Latin curriculum after Song School Latin 2

[Texas Mama]

My son who has just turned 6 has completed about 1/3 of the Song School Latin 2. He likes this curriculum and he wants to continue to learn Latin, but I am just not sure what curriculum would be best for him after SSL 2. Has anyone used Getting Started With Latin for this age? What Latin curriculum do people transition to after SSL for my son’s age? 

[LostintheCosmos]

I'm using UD's new Latin through Stories with my 6yo. 

[cintinative]

We used Latin for Children but it's really designed to be started around 3rd grade when the child starts formal grammar.  If the child is unable to identify nouns and verbs, learning formal Latin is going to be hard.

I think my youngest was in 3rd grade when we started it.  

From Latin for Children we did Latin Alive! You might want to think about if you want to go that long with Latin though. We got pretty burned out.  

[HomeAgain]

We didn't use SSL (my son hated SSSpanish), and I think he did GSWL in second grade.  Before that he used Latin's Not So Tough (book 1 and 3 - there is significant overlap in 2) and a little bit of Legonium.

I'll ditto needing a good understanding of grammar for GSWL.  DS was able to diagram simple sentences before starting and had a good idea of what each part of speech did.  There were no surprises for him, but I did make him blank verb charts to fill out - first as he went along, and then weekly or so as a reminder.

[caffeineandbooks]

I'm using GSWL this year with 10 and 12 year olds, and I chose it precisely because they would have hated SSL.  SSL (and LFC) use lots of songs, games and activities to make it "fun" and engage different types of learners.  GSWL is a no frills program that introduces one word or grammar concept each day and provides 10 sentences to translate that use the new information and review the old.  It takes us around 10 minutes.  I love it to bits, but it would not be my first choice for a young learner who loved Song School.

[caffeineandbooks]

2 hours ago, LostintheCosmos said:

I'm using UD's new Latin through Stories with my 6yo. 

I had not heard of this, thank you for sharing 🙂

[8filltheheart]

Not what you asked, but I personally would see if you could take his energy and direct it toward a spoken language.  Latin learning is controlled by grammatical understanding.  Latin grammar is significantly more complex than English, French, Spanish, or German.  I have an adult dd who loves all things languages, and based on her studies, I would only put Russian grammar on par with Latin grammar.   

Studying at such a controlled pace means extending simple Latin over yrs.  It can make it a drudge after a few yrs.  You can't get to the really interesting aspects bc it is controlled by concepts you haven't yet mastered.  (FWIW, the earliest I am willing to do Latin with my kids, even my gifted ones, is 6th.)

With a spoken language, you don't have to restrict progress to written or reading expression.  Listening and speaking can progress to a completely unbalanced level with the other 2, just like with a native language.

[Quarter Note]

This was a recommendation from another boardie a few years ago:

Telling Tales in Latin

My kids really enjoyed it as a fun review.  If your son is only six, unless he is particularly driven, any of the heavier grammar-based Latin may be a little much (as many others have said above).  But this little storybook might keep his interest alive for a year or so until his English grammar catches up.  (You will need to download the errata sheet, but once you take about ten minutes or so to mark up all the changes, you'll be good to go.)

Let's see, Roman Roads Media also has a Latin Readers series called Picta Dicta that might serve the same purpose (though I've never used any of them):

https://romanroadspress.com/latin/

(They're a little pricy, but they always have some sales that you can watch for.)

 

[LostintheCosmos]

I want to add that I agree with what 8 says above - if you are going to follow a traditional grammar-translation approach to Latin, which is what the vast majority of Latin programs do. I have seen many, many homeschool families start Latin young and burn out in late elementary/middle school years.

However, there are ways of teaching Latin that approach it more like how we teach modern languages, and I think these can be appropriate for younger children. But there are not the same number of easy-to-use resources available to homeschoolers to support that approach. The new program from UD that I linked to is one, the most complete that I have seen and also totally scripted, which is why I am very excited about it. There are additional optional grammar lessons with it, but you don't have to use those and I do not with my elementary aged students. No one here gets formal Latin grammar instruction until 6th grade. 

Edited August 2, 2023 by LostintheCosmos

[mellifera33]

 

2 hours ago, LostintheCosmos said:

 

However, there are ways of teaching Latin that approach it more like how we teach modern languages, and I think these can be appropriate for younger children. But there are not the same number of easy-to-use resources available to homeschoolers to support that approach. The new program from UD that I linked to is one, the most complete that I have seen and also totally scripted, which is why I am very excited about it. There are additional optional grammar lessons with it, but you don't have to use those and I do not with my elementary aged students. No one here gets formal Latin grammar instruction until 6th grade. 

I Speak Latin by Drew Campbell is another example of this type of program. 

[LostintheCosmos]

21 minutes ago, mellifera33 said:

I Speak Latin by Drew Campbell is another example of this type of program. 

Yes! There's also a really good, but not-as-scripted, book from the Polis Institute, Unus Duo Tres. And ever increasing amounts of simple comprehensible Latin on youtube. I made a list of some of these resources a few years ago, but it could use updating - the 12yo mentioned there is now a 15yo heading into AP Latin this year. Tempus fugit! 

[Nichola]

On 7/31/2023 at 1:27 PM, LostintheCosmos said:

I'm using UD's new Latin through Stories with my 6yo. 

We are using this too, and so far I really like it. It teaches through songs, stories and picture studies. It’s also scripted, so it’s okay if the teacher is learning Latin at the same time. There is an optional workbook for 3rd grade and up, but for younger kids, you just do oral lessons, nothing written. 

[8filltheheart]

It is awesome that a 15 yo is taking AP Latin. 

I just want the OP, who has a 6 yo, to understand that an older student can get to AP Latin with 3 yrs of intentional study, 4 with a looser approach (meaning taking AP in the 4th or 5th yr.)  It doesn't take 9 yrs to get to that pt. But, if Latin spread out slowly over multiple yrs is the language goal, go for it. (For some families, Latin is a main educational objective.). That is great if that is the approach desired. 

[LostintheCosmos]

16 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

It is awesome that a 15 yo is taking AP Latin. 

I just want the OP, who has a 6 yo, to understand that an older student can get to AP Latin with 3 yrs of intentional study, 4 with a looser approach (meaning taking AP in the 4th or 5th yr.)  It doesn't take 9 yrs to get to that pt. But, if Latin spread out slowly over multiple yrs is the language goal, go for it. (For some families, Latin is a main educational objective.). That is great if that is the approach desired. 

This is true, and I'd reiterate that my 15yo started Latin grammar study in 6th grade - we have not spread grammar study out slowly over years and years. Still, it seems to me if there is value in starting a modern language in elementary school, there can be value in starting Latin then if the methods you select are appropriate. 

[Maria327]

On 7/31/2023 at 11:27 AM, LostintheCosmos said:

I'm using UD's new Latin through Stories with my 6yo. 

Wow, I looked into this after I read your post and just bought it. It looks great--I'm so excited! Thank you!