Homeschooling SLP Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) I have two dds, one who will be Grade 6 and one who will be Grade 8 next year. Both will have completed Latina Christiana II. After some dilemma and posts on the K-8th board from which I found out that Henle I starts with some review of what was learned in LC II, I had determined that both dds would begin Henle I next year and basically do Henle 1/2 next year finishing it the next. I was relieved to have that decision made. Then, I read some of the recent posts on the High School Forum about Wheelock and how much better it is organized....Aaagghhh! Now, I am uncertain again. Specific questions for my situation...Given the ages/grades of my dds and the fact that Wheelock is a college text, is it too much for them? Would the choice of Henle be an easier move or does Wheelock's first text begin "at the beginning"? Latin has been VERY difficult for us in that I have never had Latin or any other foreign language before, so momma has had difficulty guiding them through even with LC. I want us to continue but not get in over our heads before we are ready. Opinions please. HomeschoolingSLP Edited April 30, 2009 by Homeschooling SLP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in Indy Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I am doing Henle 1 with my 9th grade son this year. How I wish I had started it when he was 6th or 8th grade, like your daughters! But we went through LC1 and LC2 at a leisurely pace and I thought I'd start the "high school" text in High School! Well, we are enjoying it, but it is going slower than I anticipated. By working pretty hard, we will finish units 1-5 this year. I hope to finish units 6-14 next year, so we can start Henle 2 in 11th grade. Anyway, I say this to encourage you that you're in a PERFECT place to begin Henle, and you'll be able to get to Henle 2 by older daughter's 10th grade year, which would be terrific! Some more background (I'm getting to your question :)): Since I had no Latin background and I had read (like you) about the great Wheelock's program, I thought "I'll check this out from the library and work through it (one lesson per week), and I'll get ahead of my son, so I can "teach" more effectively." And I started out strong. The early chapters were mostly review, but it ramped up quickly and I couldn't keep up my pace. Since I have other studies and responsibilities that took precedence, I decided to let myself off the hook and just learn Latin along with my son, using Henle alone. We have fun doing it together, and he gets a kick out of it when I make a mistake :glare: and he "gets it right" ;). I do think Wheelock's moves a lot faster than Henle. Maybe with all the extra workbooks, etc, you could slow it down and get adequate review. But the Henle pace is already great for your daughters' ages. I would be inclined to stick with your decision for Henle. It uses such systematic review that even a "old brain" like mine can begin to grasp it. I don't know how I could get the Wheelock's information into my memory, without all the drill and review. I used the Memoria Press guides I and II (doubled up) to do units 1-5. Just like they said, I "get" how it works now and can keep up the schedule, even without a guide for units 6-14. (Although Brenda in MA developed a fantastic one-year schedule for units 6-10 that she used with her 8th grade son this year. PM her if you're interested. I think she's willing to share it. BTW, Henle occasionally includes some Catholic theology. Since we aren't Catholic, we discuss briefly and move on. It hasn't been a problem for us. HTH, Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I'll second Cindy's recommendation to stick to the Henle choice with one caveat -- Father Henle kills more Gauls than Caesar and if your dd can't handle that you may have your own rebellion on your hands <grin>. Seriously, both texts get the job done. I used Wheelock's for myself to relearn my high school Latin, I used Henle with my dd's. IMHO Wheelock's doesn't have enough review for the younger crowd and also has many ideas in the Sentence translations that will mean nothing to them -- Henle is gory but direct. Also Father Henle includes English to Latin translations that really help you to see if your students have got the concepts. As a side note to Cindy, Father Henle designed his curriculum to allow students to move to Henle Second Year after the first 6 units of Henle First Year. units 7-14 are designed to provide material for younger/quicker classes. I worked through unit 7 with both my dd's and then moved them into Henle Second Year starting with lesson 1. They've both done well. HTH ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlyamom Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I'm in the same situation with having covered LCI and LCII with my 5th grader (and 6 of her friends in the class I'm teaching.) However, I have an older child who has successfully moved to Henle I from the LC series. I LOVE how the two programs intersect in vocabulary which makes it easier for me to stuff those words in this balky brain! I started the 5th-7th graders on Henle in December, and it is going fine. The Henle text takes a little getting used to and requires more thought on their part than the LC memory work required. However, I think Henle does a wonderful job in reinforcing the concepts through using them in the exercises which is something you can't SEE as a teacher until you are working through them. Somehow, by the end of the exercise, it usually makes sense! Henle Unit 6 is poorly written, IMHO, and I've written some exercises to clarify it for my class. If they work, I'll be happy to send you a copy. I tried to do Wheelock's with a self-study group, but the pace of the program's vocabulary, plus weaknesses in my understanding of grammar made it difficult for me. Henle, by comparison, after LC is just a small stepping stone ahead for a mom who didn't study Latin before. Hope this helps! Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staci in MO Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I won both Wheelock and Henle. I also took two years of Latin and high school. And while I'm the first to admit that I wasn't a stellar student of Latin, I've never cared for Wheelock. It's always seemed (to me) difficult to follow. This is obviously a personal preference thing. Many people seem to really like Wheelock. But Henle has always seemed much more straightforward. I can't imagine using Wheelock with a younger student. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 If you liked LC I and LC II, perhaps you should try MP's First Form Latin? It's made to take the place of Henle with a similar format to the LC series. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Just to let you know....my mom has been on a "Latin review" project...because I was getting the books...and having her review them. Wheelock's has an interesting spot in the front where they talk about language origin. They also have a workbook to go with the textbook. Wheelock's was made so that there would be a college level textbook. Faster paced...crazy for jr high. (Although the companion book is suppose to be made so that it can be used for younger students.) WHY USE IT? I wouldn't think of using it for students...unless you are so anti-Catholic that you can't pass over a few "Catholic" sayings. No problem for us! I appreciate that the Catholic church helped Latin survive. As I've stated before, my girls (from 16 , 13 and 10) have done great with Henle. And, I think it was your previous thread, where I stated that Seton has a great answer key...more complete than Henle's ...for the Henle's book. And a pronunciation cd for $5. Carrie:-) PS. If you can find a used copy, like I did, for $7....it's worth it to have Wheaton's as a resource...maybe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in Indy Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Moira, thanks for the tip about moving to Henle 2 after unit 7 of Henle 1. I'm going to start a new thread about that, rather than hijack this one. If you don't see it, I'll PM you. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling SLP Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 (edited) Thanks everyone for the great tips and information. I really appreciate it; it has solved my dilemma. A slower pace would be best for us, therefore, we will stick with Henle I next year and do half next year and the other half the next. It is so good to hear this type of information from people who have been there rather than having to attempt something and spin your wheels.:auto: Pat, YES!! to your offer. I would love to have a copy of the study guide for Lesson 6. I take anything that makes Latin clearer and easier to understand! You can e-mail me at your convenience directly at mvnw2002@yahoo.com. Thanks. Carrie, I will check on the Seton answers. Thanks for that input. I feel so much better about this move to Henle I now. I think we can handle the Catholic and gory (for some reason my older child is really into the Roman gory stuff). Such a relief to have that dilemma solved.:) Virginia Edited May 2, 2009 by Homeschooling SLP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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