allijammomma Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 We will be starting homeschooling next year. I have the year planned out with all the curriculum we're going to use, just trying to get an idea of supplies. I was flipping through WTM and BAM! Latin! Yikes!! I forgot all about Latin. So I was reading the Prima Latina description, and the grammar part of it makes me nervous. She's in second grade in public school. Last week was the first time she'd heard "noun" in school. To say she will be lacking in grammar is an understatement. I'm going to put her in FLL2 since it starts off reviewing rules from FLL1. I don't think she's ready for FLL3. My question is, can you use Prima Latina with almost zero grammar instruction? Will its grammar instruction throw off FFL used in parallel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I would wait on Latin. Not that you couldn't do Prima without a solid early grammar foundation, just that there's no rush to get started with Latin. And with a brand-new 3rd grade homeschooler, you are going to have plenty of adjustments to make without filling her plate with extras like Latin. Put a hold on Latin for a year or so. Then, when you have a good handle on the ups and downs of homeschooling, jump into Latin. I have two that started Latin in 3rd grade and one that started in 5th. The one who started later actually has a better Latin foundation than the other two because I waited until he was ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Absolutely, you can use PL without any grammar background. My kids came from public school also and had no trouble with it; it is bare-bones basic grammar. If you can get the video teacher, it makes it easier if you have no Latin background yourself. Also, I agree with a PP that you could wait a year on Latin and do PL then. That's what I am doing with my 4th grader now. OTOH, both my kids thought PL was fun, so a fun subject might be just the thing your child needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peplophoros Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 For us, Prima Latina was way overkill, because of the grammar but especially because of all the writing/busywork. If you don't want to wait on Latin (it's ok to wait until later grades--they'll be just fine even they don't get a single word of Latin until 6th grade. My husband has a Ph.D. in Classics and teaches Latin, and he agrees with me!) try Song School Latin. I've started my "average" 2nd grader on it this year and she loves it! Gentle vocabulary is all the little ones should really get from Latin at this stage. Let your 2nd grader learn grammar slowly and gently in English--the connection with Latin doesn't need to happen now. Let her love Latin words first, grammar can wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemeche Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Prima Latina is just fine for your DD - Leigh Lowe and crew do a nice job with introducing the English terms. However, I would actually caution you to wait on Latin for a year or two...not because she is too young...but because you should schedule in some margin if this is your first year of homeschool. If you leave out Latin and find the first semester is a breeze, you can always start at Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Well, I would also agree with upthread that you might wait on Latin while you try to get into the flow of things. Then maybe do it as a fun side thing at first. Have you looked at Song School Latin followed by Latin For Children? SSL is young but it is fun and might make the transition really positive for her. LFC has fun games online, comes with instructional videos the child watches and you can pick Roman or Ecclesiastical pronunciation. DS loved it (he was 8, nearly 9 when we started it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 You should know that MP follows the LCC-model. Meaning that they intend to teach English grammar through Latin. So if you ask them, they won't see any problem with the fact that the grammar in PL will be new. Whether you agree with teaching grammar via Latin or not is up to you. But no, it's not the method of SWB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allijammomma Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 Thanks, everyone! I have a ds one grade behind so maybe I'll wait and do Latin as another "together" subject like history and science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Thanks, everyone! I have a ds one grade behind so maybe I'll wait and do Latin as another "together" subject like history and science. This is what I am doing with my two sons. We are doing Getting Started With Latin and it is going well. I tried PL with them 6 months earlier, with the DVD, and we didn't like it as well because of the amount of writing. They are doing well with GSWL but we are doing it all orally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 You could also look at The Latin Road to English Grammar, which teaches Grammar and Latin simultaneously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I would wait on Latin. I think with many young kids, the little-kid intro programs are just placeholders, anyway, until a serious study of Latin begins. That said, I would not treat Latin like a content subject (history, science). It is very skill based, and I think it's unlikely two kids a year apart would progress at the same rate. I would teach it to each kid individually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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