Prima Latina - help please... we are learning the present and future verbs

[KIN]

and they aren't sticking very well for my son. All of the other vocab had it's own flash card - Latin word on the front, English on the back. My son knows these backwards and forwards. Now, however, we are learning things like: bo, bis, bit, bimus, etc. They are just listed on one flash card "BO", and he is supposed to be remembering the different forms and their meanings. Any ideas on how to help him? I'd like to just make some flash cards of each word, but would that contradict something somehow? Ah! Any ideas? I've got to get this figured out b/c I see that is where I'm headed in LCI too.

[Guest]

I would say make the extra cards. The Latin police aren't going to say "YOU CHEATED!". Do what works for you. I am glad to know this because we are planning on starting Prima latina soon.

[Heather in Neverland]

To learn the various verb tense endings you can make flashcards like this:

-one side says "BO" and the other side says "I will"

-one side says "BIS" and the other side says "You will"

etc.

 

Once my ds had memorized what the various ending stood for, I had him conjugate all the verbs from each lesson in present, future and imperfect tense aloud along with reciting what it meant.

 

HTH

[Rhondabee]

and they aren't sticking very well for my son. All of the other vocab had it's own flash card - Latin word on the front, English on the back. My son knows these backwards and forwards. Now, however, we are learning things like: bo, bis, bit, bimus, etc. They are just listed on one flash card "BO", and he is supposed to be remembering the different forms and their meanings. Any ideas on how to help him? I'd like to just make some flash cards of each word, but would that contradict something somehow? Ah! Any ideas? I've got to get this figured out b/c I see that is where I'm headed in LCI too.

 

 

But I knew he would get that in LCI, so I just went for exposure, not mastery on Future tense endings and The Lord's Prayer. We just covered future tense in LCI this week, and he remembered doing the chants, "bo, bis, bit, bimus, bitis, bunt" so I guess everything worked out in the wash. ;)

[cajun.classical]

and they aren't sticking very well for my son. All of the other vocab had it's own flash card - Latin word on the front, English on the back. My son knows these backwards and forwards. Now, however, we are learning things like: bo, bis, bit, bimus, etc. They are just listed on one flash card "BO", and he is supposed to be remembering the different forms and their meanings. Any ideas on how to help him? I'd like to just make some flash cards of each word, but would that contradict something somehow? Ah! Any ideas? I've got to get this figured out b/c I see that is where I'm headed in LCI too.

 

You can also chant those grammar endings daily to really cement them. That's what we do; otherwise we'd be overwhelmed with flashcards. Read the articles on Latin Recitation at www.memoriapress.com in the articles section. There are several great articles that have really transformed my Latin instruction. I've got one completing LC2 and one in LC. They really know their stuff too. Daily recitation is the way to go. A few minutes daily really pays off big.

[mrdawson]

First, you should have your student memorize the ending chant (bo, bis, bit, ...) AND a chant of a given verb in that conjugation (laudabo, etc.). Next, make six flashcards -- one for each form of a given verb (laudabo, laudabis, laudabit, etc. -- except with macrons) with the translation on the back of each.

 

You should practice both producing the various forms AND identifying the various forms. Practicing conjugating is easy. For identifying, it would be great to have a worksheet that has the various forms shuffled together for a handful of familiar verbs.

 

How about this -- make three cards that have 1st, 2nd, 3rd person, two that have singular, plural, and then a card for each tense. Randomly select a person, number, and tense, then produce the form for a given verb.

[Julie in GA]

I don't think that at the Prima Latin level, you really need to be able to randomly spit out verb forms. The important thing is to be able to chant the endings, and maybe practice putting some endings on a few verbs. This is really just an exposure program, with some vocab-building. All this will be re-taught in LC1.

[frogpond1]

but chant them away!

 

BTW we use the "i" to remember the future as Will..."bo, bis, bit, bimus, bitis, bunt." and the "a" to remember the imperfect as "Was" in "bam, bas, bat... etc.

 

This is our little mnemonic device.

[abbeyej]

I use the memory aid Frogpond mentions -- the "i" in will / -bis, -bit, -bimus, -bitis and the "a" in was / -bam, -bas, -bat, -bamus, -batis, -bant...

 

As for memorizing them, if a child can say "eenie meenie minie moe", he can do "bo bis bit"... :o) Do the first three ("bo bis bit") over and over again. Then the next three ("bimus, bitis, bunt"), then put them together. March around the kitchen table slowly stomping (think of the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk with his Fee Fie Foe Fum)... Bo! Bis! Bit! Bimus! Bitis! Bunt! (rhythm: 1, 2, 3, rest, 1, 2, 3, rest)

 

I use hand motions with my students when we learn about conjugating verbs. I talk about the "Selfish Grammarian" who only thinks of himself first. (Using one finger, point at your chest -- that's first person singular.) Then the Selfish Grammarian (yes, they think the name is hilarious -- more thoughts of giants and ogres) will notice the person or people he's speaking directly to (point with one finger directly in front of you to the person you're talking with, "you", 2nd person singular). Last of all, the SG will acknowledge that there are other people and things outside of the conversation (point across your body at a 90 degree angle to your line of vision to a he/she/it outside of the conversation -- third person singular)... Then repeat with a whole hand (representing "more than one") instead of a single pointing finger. We, y'all (using a ridiculously drawn out "y'all" or "you guys", etc, can help kids grasp the difference between you singular/plural -- they know that "you" is the correct plural in English, but it's a little clearer at first to make it a sort of game: y'aaaaaaaawll), they...

 

So we do our hand motions while we conjugate verbs or chant the endings.