Latin Curricula post Minimus

[Alex]

My son (7yo) and I are soon completing Minimus. We will be moving on to Minimus Secundus. I expect we will cover it at the rate of about one lesson every two weeks.

I am looking for advice on Latin programs after we finish Minimus Secundus. My son will be 8 in May. I have some Latin background myself.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

[cajun.classical]

My son (7yo) and I are soon completing Minimus. We will be moving on to Minimus Secundus. I expect we will cover it at the rate of about one lesson every two weeks.

I am looking for advice on Latin programs after we finish Minimus Secundus. My son will be 8 in May. I have some Latin background myself.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Alex,

What are your goals for Latin? That will make a big difference in what I recommend. If you know what your goals are and what you are planning to get to in High School, you can choose an elementary curriculum that feeds into the High School program you like.

But, just to get you thinking: do you want to continue with the inductive approach of Minimus? Then you may want to consider Cambridge Latin (which is the follow up for Minimus) or Lingua Latina. Or if you are looking for a more traditional grammar approach, consider Latina Christiana, Latin for Children, Lively Latin, or Latin Prep--depending on the age of your child.

Do you want ecclesiastical or classical pronunciation? Is the inclusion of Christian elements important to you? Etc. There's lots to consider.

For me, we use Latina Christiana because I like their philosophy and their program has a proven track record. The program feeds into Henle, which is what I want to use for my High School Latin readings. I want the Church Fathers as well as the Classical Authors. Henle fits the bill for us. However, there are lots of nice things about Cambridge Latin as well and I supplement Latina Christiana with Cambridge for practice in reading. I've found the 2 to complement each other nicely.

Oh, and you will find people on this board that use every one of the programs I mentioned. You'll get lots of different recommendations. Everyone has their favorite. That's why I suggest you figure out what your particular goals are. That will really narrow down your choices.

Hope that helps.

[Laura Corin]

Oh, and you will find people on this board that use every one of the programs I mentioned. You'll get lots of different recommendations. Everyone has their favorite. That's why I suggest you figure out what your particular goals are. That will really narrow down your choices.

Hope that helps.

Just to remove one option: I don't recommend Latin Prep for before age ten, or just possibly nine - the difficulty ramps up pretty fast.

Laura

[Alex]

Cajun.Classical,

Thank you for your help. Let me try to respond a bit. I have had a little bit of Latin in college only (15 years ago) and I am now teaching myself Latin through Wheelock's (I am on Chapter 11). I believe Wheelock's is rather advanced for highschool Latin, and there are many (some legitimate) criticisms about its methodology. It works for me, but there may be something better. I have been trying to see sample materials for different curricula in preparation of choosing higher level texts.

I would like my son (and eventually, my 4yo daughter) to have a firm grasp of Latin and the ability to read ancient authors in Latin. I am not just teaching Latin as a reinforcement of English grammar and morphology, and certainly not just as a vocabulary building exercise. I also look forward to learning and teaching Koine Greek to both of my children, although I do not expect to start Greek for a couple more years.

My son is 7yo, nearly 8. He has a good grasp of the material he has learned. He is being tutored in German by a native speaker, and seems to have an aptitude for language study. I struggle with selecting a curriculum knowing that his Latin may introduce him to grammar concepts before English does, and vice versa.

We both enjoy Minimus, but not necessarily because it is inductive. We like the humor, engaging style and cultural study. My son also gets much Roman culture, literature and similar study from his history and other studies with his mother, so that is not a prerequisite of Latin study. I have no qualms about switching to a more rigorous format following the gentle and fun introduction of Minimus. I do like the structure of studying Latin with a Roman family as the context. It gives us something concrete to grab onto. I believe there are other curricula that offer this (Lingua Latina?).

We are learning classical pronunciation, which I would like to stick with. I understand that Latina Christiana offers this option, but is geared strongly toward ecclesiastical. Because my son gets religious instruction through Church, Sunday School, home worship and other areas, that is not a primary objective of Latin study. I do, however, look forward to using the Vulgate as a resource when we are more advanced.

I have some difficulty in evaluating whether a text or curricula is suitable for his age level. I tend to look at a book and see whether I like it and it feels right, but I understand that something I might dismiss as too simple would be just at his level.

Laura in China,

Thanks for the caution on Latin Prep.

[cajun.classical]

Okay,

That helps a lot. From what you describe, I'd say that Lively Latin would be a good fit. There are several people on here using it with a younger child and they are really enjoying it.

You can see samples online. The book is engaging, fun, grammar intensive, and includes Roman History and Art Study among other things. The only negative is that it's an ebook and would have to be printed out.

If you like the idea of following a Roman family, Cambridge Latin and Lingua Latina both do that. You could supplement or switch over to those after Lively Latin. Plaid Dad is moving his young daughter into Lingua Latina after completing Lively Latin. The thing to remember about Lingua Latina is that it takes some commitment and effort on the part of the teacher to learn ahead of the student, but it certainly seems to be very effective in teaching Latin reading.

A just-turned-8 child is still very young for real intensive grammar and that's one of the reasons I suggest Lively Latin. It seems to be the most useable by a younger child.

Good luck.

[Alex]

Angelina,

Thank you again. I think you are right about not getting too grammatically intense at this stage. I will check out Lively Latin.

I love Latin, and am not at all put off by having to study and keep ahead of my son.

By the time we have completed Minimus Secundus, we will have some foundation. Secundus will bring us through some present and past verb forms (limited conjugations), some noun/adjective forms (mostly nominative and accusative cases for first and second declensions only), and vocabulary. After this, I strongly want a more systematic approach that goes through all paradigms. Does Lively Latin offer this?

[cajun.classical]

Angelina,

Thank you again. I think you are right about not getting too grammatically intense at this stage. I will check out Lively Latin.

I love Latin, and am not at all put off by having to study and keep ahead of my son.

By the time we have completed Minimus Secundus, we will have some foundation. Secundus will bring us through some present and past verb forms (limited conjugations), some noun/adjective forms (mostly nominative and accusative cases for first and second declensions only), and vocabulary. After this, I strongly want a more systematic approach that goes through all paradigms. Does Lively Latin offer this?

Yes, Alex.

Lively Latin is a systematic grammar approach. It's just presented in such a way that is very approachable by younger children.

My older children have gone through the Latina Christiana series and Minimus and some Cambridge, but I have not ruled out Lively Latin for my youngest when she gets there. It's a new program, but people seem to be very impressed with it.

I've been very pleased with Latina Christiana and it's systematic grammar approach, but I wouldn't recommend LC1 to a student under 3rd grade.

[training5]

Where can I find Lingua Latina?
I would LOVE to use Minimus but it is so expensive. Where is the best place to buy it?

[Alex]

training5,

The Minimus student book is not expensive. The teacher's manual (TM) is very expensive. It is priced for a classroom, and the price includes reprint permission for the worksheets.

That said, you don't really need the TM if you've got any Latin background at all. The worksheets can be fun, but not for that amount of money. I would not have bought the TM, and I obtained mine via pdf from the Yahoo Minimus group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MinimusHS/

The group is a great support for Minimus users. There are some resources on the group's website, and there are many other resources (not keyed to Minimus) from other sites.

Unfortunately, the TM is no longer available from the site, as the publisher had never provided permission (there was some confusion as the author had provided permission, but did not have that authority).

[training5]

I have zero Latin background. Lots of French, German, even a little Dutch..no Latin. Thank you for the yahoo group link. Of all the programs i have looked at, this is the only one that appeals to me. \

[LisaNY]

Where can I find Lingua Latina?
I would LOVE to use Minimus but it is so expensive. Where is the best place to buy it?

The best place to buy Lingua Latina is through Focus Publishing.
http://www.pullins.com/
(http://www.pullins.com/)

[training5]

WOW! I think we are WAYYY away from being ready for that! Looks great though!

[Alex]

I really like the look of Lingua Latina. I like the total immersion. I like the basic vocabulary and common experience approach (learning names of animals, etc.). Although it was important to the Romans, too much military vocabulary and talks of plots against the Senate can kill one's interest.

I agree with training5, though--we are not quite there yet. Then again, our little ones often surprise us. My son now reads fluently. Maybe he could tackle some Latin sentences...