First Form Latin - MPOA or DVD / Streaming?

[hhm]

DD is currently working through Latina Christiana with the DVDs. I was thinking of enrolling her with MPOA for FFL next year, but it will make our schedule very tight and to be honest, I love our flexibility...lol! Anyway, I was hoping to hear some thoughts on how 'doable' FFL is with the DVDs. And I also noticed that MP now offers video streaming of lessons with the same (new) teacher from the LC DVDs which is a bonus because DD likes her a lot. I was hoping to give DD some outside accountability / deadlines but it needs to give me some bang for the buck.

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

 

[RootAnn]

I have found FFL to be very doable with the DVDs. I outsourced Second Form to MPOA and found that it wasn't a good fit for us. (I still had to do all the checking of the workbook, the flashcard work, the drilling, the reinforcing of the lesson and it moved SO QUICKLY that DD didn't have a chance to solidify the vocab and some of the later grammar stuff. She started Third Form back at home and it was like she had never seen the stuff in Second Form before - so we had to back up and review. It was so disheartening that we jumped ship & ended up starting Henle 1 from the beginning. Seeing it all again in a different format with lots more translation has been good for her. But, that's our experience. Yours may vary!)

 

There are a few families doing Second Form at home with the DVDs, so I think even that is doable at home. You will either be in a groove by the time you hit Third Form or you will be ready to outsource. I think you can do First Form at home with the DVDs. (Honestly, I love the 1st Form DVD guy, but he does speak REALLY, REALLY fast. And, he's so funny! I was disappointed the 3rd Form guy was different. He isn't nearly as good.)

[GeorgiaH]

We use Second Form Latin with the DVDs. I think they are very helpful and enhance the written lesson material. The instructor does talk too fast for me, but not for my son. I'm the one clicking on the pause button so I can complete whatever oral recitation he has us doing. This year I added a self-paced video option from another provider (also using Second Form Latin). The instructor does speak more slowly, but he doesn't begin to provide the depth of information that the Second Form DVD instructor (Glenn?) provides.  We are unable to take online classes because my son travels frequently for extracurricular activities. I would not be able to take an online class because I need more time and repetition for the material to sink in. We spend a lot of time reviewing flashcards - and I make up more of them (using the oral drills from the teacher manual) to add to the ever expanding collection. We love Latin, and definitely prefer to move at our slower pace with frequent review - but it is helping our retention so far...

[ALB]

We used FFL and are now doing SFL without the DVDs.  I have them, but dd balked at watching the lessons and prefers that I teach her from the TM myself.  It's been very doable, and I enjoy learning along with her.  I'm hoping to continue this method all the way through high school.  I do try to stay a lesson or so ahead of her, but don't always achieve that goal.

[hhm]

Thank you all for the input. I've decided that we will go the DVD / Streaming route for First Form. We already outsource a couple of classes (one new class for next year) and participate in a *very* time consuming extracurricular activity. And as I mentioned in my original post, DD really likes the instructor that does the streaming lectures, so I will  get those as well as the DVDs and see which instructor 'clicks' with DD. After the year with FFL, I should have a better idea of which direction to go with SFL.

 

Thanks again everyone!