Latina Christiana 1 or First Form?

[Linda (Australia)]

We completed Prima Latina and part of LC1 a few years ago. Since we moved interstate, Latin studies fell by the wayside, but I wanted to pick them up again this year, planning to move through LC1, 1st and 2nd Form over the next couple of years.

However, my 16 year old may now be headed for a Catholic college next year. This now gives me 15 weeks to get back into Latin and fit in as much as we can!

I'd like at least to give her a basic understanding of Latin, without pushing too hard. in our 15 weeks, would you do LC1 or First Form? I'm thinking we are more likely to complete LC1, but wonder if it wouldn't be better to jump into First Form and get as much done as we can.

Thoughts?

Linda in Australia.

[MamaSprout]

For a high schooler, maybe even look at Henle.

Edited September 17, 2016 by elladarcy

[coffeegal]

Of the two, I'd go with First Form.

 

I'm using currently using it with my 8th grade and loving the system. The DVD lectures are informative and interesting. He tosses subtle jokes into the lectures that have all teens in the vicinity grinning. So far the vocabulary words have been words which relate easily to English derivatives. My son is doing well and I've been able to easily keep up myself.

 

More importantly, First Form hammers the basic Latin grammar you need to know. If you can finish the first 3 units (20 weeks), You'll have covered the entire 1st conjugation system and the 1st and 2nd noun declensions. Since you're working with a high school teen, you may even be able to move more quickly and finish the book. In that case you'll cover the 3rd, 4th, and 5th noun declensions as well as the 2nd verb conjugations.

 

First Form Latin is thorough without being overwhelming.

[wapiti]

Editing totally, I missed the part about just 15 weeks.  GSWL is absolutely the way to go, IMO.  I'd do multiple lessons in a day and then just 1-2 lessons per day for the second half of the book.  (There are 134 lessons total IIRC; it gets harder after lesson 50.)  It is the most efficient introduction to Latin out there and it'll be very helpful for a student starting a full high school course afterward.

 

Just wondering, how is aiming for a Catholic college relevant?  Are they requiring Latin?  In the US, the Catholic colleges don't which foreign language was studied nor will they require Latin.

Edited September 18, 2016 by wapiti

[RootAnn]

I'd do Getting Started with Latin. It will give her an understanding of the big picture without a breakneck pace.

If you have to choose between LC & the Forms series, I'd do First Form without all the worksheets - just having her understand the grammar, do the chants, and work through the vocab from a grammar perspective & not from a memorization perspective.

[frogger]

The Form Series is very thorough and thus the slow pace. It is super drill and kill. :) My son is doing 4th form this year but you aren't heading for fluency in such a short time and she is going to forget a lot since she doesn't have time for it to be drilled into the depths of her soul. ;) Perhaps something more interesting giving some overall basics and interesting tidbits that are more memorable. Getting the basic idea of Conjugations and Declensions down and seeing Latin sayings used and affects on modern English. I don't have a recommendation though.

[frogger]

Oh, I just saw RootAnn's reply. I would second that if you use the Form series.

[Linda (Australia)]

Editing totally, I missed the part about just 15 weeks.  GSWL is absolutely the way to go, IMO.  I'd do multiple lessons in a day and then just 1-2 lessons per day for the second half of the book.  (There are 134 lessons total IIRC; it gets harder after lesson 50.)  It is the most efficient introduction to Latin out there and it'll be very helpful for a student starting a full high school course afterward.

 

Just wondering, how is aiming for a Catholic college relevant?  Are they requiring Latin?  In the US, the Catholic colleges don't which foreign language was studied nor will they require Latin.

 

She's going to be doing a LIberal Arts certificate - Latin is not required but would be very helpful :) 

[Jane Elliot]

Well, definitely not LCI. It's very slow-paced and very elementary. It's perfect for the child in 3rd-6th grade, but I wouldn't use it for a student beyond that. First Form is a good option. Another option, if she's not rock-solid on her English grammar, would be the Latin Road to English Grammar. A thorough grasp of grammar makes all the difference for a Latin student. 

[Janeway]

If she is 16 yrs old, I would go with First Form. My son did First, Second, and Third Form Latin. LC is too young for a 16 yr old. I did not like how busy and old Henle looked.

[Jane Elliot]

Do you know which text the college uses? I wonder if she might do better just starting slowly with that and getting familiar with the layout and vocabulary.

[Bonnie]

I would recommend Henle First Year Latin. The four Forms, basically equivalent to Henle First Year, were written so that children could start learning Latin at a younger age, as young as 5th grade. They were modeled on the content of the Henle Grammar. Henle is a high school level text and would be more suitable to the pace that a 16-year-old can follow. In 15 weeks, if your daughter wished, she could potentially cover more ground in Henle than is taught in First Form.  However, your decision between Henle and First Form might rest on how much time she has to devote to Latin now.

 

Henle has a certain but not overwhelming amount of Christian content that might prove beneficial to her considering her college plans. It is a classic textbook that has stood the test of time. The text, the Grammar, and the Answer Key are very affordable.

 

I think that is a great suggestion made by someone else to find out the college's Latin textbook. Many colleges use Wheelock's. But be aware that it was written for college-age students and moves quite briskly. I think however much she can do in Henle would give her the best foundation for her college studies.

 

Best of luck to her in her Latin studies and college career!

Bonnie

http://secondyearlatin.com/

 

[Reefgazer]

We took Latin slow and easy here, but LC is way to slow/light for a 16 year old.  First Form Latin standing alone or doing it double time and completing Second Form in the same time might work.  But I second what another poster above about looking at Henle.  I do understand the attraction for the Forms series - they have excellent teacher materials, tests, videos, and layout.  In fact, we are using the Third and Fourth Forms, augmented, for high school.  But I wouldn't consider LC for high school.

Edited September 18, 2016 by reefgazer