KristineinKS Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 We started our semester with Matin Latin & already I hate it. The kids think it's ok (except my dd who's 8/4th grade, it makes her *cry*), but I'm finding it super confusing which makes it very hard to teach. I'm tempted to switch to Latina Christiana because I love the idea of having DVD's, games, etc. to reinforce the lessons, however I'm wondering if it's too 'young' for my 6th grader? Will he be way too behind if we use it? If so, is there a better program (with lots of teaching aids!) for this age range? I've made myself crazy reading reviews of all the different programs & have no clue anymore! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 When your 6th grader finishes LC I & II, he can move on to Henle or another high school level program (or you could spend a year/half-year in middle school or supplemental program). LC is very straightforward; there's nothing 'young' about the presentation. It's actually a bit dry used exactly as presented, but we find it easy to add some games and variety. I have found it to be very thorough and effective. Now, I'm not as sure about your 4th grader - - she's 8? That's quite young for halfway thru 4th grade. If she's struggling with another basic Latin program, I'm not sure that switching to LC is the answer. I definitely find the DVDs make it easier for me as the teacher, and my kids do like them, but it is a straightforward teaching of the lesson. Sometimes some background or hints that aren't in the book, but no bells and whistles. It's just her standing there talking, or words/examples printed on the screen. My dd is an 8 yr old 3rd grader. She's actually doing LC II - - she does well, but it's not without problems. She and her sis, 5th grade, started in Prima together. That and LC I both went quite well, but this year is definitely harder to balance. LC II ramps up the writing and the difficulty. This is fine for the 5th grader, who is moving into logic stage abilities, but much harder for the 3rd grader, who can't handle all the writing. We adapt and do a good bit orally for her, but it frustrates her to see big sis moving along so smoothly. It makes her doubt how well she is doing (and she is doing well; she nails the vocab and recitations better than sis OR me!). You might want to consider a separate program for her (which I am going to next year). Another possibility is to have her just learn the vocab and paradigms in LC 1 this year - - she would be able to recite and play games with her brother, and next year you could either have her move on to LC II or do LC I with the written work. I don't know, I just personally think that a gap of more than a year makes it hard to keep kids together in many subjects when the oldest moves into the logic stage. We COULD do one program next year, but it would be a combo of holding the oldest to a slower pace and pushing the younger along a bit quicker than is ideal. At some point, it just becomes easier to quit tweaking and do separate programs! I do definitely recommend LC as a program. We do use the CD and the DVDs, and we're about to add in Lingua Angelica. We don't have the games book, but only because I have too much in the way of Latin supplements as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 My daughter, when she was 8, was doing LCI. Really, she did as well as her sister...3 years older. All three of my girls started together... 8, 11, 14 and now at 10, 13, 16, they're doing Henle I. My youngest really is find doing Henle at 10. The only thing I would say is for you to do it with them, and have them practice flashcards on a schedule. Something that really helps is to have a day and time each week...even easier with another family. If you do it with another family then you are less tempted to "skip" your lesson for the week. (My mom does it with another lady and her daughter..so there's accountability to get through the material) I am planning on learning Latin with my son as he goes through it. Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Youngs Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I've been wondering the same thing~ After all of the reading that I've done, I'm getting it for my boys who are half way through grades 4 and 6. Veritas press has it in their 3rd grade curriculum, yet the lc website recommends it for 7th-12th.:confused: I figure if it's too much right now, we'll just rewatch the lessons over and over for the next 6 years......;) Good luck~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inashoe Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 LC 1 won't be too easy for your 6th grader - not by any means, and your 6th grader won't be behind at all. It is a solid program, teaching the foundations of latin step by step, clearly and methodically. The DVDs help me a ton. Also get the flashcards to help with memorizing the vocab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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