Differences Latin: Henle vs. Latin Alive?

[Homeschoolmom3]

My middle son took Latin for Children through elementary and we have started working through Latin Alive I this year.  He is needing more of a live class now and I can't help him with this upper Latin so I am debating between Henle and Latin Alive.  Would love to hear what others think of the two.  My son will be in 7th grade next year so I am considering redoing Latin Alive I or starting Henle 1. Couldn't find anything on this topic could have missed it, so coming for your help again...:)  Thanks for your advice!

[mjbucks1]

Are you looking for an online class or DVD?

[G5052]

I taught mine with Henle I in middle school, and then taught locally with the Henle II book. I've also worked through Latin Alive I myself, and my younger one will be in a class next year using the Latin Alive Reader.

 

The grammar content of Henle is excellent. Even though mine went on to use Wheelock's through VPSA, they frequently went back to his explanations.  However IMHO there are disadvantages to it that were part of the reason that I moved my kids over to Wheelock's.  

 

If your goal is good scores on the National Latin Exam and/or AP/SAT II exams, Henle is not going to get you unless you bring in other resources.  I used to have parents furious at me because their DC didn't do well on the NLE while mine always have earned medals.  That happened because the students in my class didn't do the ungraded reading and assignments that I gave to prepare for the NLE. Helne doesn't cover the breadth of reading practice you need, and his coverage of Roman history, mythology, and everyday life is light in comparison to Wheelocks or Latin Alive.

 

I also think that Latin Alive is more appealing.  The pages have more white space and interesting side material.  There's more variety there, and they closely match the NLE syllabus in terms of what they introduce. My local Latin II students who were using Henle II complained almost every week about his focus on Caesar and the Gauls throughout that book.  I can see why he picked a focus for each book, but in my experience, students are more motivated if they are translating from multiple writers with different types of passages.

 

That said, if you are looking for a live class, I would look both at the curriculum and the teachers.  I know of local Henle teachers who do a superb job with it despite it's shortcomings. So much depends on who is handling the material.

[Homeschoolmom3]

Thanks for your comments. Looking for a live class, I did fine helping teach the elementary but now Im not solid in some of the translations and when they start HS Latin, I hand them over...ha! My oldest did Wheelocks but dont think my middle son is ready for that yet....really trying to decide whether we will go Memoria Press route or stick with Veritas....tough choices. He wants to do Arabic but making him do at least 3 yrs of Latin before moving on...mean mom! :-P

[mjbucks1]

I have a friend who takes Latin online with Memoria Press.  Her dd is finishing her 3rd year and has scored Gold medals on the NLE each year.  Memoria Press uses Henle.  We used Henle for one year, but then I did a bit more research.  The dd of someone on this board was a Latin major and recommended Wheelock's over Henle, especially if the goal was to read ancient Latin authors.  I took her advice and switched my oldest to Wheelock's.   My ds took Latin with Lukeion through AP Latin and did very well.

 

 My dd is finishing up year 2 with Lukeion.  And while she is doing well in the class, she is spending a great deal of time on Latin each week.  I know Latin Alive is based on Wheelock's, but I think it moves at a more manageable pace.  

 

I believe Wilson Hill uses Latin Alive, and of course there are classes with Classical Academic press.  

[Kathy in Richmond]

Use whatever grammar method is complete & resonates with your student. I'm familiar with Henle, Wheelock's, and Artes Latinae, and any of those (I don't know anything about Latin Alive) will get you through Latin grammar successfully if you complete the program carefully.

 

My daughter used Henle I & II for her intial years of Latin, and she went on to win six golds on the NLE, had very nice results on AP and SAT 2 tests, won one of their scholarships, and become a Classics/Latin major in college. Could she have done the same with another grammar program? Sure, it's just that she actually liked Henle, so we stuck with it.

 

No matter which text you pick, you'd be smart to do some dedicated prep work on top of it before the NLE tests. As G5052 pointed out, they do cover history, geography, culture, mythology, etc, in addition to grammar. Dd just re-read Famous Men of Rome, D'Aulaire's Greek Myths, and the Usborne Book of Rome each winter before the NLE. That was more than enough as long as she paid attention to the syllabus posted online at the NLE website. They give pretty good hints about which specific areas of mythology, etc, are emphasized on each year's exam.

[G5052]

Thanks for your comments. Looking for a live class, I did fine helping teach the elementary but now Im not solid in some of the translations and when they start HS Latin, I hand them over...ha! My oldest did Wheelocks but dont think my middle son is ready for that yet....really trying to decide whether we will go Memoria Press route or stick with Veritas....tough choices. He wants to do Arabic but making him do at least 3 yrs of Latin before moving on...mean mom! :-P

 

My oldest very quickly surpassed me.  If I had tried to teach him with Henle 2 after he finished Henle 1 with me, we both would have gone bonkers.  Thankfully I always knew more than the classes I taught, and I had him proof my handouts and exams.  If any of them had truly known Latin, I would have been in trouble.

 

He did Wheelock's at VPSA, and then transferred to Lukeion for Latin 3 and 4.  He did very well on the AP and SAT II.

 

My next one is finishing Latin 2 at VPSA and will do Latin 4 with CAP.  She's got other interests AP-wise, and I'm hoping for a good SAT II score next May.