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Galore Park's "So You Really Want to Learn Latin" series


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I have had my 9th grade son using Book 1 of "So You Really Want to Learn Latin" this year for his Latin I. He'd studied Latin in the past, using Prima Latin and Latina Christiana so he had some Latin experience. The book has been ok I guess. I have a Latin background as I took 4 years of it in high school (many, many moons ago). I like how the book is set up, no-nonsense, very straight forward. I was worried it wouldn't be enough Latin as it's only 10 chapters, but I feel those 10 chapters are pretty detailed, especially in terms of grammar instruction. Unfortunately, Latin has been the one subject that keeps getting pushed off til later as he's had other subjects that needed more attention. So Latin for the summer it is. 

But as I'm planning next year, I am undecided as to what we should do. Just continue on with Galore Park for continuity's sake? Is this really detailed enough for high school? He is tolerating Latin but truly just hates foreign languages. He's just doing this as the colleges he is looking at require a minimum of 2 years foreign language in high school. One thing he really doesn't like about Galore Park is the vocabulary: angry farmers, singing farmers, sailors with gifts for girls, etc etc. LOTS of farmers and sailors. 

Is the vocabulary in book 2 more interesting? What would be a good supplement to Book 2 if we continue? For those who have used this as a high school curriculum, did you get any questions from college admissions regarding it's rigor? Like I said, foreign language is not his strong suit, I hate it but we are really just checking off boxes for foreign language. Ugh. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just saw this! I started with about 20 minutes of Getting Started with Latin in the fall with my 9th grade son not sure how it would go, whether he would like Latin, etc. Turns out he really likes Latin and will do the work (4-5 days per week) necessary to really understand it. I found out very quickly that GSWL would NOT be enough to call the year Latin 1 for High School. I found this out by looking at other schools' Latin programs and syllabi. So, I supplemented starting in January and upped his workload to about 45 min-1 hour, 4 to 5 days a week.  I added in So You Really Want to Learn Latin Level 1, Quizlet for vocabulary practice, Big Book of Lively Latin for better vocabulary and reinforcement (plus great work with derivitives and history/culture), homemade noun declension sheets that are done daily, extra verb translating practice (2-3x per week), and Greenleaf's Famous Men of Rome with Study Guide for history and culture. 

So, yes I supplemented, lol., and if I had just started with SYRWTLL  I would have still supplemented! The grammar foundation is solid with SYWTLL, imo,  but there may not be enough exercises  to really cement the concepts (?) Also, there is that vocabulary issue—ugh! Quizlet and Lively Latin helps there. The history/culture piece is very lacking as well, so..... I supplement.

Now, my DS actually loves Latin and history (writing, literature, and math are totally different stories!!) If your son doesn't like Latin, or foreign languages at all, you may want to look at some of the other approaches to teaching Latin that are less grammatically based and more whole language/immersion based. These books start out like stories typically with a family and their experiences. Vocabulary is definitely richer, more varied and relateable in contrast to SYWTLL. The "story" and daily life events woven throughout the chapters may hold his interest better than a "straight" grammatical approach. Many online providers and high schools use these books so they will qualify as Latin I, Latin II, etc. Publishers/programs to look for would be Oxford Latin Course or Cambridge Latin Course.

Also, you may want to look at Visual Latin. It's online with pdf worksheets. I'm not sure how far Visual Latin goes, however. Basically, from my research, I expect my DS to have encountered in Latin 1: 4 noun declensions and at least 3 verb conjugations, as well as 100's of vocabulary words in all parts of speech (including adjective usage) and at least three verb tenses. He translates every session. We are not there yet so we will work through the summer. I prefer mastery to speed, lol.

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