if you do decide to use this curriculum, spare yourself that expense. It is a 10x15 inch, spiral-bound, floppy volume that is completely unwieldy and impractical for use in the classroom. You would be better off with a hardback copy of the student text. If you need the teacher's book for answers or other resources, buy a digital copy for reference. 

 

It's back to Latin for Americans for me. To address the question of cost (and availability of compatible textbook versions, since I've had mine for a while), I contacted the parents of former students (now in college, grad school, and beyond) and acquired their used textbooks. That way, going forward we can all have the same editions and homeschool families won't necessarily have to make that big investment. 

 

It may be that you love LNM and that is wonderful; but I thought perhaps my two cents might help someone in the decision-making process like  I was last summer. 

Edited February 8, 2017 by Latinmom