Ting Tang Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 If we keep Latin, I am thinking of finishing the year with Minimus. The student book is well-priced, but the Teacher Manuals even used are costly. I understand they provide some background and activity, but I did find a free resource for this series to help with translation. There are free workbooks, dictionaries, etc. I am wondering if it's really necessary for me to get the Teacher Manual at this point. Has anyone used this series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 I was told I needed the teacher's manual, got it through interlibrary loan, decided the whole program was a waste, and did GSWL. So if you want, get it from ILL, but my opinion, as someone who saw it but didn't use it, is meh. My plan is GSWL followed by KGWL (GSWL2), using Duolingo throughout, then Oxford. The only person I've met who speaks and loves Latin told me to use Oxford, the GSWL series is just to make it easier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ting Tang Posted January 29, 2022 Author Share Posted January 29, 2022 3 hours ago, Slache said: I was told I needed the teacher's manual, got it through interlibrary loan, decided the whole program was a waste, and did GSWL. So if you want, get it from ILL, but my opinion, as someone who saw it but didn't use it, is meh. My plan is GSWL followed by KGWL (GSWL2), using Duolingo throughout, then Oxford. The only person I've met who speaks and loves Latin told me to use Oxford, the GSWL series is just to make it easier. Thank you so much. I have only seen a sample of the TM, and I think I will skip spending the money! This is helpful, so I appreciate it. The Primary Latin Project has the workbooks and answer keys for free, so we will just use those resources for now. I think for now, I just need something light-ish to spark an interest. I will have to look at the Oxford series. I thought the Cambridge Latin Program looked nice since it has culture and history built into it, too. My son has never studied ancient Greek/Roman history beyond the myths he's read this year, so just going through First Form Latin hasn't been even intriguing to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 1 hour ago, KrisTom said: Thank you so much. I have only seen a sample of the TM, and I think I will skip spending the money! This is helpful, so I appreciate it. The Primary Latin Project has the workbooks and answer keys for free, so we will just use those resources for now. I think for now, I just need something light-ish to spark an interest. I will have to look at the Oxford series. I thought the Cambridge Latin Program looked nice since it has culture and history built into it, too. My son has never studied ancient Greek/Roman history beyond the myths he's read this year, so just going through First Form Latin hasn't been even intriguing to him. Oxford and Cambridge are very similar. First Form looks awful to me. We did Elementary Greek which is very similar and it was awful. Henle looks less awful. How old is he? I plan to start Oxford in 9th. Big Book of Lively Latin was really popular here for a while. It's similar to Oxford/Cambridge, but for a younger crowd. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ting Tang Posted January 29, 2022 Author Share Posted January 29, 2022 8 hours ago, Slache said: Oxford and Cambridge are very similar. First Form looks awful to me. We did Elementary Greek which is very similar and it was awful. Henle looks less awful. How old is he? I plan to start Oxford in 9th. Big Book of Lively Latin was really popular here for a while. It's similar to Oxford/Cambridge, but for a younger crowd. He is 10 and in the 4th grade. He is very bright and grade levels ahead in certain areas but still doesn't have the maturity of a 50 year old, lol. I think only a certain type of 10-11 year old could go through First Form Latin without hating the language. I really like how Oxford and Cambridge look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 2 minutes ago, KrisTom said: He is 10 and in the 4th grade. He is very bright and grade levels ahead in certain areas but still doesn't have the maturity of a 50 year old, lol. I think only a certain type of 10-11 year old could go through First Form Latin without hating the language. I really like how Oxford and Cambridge look! I agree. Mine is autistic and thrives on Saxon and IEW, but still I think would hate First Form. Enjoy your Minimus! It's cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ting Tang Posted January 29, 2022 Author Share Posted January 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Slache said: I agree. Mine is autistic and thrives on Saxon and IEW, but still I think would hate First Form. Enjoy your Minimus! It's cute. I have a son like that as well and wondered if he’d do better with it, but it’s just a lot for that age group. Memoria Press puts out articles about “lack of fun” in education to explain all of this. It just doesn’t work for us to have it be the opposite, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianthus Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 (edited) I also got Minimus at our library and did not like it. Don't recall all the reasons. I've really like Getting Started with Latin, and my ds10 is halfway through the book. It's very gentle but teaches quite a bit. I'm going to follow with Keep Going With Latin, which I also did with my dd12. We tried CAP Latin for Children. I liked the idea of the story in each lesson and did like their chants in audio and DVD (I still sing "Arma virumque cahh-no!") but the kids did not like to watch the teacher on dvd. I think it was just a lesson overview or mini lecture but they didn't like it, probably 2 yrs ago, so 8 and 10 yrs then. I thought it was too much work and writing for my dd at that age. It is similar to FFL, maybe slightly less writing, but it is certainly more fun with stories and graphics. We gave it up fairly quickly, and I think then found that KGWL was released so dd did it instead. Dd12 is doing First Form Latin this year and doing really well with it. We haven't done the audio or videos for this, just the text and workbook. She does it mostly independently, but I'm really happy with her translations and she is making up her own for fun. My 10 yr old would hate it though. Way too much work for him. Edited January 30, 2022 by Spirea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ting Tang Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 8 hours ago, Spirea said: I also got Minimus at our library and did not like it. Don't recall all the reasons. I've really like Getting Started with Latin, and my ds10 is halfway through the book. It's very gentle but teaches quite a bit. I'm going to follow with Keep Going With Latin, which I also did with my dd12. We tried CAP Latin for Children. I liked the idea of the story in each lesson and did like their chants in audio and DVD (I still sing "Arma virumque cahh-no!") but the kids did not like to watch the teacher on dvd. I think it was just a lesson overview or mini lecture but they didn't like it, probably 2 yrs ago, so 8 and 10 yrs then. I thought it was too much work and writing for my dd at that age. It is similar to FFL, maybe slightly less writing, but it is certainly more fun with stories and graphics. We gave it up fairly quickly, and I think then found that KGWL was released so dd did it instead. Dd12 is doing First Form Latin this year and doing really well with it. We haven't done the audio or videos for this, just the text and workbook. She does it mostly independently, but I'm really happy with her translations and she is making up her own for fun. My 10 yr old would hate it though. Way too much work for him. I think some may think Minimus appears to be "light," or maybe some are turned off by the graphic/comic strip approach? It wouldn't be my first choice for myself, but my son's reaction was very positive. Yes, FFL is just so much. He was doing all of the drills, but he really was not retaining any of it. The DVDs are not geared towards children at all, so I think your approach is good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 If you get Cambridge, there is an online supplement that is well worth it, because it includes links to the history and museum artifacts. It also has some nice interactive activities. One thing to keep in mind about Cambridge. As a Latin teacher friend of mine put it, it is designed to make middle School boys pay attention in Latin. So, you have stories about dirty jokes, a person getting drunk and thinking a painted lion was a real one and similar things that kind of give a Monty Python feel to it. If you have a Doctor Who fan, the family in the "Fires of Pompeii episode is the family in the Cambridge Latin series. And it answers how they suddenly moved from the city to the country between stages-the Doctor did it! We did Minimus/Minimus Secundus w/o the teacher's guide before starting Cambridge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 We liked the Teacher's Guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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