Studying Latin and Greek

[runningirl71]

I was wondering if you all who frequent this board and have your home school schedule, oh so under control, would mind answering a question for me. DD will be starting Greek next year. At least she wants to. She'll have 3 years of Latin under her belt. In order for me to prepare teaching her (I was thinking of using Elementary Greek) how far in advance should I study??? Now?

 

I am studying in Henle right now (only finishing up week 8 in Henle I) in order to prepare teaching her Henle when she switches over in 7th grade, and I am wondering if it is feasible to study Greek along side Latin? Will it confuse me?

 

I've heard students shouldn't attempt Greek unless they have 3 years of Latin. Of course, not everyone follows that and there are lots of Greek programs suited for younger kids. I realize that. But, with the knowledge of me studying Henle I right now, when should I include Greek into my studies? Should I wait until I'm farther along in Henle? How far ahead in Greek should I be than my daughter? If I start, say, next summer, would that be enough if she started in the fall?

 

I would appreciate any input! Thanks!

[Laura Corin]

I have no Greek background at all, and we are learning fine together. I do have a few years of Latin (some revived from my school years, most learned alongside Calvin) but I don't think you need Latin to learn Greek. At least that's my experience so far.

 

Laura

[runningirl71]

Thanks, Laura, for your input. I wasn't thinking that I would need Latin to study Greek, I was thinking more along the lines of learning two languages at once. I want to have a grasp a little bit on Greek before dd starts learning it and I just didn't know how long it takes for it to "click" as I've heard it is much different than Latin.

:)

[Jenn in CA]

I learned Greek alongside Latin before my son started Greek. It was fine. There are enough differences that I never got them confused. And, the two clarify each other very well. I thought it was a great way to go.

 

As far as the amount of time it takes to "click"... once you learn the alphabet and can read it fluently, I think you're good to go. That seems to take us old folks a while, but I found it stuck well if I did a little every day, even 1-2 minutes. The grammar is similar enough to Latin that it will probably all make sense once you are able to actually read Greek.

 

My trick to learning the alphabet: first take out the letters you know right away because they look like the English ones, such as alpha and delta, then focus on the rest, the ones that look really different. And learn an alphabet song. There's one at teknia.com I believe.

 

Have fun!

[Laura Corin]

Thanks, Laura, for your input. I wasn't thinking that I would need Latin to study Greek, I was thinking more along the lines of learning two languages at once. I want to have a grasp a little bit on Greek before dd starts learning it and I just didn't know how long it takes for it to "click" as I've heard it is much different than Latin.

:)

 

The different script does make it harder. Hobbes and I spent quite a long time just on the alphabet, before moving on to words. I haven't found (so far) any confusion between the two languages, but, as I say, we are taking it pretty slowly.

 

Laura

[runningirl71]

Thanks so much for your input! This helps a lot!:)

[Beth in Central TX]

If you plan to start Greek with your daughter next year, then I would start studying as soon as your schedule allows it. My husband stays about 6 months ahead of our sons in their Greek work. It makes it easier to review their work and answer questions. My DH studied Homeschool Greek I when My sons did EG I, II, & III. Then my DH moved on to Elementary Greek for Beginners last spring, and my sons started this book last month.

 

I would also start a little early to make sure you can grasp the language. I started teaching Latin & Greek in 2004, but I could not learn the Greek letters. I tried doing daily flashcards on the computer, and I carried around a flashcard ring. I studied and tried to spend as much time as I could, but the Greek letters just didn't stick. I'm not a visual learner, so that's part of the problem. I'm not saying this will happen to you, but it may take a little more time to learn the new language especially compared to your daughter. By the time we finished Greek Alphabetarion when my older sons were in 2nd & 3rd grade, they knew more than I did. I was going to drop Greek, but my husband decided to teach it because he wanted it as part of our homeschool. So I teach Latin, DH teaches Greek, and the boys learn both with no problems...

 

How much of Henle will your daughter study in 7th grade? For me, this answer would determine my self-study pace. I studied through Wheelock's Chapter 6, and now I'm working through Lingua Latina trying to stay ahead of my boys. They are going through the book at a slower pace, but my goal is to be about 10 chapters ahead of them. I'm not there yet though.

 

HTH!

[runningirl71]

Thanks, Beth, for your input. I appreciate it! I really enjoy hearing what others have done and what works for them.

 

How much of Henle will your daughter study in 7th grade? For me, this answer would determine my self-study pace.

 

She will study the first two units of Henle I, I think. I will use the memoria press syllabus and go at that pace. I have to decide if I will skip what will be review for her, or if she'll do a review of what she knows. I want to take it slow and make sure she has it down and mastered. I don't want her fumbling through Latin! I am planning (at this point) to take her all the way through Henle II. The memoria press guide has a 6 year plan to do this. I also would like to incorporate Lingua Latina for reading at some point, but probably not until she is in Henle. I am trying to locate a used copy of Ecce Romani for reading, but I haven't found one yet.

 

I definitely do want to study ahead of my daughter. For the past 2 years we've been studying Latin together and I've been fumbling through it. So, I decided to study it on my own this year and her Latin lessons are going much better as I have a grasp on what she's studying. I want to do the same with Greek.

 

How much time a day does your dh devote to Greek study? I was thinking a half hour a day. I appreciate the heads up on if it will "click" with me, too. I am hoping so! I've studied Chinese and Korean in the past as we lived in Asia, so I'm hoping it won't be anymore difficult, but every language is different! :)

 

Thanks again for your input!:)