How do you fit Latin into your schedule

[jgrabuskie]

I have read in a few places that many substitute Latin for English Grammar, Spelling, and Vocabulary. 

 

How much time do you spend per day on Latin?

 

Our schedule is pretty full now and I am trying to wrap my head around how I am going to incorporate this subject next year, 4th grade.

 

3rd grade Schedule

Math Facts

Math

Reading

Writing

Grammar

Spelling

Vocabulary

Science/History 

German (3rd,4th,5th)

Read Aloud

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If you feel your schedule is too full, you can always put it off for a couple of more years since he's taking German.  

 

I'll just give you a look at how our fourth grade is going:

 

- first thing in the AM- independent reading from book basket I create

- 2x/wk written narration of the history/science from the basket.  The other days, oral narration

- math with mom

- English spelling with mom

- French spelling, conjugation, grammar with mom

- German duolingo independantly 

 

Break and Lunch

 

- Content of some kind- geography, history, science, literature, or creative writing

- memory work

 

Free Time

 

- After dinner, German with dad

2x a week German tutor for 45 minutes in the morning

 

 

 

Are you doing every single thing on your list every single day?  Maybe switch some of those to only 2-3x a week?  For example, during out content block, we just do one thing.  But since they are getting additional content in their reading baskets, I don't worry about that.  

[Miss Tick]

To keep the languages separate I would do Latin first thing in the morning for ~20 minutes. Try to limit math facts to 10 minutes. We did grammar 4 days a week and spelling 3 days a week. We have never done vocabulary as a separate subject, although I'm thinking about adding it in middle school to cover words we won't run into together going forward. We do read aloud as part if bedtime, so it doesn't feel like school. I assume you are alternating history and science on different days?

[2_girls_mommy]

In 3rd grade with Prima Latina, we had one day of latin instruction with the full lesson. We listened to the CD, learned the new words, practiced the prayer and or song, etc.

 

Then the other days of the week it was just a quick practice the 5 vocab words once or twice and do the prayer at the table for meals. There wasn't actually any time scheduled into the day for it except for the one lesson a week.

 

In 4th grade we moved to LCI, and we had a full lesson at co-op, plus an hour of Latin club at co-op to cover history, culture, extra vocab, study for the ELEs. so 2 hrs once a week that I planned for.

 

Then the rest of the week, there was one day where dd was responsible for listening to her CD and saying her words with her flashcards. (5-10 min tops,) one day when she was to do the worksheet, 2o min tops, and another day of flashcard practice. We also sometimes did the vocab practice in the car with the CD on the way to other things instead of during the day.

 

I never did Latin instead of English, but most definitely some of our English output was lessened by the fact that so much was covered in Latin. We work through a text each year, but can often just do R&S orally (as she suggests in WTM,) because they understand it so well. We do all writing assignments most of the time from R&S, plus from other sources each year.

[TheAttachedMama]

We do Latin in our "morning time".   We only spend (on average) 15-20 minutes per day on Latin.   At this point, i still teach English grammar separately.   However, we don't do a formal vocabulary program.   (They get plenty of this informally through reading, audiobooks, and Latin derivatives.)   For our 3rd/4th grade year we are using SSL 2 which is VERY light and easy to fit in.   The kids can almost do it independently.   We do GSWL and GSWF together durring our morning time a few days per week.   

 

I have both a 3rd and 4th grade (plus a 3 year old).   I loved reading Monica's day.   Our day is somewhat similar.   This is how our week goes.   Again, a full schedule, but it FEELS very restful and peaceful.  

 

8AM Morning Time (my husband leaves for work at 8AM like clockwork, so we just use this as a natural "peg" for starting our day too.)

Sing a Song to get those endorphins flowing!   :)   (Right now we are singing Veni, Veni Emanuel for Christmas / Latin hehehe)

Bible Devotions / History

Latin  (Monday:  SSL 2 DVD, other days GSWL)

French

 

9AM ish:  Math for an hour

Mama Teaches Math Lesson and works examples, big kids work on workbook independently.   I read to my 3-year-old while they do this.

 

10AM ish:   Rotations with mama (1.5 hours each kid):   (The other kid plays with the 3year old and eats snacks)

ANKI Flashcards (Latin vocab, French vocab, history, science, poetry, bible verses, art, music, geography, etc. etc.)-15 mins

Oral Reading from McGruffy Readers-15 mins

Then Loop the following for 60 mins:

4th Grader:  All About Spelling 4, Junior Analytical Grammar, Writing: W&R Fable or History Narrations for 

3rd Grader:  Apples and Pears B, FLL 3, WWE 2 or History Narrations

 

1PMish:   Lunch  

After lunch, we essentially have all of our most important subjects completed.   Which feels NICE!   We are extroverts, so many times we have a field trip with other homeschool kids in the afternoon.  (Nature walks, museum trip, class at the zoo, etc.)    One day per week, we meet with another family to do Chemistry and Art.

 

But on days when I am home...

 

1:30PM:  Outside Time and Cleaning

When it isn't raining, I have the kids bundle up and take their little brother outside to play.   Inside, I make some tea, put on my audiobook or podcast, and clean the house.   I find this relaxing.  

 

2:30PM   Quiet Time / Reading

3 year old goes down for his nap, and the big kids have "book basket" time.  Their book basket is stocked with 5 books in it plus their bible.  After they read all 5, I refill it.   Some of our "books" are actually audiobooks too.   That way they aren't limited to books that they can read.   (Our five book categories are:  A history book or historical fiction, a science/technology/nature/math book, a biography, a classic book, a "for fun book" that they help pick.)  

 

I also light a candle, make another cup of tea, and then sit down to read my book.     (On days when we have field trips, they pack their book basket and read in the car.  But I try to make sure book basket time happens on most days.) 

 

3:30PM  Independent Work:

Kids have time to finish their independent work if they haven't already finished.  As soon as they are finished, they can go and play with the neighborhood kids, so sometimes they sometimes work on this early in the morning before we officially start school.   Other times they do these things while they are "watching" their little brother durring our morning rotation time.  

Independent Work:

Piano Practice

Duolingo (French)

Typing Practice

Listen to Song School Latin Playlist (M, T, W, ) Latin Workbook pages ®, Latin Copywork (F)

Fix any math problems that you missed in workbook

Xtra math for math facts

practice AWANA verses

 

4:30PM until Dark:
Play outside with Friends from neighborhood

 

5:30PM-I start dinner.   In the summer months, the kids are usualy still outside playing.   But in the winter months, it is usually too dark by this time.  The big kids are allowed to ask for TV or screen time.  (If they ask before this, they aren't allowed to have it at all.)   I use this time to cook dinner.

 

6:00PM or whenever dinner is close to being finished:  Kids come up and do their dinner chores.  This sets a natural limit for screen time.  (set table, light candles, 

 

After dinner we do clean up as a family....then brush teeth, then we do our read aloud before bed.  

8:00PM-BED

 

Edited December 12, 2016 by TheAttachedMama

[Bluegoat]

Hmm, so I haven't tried to do this in quite the same way, so I am not sure how timings would work out, but here is how I would approach it.

 

So, for grammar, spelling, and vocab, how much time do you spend now?  If I were looking to add Latin, I would totally drop vocab, and probably spelling (depending especially what program) and I would incorporate English grammar into the Latin or into the writing, or really both. 

 

Timewise, it would be a wash teaching-time wise.  What might take longer could be time spent memorizing vocabulary, but that would also depend on the student.  I might expect to go a little slower in German the first year of adding Latin.

[Guest]

GSWL takes so little time compared to Martha Wilson's Latin primer, which was what I used with my now-20somethings. ds8 and I do it orally during our couch time break from heavy academic subjects. I use it open-and-go so no teacher prep and maybe 5-20 minutes of ds' time.

 

English grammar is negotiable if he's doing well with languages. Languages can go back on the shelf for extended breaks when they aren't fun any more, but then English grammar becomes non-negotiable until he picks the languages back up again.

 

With my big kids, I have my rose coloured 20/20 hindsight "helena handbasket" "get off my lawn" glasses on as well as not the greatest memory in the world, but it was lots of teacher prep since I didn't have any Latin background at all and probably 30-45 minutes of their time. We wanted Shurley English, couldn't afford it, and made do with Daily Grams/Easy Grammar. They did Daily Grams independently and Easy Grammar wasn't a big time commitment once they had their prepositions down cold. We didn't have a TV or do a lot of things "normals" do for fun and we enjoyed Latin so it got done.

Edited December 12, 2016 by Guest

[tmstranger]

I have read in a few places that many substitute Latin for English Grammar, Spelling, and Vocabulary. 

 

How much time do you spend per day on Latin?

 

Our schedule is pretty full now and I am trying to wrap my head around how I am going to incorporate this subject next year, 4th grade.

 

3rd grade Schedule

Math Facts

Math

Reading

Writing

Grammar

Spelling

Vocabulary

Science/History 

German (3rd,4th,5th)

Read Aloud

 

My kids have 4 "daily" subjects: Math, Handwriting practice, Spanish, and Latin.  They do these each day.  All of the other subjects are on a rotation.  Science/History rotate and All of the language arts subjects are looped with the exception of reading (b/c they do have quiet reading time each day and our discussion is not a "subject," but happens more naturally).  "Specials" like art, music, and health are rotated, too.

 

Oh, I almost forgot, we do read aloud as part of our morning basket time along with memory work.

[MinivanMom]

We wait until 5-6th grade for Latin. By then we are done with subjects like cursive and spelling and they are old enough to spend more time working each day. 

 

We devote an hour to Latin daily. My kids have needed that much time to make good progress.

[jgrabuskie]

Thank you for the awesome feedback.

 

We do all I mentioned every day. The exceptions being History and Science which I rotate every 9 weeks.  Grammar/Spelling /Vocabulary takes 20 minutes tops. DS8 is really good at these subjects, I don't even study spelling words with him. He can glance at the words, score 100% and spell them forever. I wish DS20 was like that--that was a nightmare I am so glad I don't deal with anymore...

 

My plans were to do German 3/4/5 and French 6/7/8. Then DS8 can pick a language of his choice for HS. Read Aloud, we do at bedtime typically unless we are going to be out. Math Facts are about 5-10 minutes per day/4 days a week. Math, I try to stick to 45 minutes. Writing about 1 paragraph per week: 1-day brainstorm, 1-day write draft; 1-day revise.

 

My thoughts for 4th grade was to substitute Latin for his Grammar/Spelling/Vocabulary block. Now, the big question what is a good Latin curriculum for a teacher that has no idea about Latin, for a 4th grader, and that we can do in about 20-30 minutes per day?

 

 

[2_girls_mommy]

Definitely Latina Christiana can be done in 20 min a day, minus the history portion. If you are so inclined to add the culture/history, that could go in your read aloud time.

 

The grammar in LC is light. I am teaching it right now to a co-op class.  We are through about week 10 for this semester. We have covered pronouns, nouns, verbs, and declining nouns and conjugating verbs of which the last two don't really apply much to English.  There is a lot of vocabulary work. You definitely don't need another program for that. It spends a lot of time on derivatives and meanings, so that is a big focus which I like of doing Latin.

[The Governess]

I would drop vocabulary. Possibly spelling if you have a natural speller. I would not drop English grammar. Latin will help with teaching the function of words/phrases/clauses in sentences. But it will not cover mechanics, English-specific usage, etc.

 

You could also wait until middle school to start, especially since you are already studying German. Once you start that second language it will take up precious space in your schedule going forward.

[Hunter]

The couple years when my youngest was studying Latin and Greek most intensively, the only subjects done every day and taught explicitly with texts were Latin, Greek and math. Everything else got unschooled. We did a lot of documentaries during snack time.

 

I'm not saying it is what we should have done, but it is what we DID do.

 

Eventually we dropped the Latin to focus more on the Ancient Greek and to leave more time for composition writing.

 

Our Bible-as-a-textbook and classical language centered periods barely overlapped.

 

There is seldom time to do all of what everyone else is doing. We have to pick and choose. If you don't have a lot of oversight, it is okay to skips things for an entire year to focus on fewer things per year.

[SarahW]

Also worth considering is that some Latin programs are "fuller" than others. Some programs have half the book be an English book on Roman history, archeology, and mythology (a lot of British programs - I think because these subjects are rolled together with Latin in their exam system). Some books spend a lot of time with English grammar and syntax and derivatives - LfC tends to be this way, as well as some other grammar-translation programs. Some assume that the student already knows all those things, and just skips them.

 

What you can cut out or streamline overall, then, depends a lot on what Latin curriculum you choose. Since LfC is a very full program, at the moment I do not do separate spelling, vocab, or grammar. I sometimes pull out spelling/vocab/grammar programs and do an "intensive" for a few weeks if I think he needs to work on something like prepositional phrases. I also do spurts of instruction in mechanics. But I have a kid who would not want to do those things every day, and he doesn't need to do them every day anyways (tbh). Latin helps me sneak in a lot of things he would otherwise complain about.  :sneaky2: