Curriculum Review:

Latina Christiana

Latina Christiana, Book I and Book II
Memoria Press
www.memoriapress.com
4103 Bishop Lane
Louisville, KY 40218
(877) 862-1097 or (502)-458-5001
$39.95 for student book, teacher's guide, and pronunication CD
 

    Latina Christiana, published by Memoria Press, is designed for learners and parents with no Latin knowledge.  The teacher’s guide provides the parent/teacher with an overview of Latin grammar, giving brief explanations of the function of Latin declensions, word order, and conjugations.   It also lays out a suggested pattern for weekly study: teach the lesson on day 1, drill vocabulary and grammar on days 2 and 3 (with the help of a pronunciation tape), finish a written exercise on day 4, and then take a quiz, play Latin games (suggestions included), and review on day 5.  The teacher’s guide also provides maps and an overview of Roman history for reference.
     For each lesson, the student book contains a Latin saying with translation for the student to memorize, a vocabulary list to master, a set of grammar forms to be memorized, and a page of written exercises to be completed after this material is learned.  The corresponding lesson in the teacher’s guide contains an explanation of the Latin saying, a suggestion for doing word study related to the vocabulary words, a list of English derivations, and an explanation of the grammar lesson.  (The intro says that these grammar lessons are “scripted,” but while you could certainly read the explanations out loud to the student, there is little question-and-answer flow.)   A key to the student book exercises is also provided.
    For example, Lesson 14 in the student book provides the Latin saying Novus ordo seclorum and the translation “New order of the ages”; the teacher’s book gives background for this saying, found on the dollar bill.  The student vocabulary list contains 10 words, all adjectives; the “word study” in the teacher’s guide cautions against confusing words such as totus and tutus that sound similar. A list of derivates follows (the teacher is to ask the student to come up with English derivatives, providing words from the teacher’s resource list as necessary).  The final part of the lesson, the Grammar Forms, consists of a paradigm (a set of Latin forms, applied to a single word) for the student to memorize.  The teacher’s Grammar section explains that while English adjectives don’t change form when they are applied to a plural noun (large star, large stars), Latin adjectives have to have the same number and gender as the nouns they modify.  It also explains how to make sentences using the pattern subject-linking verb-predicate adjective, and reminds the parent to review the difference between an action and linking verb.
    Latina Christiana, Book I contains 25 lessons  and covers the first and second conjugations (Latin verb forms) for present, future, and imperfect (past) tenses; the irregular linking verbs, the first and second declension (Latin noun forms), adjective forms, predicate nouns and adjectives, and the basic rules concerning subject and verb agreement and adjective-noun agreement.  Book II contains 25 lessons and covers direct objects, more second declension nouns, principal parts, the third and fourth conjugations, the third, fourth, and fifth declensions, and adverbs.

Evaluation

    Latina Christiana is clear, easy to understand and follow, and systematic.  Although many of the sayings are Christian in orientation, the program is certainly usable by parents who are of other faiths.
     The two books of the program (which you could do in 1 ½ -2 years) appear to cover the same amount of material as the first half of a first-year high school Latin course (with the exception of the passive voice, which is usually introduced early in high school Latin).  Memoria Press’s scope and sequence suggests that a student go directly into Henle (a standard high school course) after finishing Book II; you could equally well use Jenney, Wheelock, or the Oxford Latin course).
    In my opinion, this program is most appropriate for late fourth grade through seventh grade.  Compared to the Canon Press Latin Primer, which we recommended in The Well-Trained Mind for third graders, Latina Christiana does much more grammar much earlier.  For example, the first year of the Latin Primer consists almost entirely of vocabulary and sayings to be memorized.  The paradigms are given, but the student is asked to chant them and commit them to memory without fully understanding their purpose.  The purpose and use of case endings and verb conjugations is not explained until the second year of the Primer program.
     Although Latina Christiana is easier for the parent to teach than the Latin Primer (unless you invest in the teaching videos, which make the Primer much clearer), I think that many third-grade students will find it too advanced.  Right from the beginning, the student has to be able to understand the concept of the person of the verb, and the relationship between the person of the verb and the subject.  They also need to be able to understand and identify predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives.  If your third grader is able to do this, Latina Christiana is appropriate.  However, in my experience most third graders are not yet prepared for this level of grammar.  I also think that the program moves too slowly for seventh graders working on grade level and up.
     My suggestions for appropriate Latin programs:

For second, third, and most fourth graders                                  Latin Primer I (with teaching videos)

For fourth graders gifted at language arts,
fifth and sixth graders,
and seventh graders doing remedial work in grammar                 Latina Christiana I

For seventh graders working at grade level
and for older students who want to do Latin without a tutor       The Latin Road to English Grammar

For seventh graders and above who have a tutor                         Oxford Latin or standard high school Latin course

For tenth graders and above who have already had
foreign language experience of some kind                                   Wheelocks Latin as a self-study course.

Go

to the July 2001 issue page, or go

to the Well-Trained Mind Newsletter page

from Peace Hill Farm

18101 The Glebe Lane

Charles City, VA 23030