Latin after GSWL

[kentuckymom]

I've been doing Getting Started with Latin with my son this year. I think we're on track to finish it by the end of the month, and I'm trying to figure out where to go next.

 

Some background: He's almost 12, in sixth grade, and this is our first year homeschooling. He's dyslexic and isn't great at memorizing things, though he can do it with a lot of work. He does read on grade level, though slowly. 

 

I've looked at Latin Alive!, but I'm afraid it might be too big a step up. Would Latin for Children be too babyish?

 

Any other suggestions?

[Forget-Me-Not]

We've dropped Latin this year, but I liked Galore Park Latin a lot and I found GSWL to be a good intro for it.  The big thing to be aware of, though, is that they list the cases in different orders.  US programs tend to list them one way, UK programs list them another way. Easy enough to tweak once you're aware of it.  I bought mine here: http://www.horriblebooks.com/galoreparkbooklist.htm.  The owner is an absolute delight to work with. 

[Zoo Keeper]

I think that Latin for Children A will probably seem a little too "young" for most 12 year olds.  And Latin Alive moves very quickly... I would suggest: 

 

Latin Prep (mentioned above) 

 

or The Great Latin Adventure

 

or Latin Book One (by Scott and Horn, vintage Latin book and answer key available free for the printing on Yahoo).

 

 

[Hunter]

How strong are YOU in Latin?

 

My Latin suggestions are based more on mom than the student.

[Holly]

Visual Latin--It's video based and the lessons are pretty short. There isn't a ton of vocabulary to memorize and he starts with words that are similar to English for the most part.

[kentuckymom]

Thanks for the tips so far! I think The Great Latin Adventure might be a good fit, but I'm definitely open to more suggestions. I think I've ruled out Latin Alive!, because moving fast is definitely not on the agenda.

 

In answer to Hunter's question, my Latin knowledge is mediocre. I had four years in high school and loved it, but I graduated 23 years ago and haven't used it much since. It's been coming back to me as we've gone through GSWL, but I don't want a program that assumes I'm an awesome Latin teacher.

 

I really wish my son wanted to learn Spanish, because I have an MA in that and many years of teaching experience. However, he absolutely refuses to try Spanish and I want him to learn a language he's excited about. Latin fits the bill in that respect. He's really enjoying it.

[Hunter]

I'd look at Henle. There are videos at Udemy. Sign up for Udemy, put the Henle courses in your wishlist, and wait until they offer them to you for $10.00. Don't pay full price. The instructor is a hotty with a French accent. :lol:

 

Henle is 1950s Catholic school and all the good and bad that goes along with it. It covers a lot that is often taught in English, such as English vocabulary and diagramming sentences. This book was written by a Catholic priest with boots on the ground, teaching real boys, and needing to pound enough Latin in to them that they could participate in their church. He wasn't playing around.

 

This is the book we used most back in the 1990's, with no videos, and with me with a background of just 2 years of dumbed down high school Latin. We'd played around with what was at the library and a small neighborhood bookstore for a bit, but this was the first textbook we really tackled. My son was maybe a late fifth grader or early sixth grader like yours, I think. It was a long time ago.

 

I've dabbled in some other curricula, but always come back to Henle. That priest knew what he was doing.

 

A parent with no Latin at all might do better with a more expensive curriculum with more support. But from what you are telling me, Henle should work for you, unless you find the Catholic parts offensive.

 

I personally want to present Latin speakers of all types to a student. Father Henle was a Latin speaker. A living breathing Latinist. This is his book.

 

I used to collect used Latin textbooks, usually without answer keys, to use as READERS. So my son was exposed to other texts and authors. We didn't try to DO most of them, just read them. So Father Henle and his Catholic focus were not his only exposure to Latin. The father was just ONE of many who had a significant influence on my son. For Latin and other subjects.

 

We used a Jehovah's Witness interlinear Greek Bible. We also used pagan and secular books for out classical studies. We used them all.

 

Often when Henle is mentioned in a thread, questions come up about the Catholicism in it and some people discard it immediately. So I'm just throwing out my opinion for those participating now and those lurking now and years to come when this thread pops up in a search.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Hunter

[Hunter]

I like the Great Courses Latin for mom, if you get a super duper sale offer. The teacher is inspirational. He will motivate you. They can just be watched without mastering the material.

 

My library has free subscription to Mango Languages, and I have the app on my Kindle Fire. This has been good for me to work on my pronunciation. I can keep tapping on words over and over and over and chant along. The Mango app is doing immersion instruction with Caesar, and Henle 1 teaches just 500 words mostly from Caesar. You and maybe even your son playing around with the Mango app, even if it is a bit beyond him will help with pronunciation, matching the Udemy Henley videos.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Hunter

[Hunter]

Check out the Loeb Classics. The red ones are the Latin ones. They are cute pocket sized books with the Latin on one page and the English on the facing page. My son loved those books, and I know of a 9 year old of a member here who loves them too.