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Can you help us get on the right track with Latin?


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I am hoping to get my third grade son on the right track with Latin. There are so many different resources out there -- I have looked into many of them -- but I am hoping that someone with experience can point us in a good direction. 

Things to consider:

1. My son is dyslexic.

2. He is also highly gifted and -- more importantly, I think -- really wants to learn Latin (and then Greek). He's very motivated.

3. We have the Minimus book. We like it, but it seems to be vocabulary-based. Should I choose a Latin resource that is focused on grammar? If so, which do you recommend? I would like something with a clear progression that will prepare him for high school level study of Latin later on.

5. He is currently working through the Well-Trained Mind Writing With Ease 2 and First Language Lessons 3. He's doing very well and enjoys both. I personally like the length of the lessons -- I feel like we make progress every day, but no individual lesson is too long. Something of comparable length, clearly laid out like WWE or FLLs would be ideal. 

Thank you for any resources or advice!

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I really like Lively Latin, and it has a very incremental approach. My girls have done Big Book 1 in about two school years and Big Book 2 in about three school years (DD#2 will finish it next year). DD#1 moved from there to Wheelock's and is doing very well with it.

However, I have no experience with dyslexia, so I can't offer any thoughts on how well it would work for a dyslexic student. I also can't compare with other programs, as this is the only one we've used.

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3 hours ago, valleyhillfamily said:

We have the Minimus book.

The only thing good about Minimus is the mouse.  Seriously--I couldn't figure out how to teach it coherently.

Take a look at Lively Latin.  I found it to be extremely logical and my son (in grades 2 and 3) loved it.  It goes particularly well with MCT (Island and Town levels).

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1 hour ago, EKS said:

The only thing good about Minimus is the mouse.  Seriously--I couldn't figure out how to teach it coherently.

Take a look at Lively Latin.  I found it to be extremely logical and my son (in grades 2 and 3) loved it.  It goes particularly well with MCT (Island and Town levels).

Thank you! Lively Latin did not come up in my research, and I like what I see already. 

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Hi, I had a post earlier (check the second page) about the Latin resource we're using, which is really nice, "Telling Tales in Latin". If you do get it, I'd strongly recommend using the free Teacher's Guide as there are a few errors in the text. Plus it provides activities. It's very gentle, I think. I also used Minimus for a bit and it was too tricky, I agree.

http://irisproject.org.uk/index.php/resources/latin/telling-tales-in-latin-teachers-guide

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@lovelearnandlive If you don't mind my asking, why did you switch to Wheelock's in 7th instead of continuing Memoria Press and doing Third Form? I have twin 4th graders working through First Form right now, and I'm looking forward and considering what to do with them in a few years. I'm just curious why the jump to Wheelock.

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She started

4 hours ago, keirin said:

@lovelearnandlive If you don't mind my asking, why did you switch to Wheelock's in 7th instead of continuing Memoria Press and doing Third Form? I have twin 4th graders working through First Form right now, and I'm looking forward and considering what to do with them in a few years. I'm just curious why the jump to Wheelock.

She started Lukeion classes that year and that is what they use. I love the Form series though, and if she hadn’t been ready to switch to Wheelock’s she would have done Third Form. 

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My kids loved Song School Latin around 3rd grade.  It didn't require a lot of writing and the songs were fun and memorable.   We did both levels at a rapid clip as the primary audience is a bit younger.   A friend had recommended it since I was looking for something fun not necessarily academic/rigorous.  BUT! I think we got more from it than we would have gotten from the other beginning Latin I've seen .  I'll try to explain why I would recommend something geared toward younger kids for a gifted/advanced kid: 

We were doing MCT grammar at the time and as they learned Latin words I'd sometimes use the Latin word to replace a word in normal conversation.  They started doing it too and we made lots of connections about grammar (using what they were learning in MCT), and Latin, and language, etc. that way.   I think this approach could work really well for a dyslexic child.  It takes out a lot of reading/writing and allows them to have fun and making lots of really cool connections (that a gifted kid would have fun doing) with roots to English words and the Latin sayings spark a lot of connections in the following years.  

Also,  I was in a better position to pick a more formal type Latin study after this because I could pick something that better fit with their style of learning.  

At some point, we did the Classical Academic Press "Greek Code Cracker" book to learn the Greek letters, sounds, and how to write them.  That was fun and a great experience too that has had lasting connections even though I don't think either of my kids will have the time/interest to study Greek further.  

 

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