Can I get some input on our Latin study timeline? Feeling a moment of doubt...

[Trivium Academy]

I have two children, dd7 and ds3. They are 4 years apart, if I was only hsling dd7, she would start Latin next year in 3rd but since I have ds3 as well I was thinking we'd do Latin all together:

DD's 6th grade with Latina Christiana
DS's 2nd grade Prima Latina
or
DD's 7th grade with Latina Christiana
DS's 3rd grade with Prima Latina or Latina Christiana

I think if we wait until we study it all together it might work out better but I'm having a moment of doubt. I want both children to finish the equivalent of high school Latin, which with Memoria Press products (from my understanding), is Latina Christiana I and II and a few chapters into Henle I. If they wish to continue after that, great but I'm only requiring that they finish what I stated above.

Here's my doubt, I wonder if I'm going to actually be hindering DS because his older sister will be able to absorb and move along faster than he might be able to when we do study Latin. Another way I would feel comfortable is having Latin studied in the logic stage by both children but they wouldn't be studying it together because when DS hits logic stage, DD will be in rhetoric and I don't foresee Latin playing a part in her rhetoric years unless she chooses it to be.

I'm not trying to stress about the road ahead, it's more about whether I should start Prima Latina with DD next year in 3rd or possibly 4th and forget about having the kids study Latin together. Honestly, DD would love to study Latin at any time, we have Prima Latina already with the DVDs and she told me before that she really likes Mrs. Lowe when we previewed the DVDs.

I hope this isn't confusing and I explained it well, I'm looking forward to your thoughts,

[Heather in NC]

I would do the first one (LCI in 6th grade and PL in 2nd grade). My ds did PL in 2nd grade and I thought it was the perfect age for it. However, if your dd has an interest in Latin now you might want to just go ahead with it and let them study at different levels rather than risk her interest waning over the next couple of years. My kids are almost 6 years apart...ds 9yo is in LCII right now. By the time my 4yo starts PL in 2nd grade, my older ds will be done with Henle and in his 1st or 2nd year with Scholars Online Latin classes. If anything, the older one can help the younger one out!

[Basketmaker Amy]

Prima Latina is more "vocabulary" than learning the grammar. If your daughter likes the DVDs (my boys didn't!), then I would go ahead and start her next year. I think if you wait until 6th grade she would be bored with it. I had my 3rd grader do it last year and he did fine with it. He learned a lot of vocabulary and derivatives from it. He did over half of LC I this year, but didn't like just "memorizing" the charts and not applying them. We switched to Latin Prep I and he loved that he was immediately translating long passages.

I tried LC I with my "logic" age 6th grade son last year and he didn't like it because it didn't give enough of the "why's" behind what they were learning (they would memorize the endings, but not tell why they were learning them or what they meant). (Update on him: He is now doing Latin in the Christian Trivium II and is doing great. I highly recommend that program...but that's not what you asked!)

I understand that you would want to combine them, however, I think your daughter would be bored with them in 6th grade. I would do them separately.

Good luck with your decision!

[Wendy in ME]

My honest opinion is that you should forget about having them study together and just start it when you think it is the right time for your dd. In my own experience, I ended up having to separate to dss who are 18mo apart. They just moved at very different paces and it was more stressful to try to keep them together than it is now doing 2 separate Latin programs. My oldest is 11 and does work very independently through his LCI. Also, Latina Christiana is not high school level Latin.

Wendy

[Trivium Academy]

He is now doing Latin in the Christian Trivium II and is doing great. I highly recommend that program...but that's not what you asked!

I said Memoria b/c we already have Prima Latina and I'm not sure what other Latin products to use, I've looked at all of them and without studying Latin, it's hard to decipher which would would fit us best. DD is a visual learner, as I am but I need non-Latin teacher helps. Lol. I need a little hand-holding until I get the hang of it.

[Trivium Academy]

from the Memoria Press website, under FAQ on the Latina Christiana page:


How does Latina Christiana translate into high school Latin credits?
Unfortunately, there are no universal standards for a full year of high school Latin today. In the past, students completed the whole grammar in one year of high school. However, that is rarely done in even a whole year of college Latin today.

Typically, LC I & II together are more than a semester of high school Latin. In most areas, you will find that they cover more Latin grammar than local high schools do in a year. (As an example, the best public high school in Louisville, KY doesn't begin the subjunctive until the 4th year of Latin. They spend 4 years just learning the Latin grammar!)

In short:
If you have mastered LC I & II and the first 5 units of Henle Latin I, you will have a very strong year of high school Latin in any school district. *this was what I was referring to...:001_smile:
If you have mastered LC I & II, you will have at least a semester of high school Latin and probably a full year in 75% of the school districts. Just wanting to share where I got that from so you didn't think I pulled it out of thin air. :001_rolleyes:

[cajun.classical]

My honest opinion is that you should forget about having them study together and just start it when you think it is the right time for your dd. In my own experience, I ended up having to separate to dss who are 18mo apart. They just moved at very different paces and it was more stressful to try to keep them together than it is now doing 2 separate Latin programs. My oldest is 11 and does work very independently through his LCI. Also, Latina Christiana is not high school level Latin.

Wendy

I completely agree with Wendy here. My 2 are close in age and I found it very necessary to separate them. Honestly, it's not much effort to separate them. I teach each of them one lesson/day a week and the rest of the week is independent work. I think you gain much more than you lose by separating them.

I also agree the LC is NOT high school Latin and I would not recommend a seventh grader to start out Latin in LC. LC is really great for what it is designed to do: teach to mastery the Latin grammar broken into bite-size pieces for young students. I would think that an older student would be dreadfully bored with the pace. I would start a 7th grader directly into Henle.

So, my recommendation is the same as Wendy's: start when you and your dd feel ready and don't worry about trying to combine them. LC is very easy to use and doesn't require a lot of effort on the part of the teacher.

[cajun.classical]

from the Memoria Press website, under FAQ on the Latina Christiana page:

How does Latina Christiana translate into high school Latin credits?
Unfortunately, there are no universal standards for a full year of high school Latin today. In the past, students completed the whole grammar in one year of high school. However, that is rarely done in even a whole year of college Latin today.

Typically, LC I & II together are more than a semester of high school Latin. In most areas, you will find that they cover more Latin grammar than local high schools do in a year. (As an example, the best public high school in Louisville, KY doesn't begin the subjunctive until the 4th year of Latin. They spend 4 years just learning the Latin grammar!)

In short:
If you have mastered LC I & II and the first 5 units of Henle Latin I, you will have a very strong year of high school Latin in any school district. *this was what I was referring to...:001_smile:
If you have mastered LC I & II, you will have at least a semester of high school Latin and probably a full year in 75% of the school districts. Just wanting to share where I got that from so you didn't think I pulled it out of thin air. :001_rolleyes:

Right, it technically covers enough grammar to qualify. But I've never been comfortable with people using it as a High School text just because it covers the same material. My hesitancy to use it for older children has to do with the pace and lack of translation work which an older student will be ready for.

[AllSmiles]

Since you are planning on using separate programs to teach your son/daughter, I would go ahead and start your daughter when you believe she is ready. I wouldn’t worry about waiting so that you can start them both at the same time. I think you’ll find that Prima is pretty straight forward, and you should be able to smoothly move through the lessons. Latina Christiana I and II are more in depth, and you may find places where your child needs extra time to get through a lesson. So, even if you wait, you may find they might not both be moving at the same pace.

Since she is showing an eagerness to begin, and is reading well, I think now (or next year) would be a perfect time to begin her Latin studies.

[Plaid Dad]

Jessica, just a note. I know MP says that certain schools in their area don't teach the subjunctive until Latin IV, but that is not the norm nationally. By Latin IV most students are reading Latin authors and/or taking the AP, not just learning basic grammar forms (and the subjunctive is basic in Latin).

Everything taught in LC I & II reappears in Henle. So it would be more accurate to say simply that Henle Units 1-5 are roughly equivalent to one year of high school Latin in some schools. I would say Units 1-7, which is what Fr. Henle himself indicated would be an average amount of work for one year of high school. That is not the whole Latin grammar by any means, but it is enough to get students started on Caesar.

None of that applies to your current situation, but I wanted to make sure you knew that MP's statements are perhaps not entirely clear.

Fwiw, I wouldn't use PL much past 2nd grade and LC not past 7th unless the child struggled with language arts generally. I would not use LC in high school at all. And I agree with those who said that it makes sense to split your two up for Latin, if you can manage it. HTH!

[Hoggirl]

Jessica,

Latin has been as much of a journey for me as ds. We have learned together, and, honestly, it is just about my favorite part of our day. We did PL in 2nd, LC I in 3rd, LC II in 4th. We will finish Volume I of Latin in the Christian Trivium this year, but will spread LitCT II over two years. I was very pleased with the foundation that LC laid for us. I decided against Henle b/c it just seemed so dry. LitCT gets you doing lots of translating as early as possible. We plan to carry on with it, though I have been eyeing the new Latin Alive! program by CAP that was recently mentioned on the boards. However, I think this will be too much back-tracking for us. It looks terrific, and I wish it would have come out last fall. I hope I am not offending when I say that I feel like I am a "lot" like you in that I like to know where I am going for the rest of our home school journey. I wish it were ALL planned out RIGHT NOW, and I never doubted my choices. Unfortunately, for me, this is not the case. I do not think you can go wrong with the elementary program by Memoria Press. And, I would definitely separate them. Go ahead and let dd start and bring ds into the mix later on. You don't want to frustrate him. Of course she will absorb and catch on faster! She's older! At any rate, I would choose your elementary program and evaluate where you want to go after that when the time comes, b/c who knows what all will be available later on!
But, hey. Advice is worth what you pay for it! We have thoroughly enjoyed our Latin journey.

[Beth in Central TX]

I said Memoria b/c we already have Prima Latina and I'm not sure what other Latin products to use, I've looked at all of them and without studying Latin, it's hard to decipher which would would fit us best. DD is a visual learner, as I am but I need non-Latin teacher helps. Lol. I need a little hand-holding until I get the hang of it.

with the others that it would be difficult to combine your kids with Latin because they are so far apart in age. My older boys are only 16 months apart in age and sometimes even that seems to far apart with the grammar concepts we are now hitting.

I was a non-Latin teacher when I first started teaching Latin, and I think Prima Latina was the best place for me to start. The DVDs showed my how to pronounce Latin, chant declensions, and set up a lesson. It was a slow, gentle introduction to Latin that we all needed. I attribute this program to my continued desire to study Latin. A rough beginning would have changed my outlook I think.

Even if you start with PL, that doesn't mean you have to continue with LCI. I'm not even following the right progression with PL, LCI & II, and Wheeolock's; but this is what works best for our school.

I would start dd out with PL next year. Once you have a year of Latin under your belt, you'll have a better understanding of what programs will and won't work for you.

HTH!

[dragons in the flower bed]

Here's my doubt, I wonder if I'm going to actually be hindering DS because his older sister will be able to absorb and move along faster than he might be able to when we do study Latin.
I'm not trying to stress about the road ahead, it's more about whether I should start Prima Latina with DD next year in 3rd or possibly 4th and forget about having the kids study Latin together.

I find it very hard to teach anything with that particular age difference. You want to catch your kids in the same developmental stage. Seventh graders need a critical approach in order to learn, and third graders need not only a more fun approach but also a slower pace and/or more repetition. You could teach the same thing (I do this to maintain a common sibling bond and for no other reason) but you'd have to teach it in different ways, with different programs, and add extra practice for Danny. If you don't know Latin, you don't want to find yourself in a place where you're trying to coordinate two Latin programs. I'd think it would be easier to combine them now, before Camille hits that trying preteen stage where she has to reject something in order to connect with it (aka coming into one's logical mind). So, and this is just my humble best guess, you'd end up hindering both of them.

Does your little guy like to sing or look at picture books? Perhaps you could start with Song School Latin or Minimus next year and include Danny as much as he wants to be included. I've found Minimus really can be used as gently as sitting down and snuggling with the kiddo and the book, reading the story.

[Wendy in ME]

Jessica, I'm sorry. I thought you were referring to completing high school Latin and I was thinking that Henle 1 is where one would start with Latin if they were to begin studying in high school.

Wendy

[MelissaMinNC]

and are roughly the same ages as yours. Well, they're really about 3 years apart in age, but will probably be about 4 years apart in school. DD will be in 2nd next year, and we are going to start Prima Latina next year. DS3 will (I believe as of now) do PL when he is in 2nd. It honestly never occurred to me to keep them together for this, and I don't think it'll be any problem or more difficult to teach them separately (just like they'll be doing separate math and language arts, etc.).

HTH
:)
Melissa

[Trivium Academy]

I know MP says that certain schools in their area don't teach the subjunctive until Latin IV, but that is not the norm nationally. By Latin IV most students are reading Latin authors and/or taking the AP, not just learning basic grammar forms (and the subjunctive is basic in Latin).

Goodness gracious! What in the world should I do? We can start Prima Latina now, adding it to our day won't be a problem other than she's learning French now too but I think I can separate them easily but eeek :blink:, what to do after Prima Latina? We will be using First Start French in 4th as well.

I didn't expect this thread to go this far but what is your advice Drew? I want short lessons, engaging (fun) material and effective products. I really have no other desires for a curriculum other than I don't have to pay mega bucks for a program unless it is the best product for us. I can't decipher which one would be best...sigh.

[Mama Lynx]

Goodness gracious! What in the world should I do? We can start Prima Latina now, adding it to our day won't be a problem other than she's learning French now too but I think I can separate them easily but eeek :blink:, what to do after Prima Latina? We will be using First Start French in 4th as well.

I didn't expect this thread to go this far but what is your advice Drew? I want short lessons, engaging (fun) material and effective products. I really have no other desires for a curriculum other than I don't have to pay mega bucks for a program unless it is the best product for us. I can't decipher which one would be best...sigh.

Can I ask you some more questions? Why have you chosen the goal of the equivalent of one year of high school Latin? What led you to choose that goal?

And, is it important to you for your children to have that Latin in, or close to, high school? Or does that matter to you?

[Cadam]

They will be doing different texts anyway and your dd will be able to understand the grammar ahead of your ds. My kids are 4 years apart as well and I have come to accept that very little of what we do can be done together, especially in skill building things like math,and Latin.

I think you may be surprised to find out how much of prima your ds picks up just from hearing you and dd do it. I would start now and not hold dd back, waiting for ds to grow up. You wouldn't keep her from reading or doing math right? Don't keep her from Latin.

jmho

[LisaNY]

Jessica, I am in complete agreement with Plaid Dad here. I honestly think you would be short-changing your dc if you go with what MP has suggested. If you want a serious, solid year of high school Latin, then plan to go through Units 1-7 in Henle.

Jessica, I know you like to plan ahead, and you are not afraid of jumping in with both feet, :001_smile: so I think I can say with confidence that you would be very well-served to go through Henle yourself, beginning right now. :001_smile: I cannot stress highly enough that studying Latin ahead of your dc will make your job SO MUCH easier. It will also give your children the benefit of someone who has gone before them, and is therefore better equipped to truly help them when they run into problems. (and they will)

I also agree that it is best to have your dc go at their pace, individually.

One other suggestion - if your dc is more visual, I hear that Lively Latin has lots of pretty pictures!

[Sarah CB]

Since you already have Prima and the DVDs, why don't you start that now? The lessons are short and, with even the smallest amount of teacher directed creativity (of which you have an abundance) can be very engaging.

I'm teaching Prima at co-op this year to a group of K to 4th graders. We're having a fabulous time : )

My daughter started Latin with LC1 in third grade. She's now working on her second semester of an online high school Latin course with Memoria Press - using Henle. She's 6th grade this year.

I would agree with others who caution against placing an older child in MP materials. There's no need to because an older child can easily begin in Henle.

I think that if you're starting now you may as well go with the MP materials. They are well put together and I've found them incredibly helpful as a teacher with no Latin experience. However, if you're planning on putting it off until 6th or 7th grade you should go right into Henle or look at other programs that are aimed at older students.

Sarah

[Kimber]

Just to let you know of my experience. My dc are only 1.5 years apart. And my dd9 has left me and the 8 year old in the dust with latin. She remembers everything better and is far better at translating than her 8 yo brother. I tried LC1 together with them, and while he can do it, the pace has to be set for him rather than her.

I've mentally adjusted to letting her go and letting her do her own thing. I'm no longer going to hold her back so I can group them together. She'll be doing Latin Prep, and he will be doing LfC A this fall.

With him, we may go through Latin Alive or switch to Latin Prep.

I only do Spanish together with them, but in 2 years even that will change.

[Trivium Academy]

Honestly, the only reason I want the kids to study Latin is because I want the mental training, roots study and the help it provides other languages. I want one high school year equivalent b/c I want them to take the National Latin Exam and be able to apply the credits for high school would be best in my opinion. If they choose to take the study of Latin further, we'll support them but I'd rather they move onto modern languages, mastering French and learning at least two years of another language probably Spanish.

Those are my inexperienced thoughts. I'm all :bigear:

[strider]

If you're going to start Latin in the middle years, you can comfortably go straight to Henle. I have friends who have done so just fine. The LC program is very memorization and vocabulary centered, and I think it would be a but on the young side for a middle schooler.

[Basketmaker Amy]

I said Memoria b/c we already have Prima Latina and I'm not sure what other Latin products to use, I've looked at all of them and without studying Latin, it's hard to decipher which would would fit us best. DD is a visual learner, as I am but I need non-Latin teacher helps. Lol. I need a little hand-holding until I get the hang of it.

Last year my son and I felt like we were Goldilocks and the Three Latin programs! :001_smile:He tried LC I and it was too easy, we tried Henle I (and it was too confusing...and I studied for 2 years!), and then we found Latin in the Christian Trivium and it was "just right"! I would recommend it for middle school and up. My older son is being homeschooled now (9th grade) and using it also. "Mary in Wa" (on these boards) is one of the authors and is very accessible and helpful.

I really like Latin Prep I for my 11 year old. It is colorful, the translations are fun, and it's easy to understand. Laura in China runs a yahoo group and the author is available to answer questions. I think it's geared more for late elementary. (My son is in 4th and doing well with it.)

I still think the Prima Latina would be great for your daughter next year. You can see how it works and then decide where to go from there.

:001_smile:

[Trivium Academy]

Thank you Amy, I'm pulling out our Prima Latina materials out to see how we'd approach it. Now or next year really doesn't matter since we're year round. Thank you for sharing and your help.

[mom2att]

Here's another thought (and my plan, as my 1st two are also 4 years apart):

Start your oldest now, and just keep going with whatever program suits you both. We started LCI in 3rd and just continued with the MP programs. We're just finishing up units 1 & 2 of Henle now, halfway through 6th grade. We may start units 3 - 5 now, or may just review for awhile--I'm not sure.

Anyhoo, my thinking has always been that hopefully I can get dd proficient enough that she can "tutor" her younger brothers when they are ready to begin Latin. She has certainly left me in the dust when it comes to vocab. and grammar forms (I still have to use my little chart to remember)! Also, ds is an entirely different learner, and in no way will he be ready for LCI at the same pace--I hope to do PL with him when he's in 3rd.

So get your feet wet and jump on in--I feel like the MP Latin program has given my dd a good start in Latin, in spite of her completely incompetent teacher (me)!

[Sarah CB]

Oooh, Barbie! What a wonderful thought. I had never entertained the idea of having dd tutor the boys in Latin! I have a similar age spread to your kids - 12 year old dd, nearly 8 year old ds, nearly 6 year old ds (and then a two year old). Dd moved ahead of me during LC II so I put her into an online course this year. I have dreams of working through Henle on my own before the boys get that far.

Sarah

[Trivium Academy]

I'm going to think about this more but I think we will begin Prima Latina very soon, I just want to make sure I understand how best to structure the lessons for us. I really hope that we'll be able to continue both Latin and French but if not, I'll consider that when that time comes.

Your help is immeasurable!

[Beth in SW WA]

If you're going to start Latin in the middle years, you can comfortably go straight to Henle. I have friends who have done so just fine. The LC program is very memorization and vocabulary centered, and I think it would be a but on the young side for a middle schooler.

We considered that option for our middler's -- but the LC program has dvd lessons which are perfect for a family just starting out w/a non-Latin busy mom. We are doing both LC 1 & 2 this year (Sept - Sept). The dvd's are awesome -- but I seem to be in the minority w/ that opinion. We love Leigh Lowe.

Jessica, I totally understand your angst. I am currently losing sleep/fretting over the path to take next year (Henle? Lingua? LitCT?). Keep us posted on what you decide.

Not to throw a kink in your plan, but have you seen Sing Song Latin from CAP. It looks darling! I'm going to buy it for my 3 & 4 y-olds just for the cute Latin songs. Their website has samples of the songs.

Onward & upward...:)

[cajun.classical]

I'm going to think about this more but I think we will begin Prima Latina very soon, I just want to make sure I understand how best to structure the lessons for us. I really hope that we'll be able to continue both Latin and French but if not, I'll consider that when that time comes.

Your help is immeasurable!

If it's helpful at all, Jessica. We are doing just that. We do Latin and French and it hasn't been a problem at all. Quite the opposite. My dc think that French is easy compared to Latin. And for many French grammar rules, I simply say, "This is like Latin" and they understand right away.

I spoke to a teacher who teaches both Latin and French and expressed my concern to him about trying to do both languages at the same time. He laughed at me and said, "It'll be harder for you. The children won't find it difficult at all." This has been the case for sure.

[Plaid Dad]

I spoke to a teacher who teaches both Latin and French and expressed my concern to him about trying to do both languages at the same time. He laughed at me and said, "It'll be harder for you. The children won't find it difficult at all."

:iagree: Yup, yup. Kids are language sponges. I wouldn't worry at all about them doing Latin and a modern Romance language - it's a natural fit. But it can be a stretch for parents who don't already know the languages. Still, with MP's programs, it really is possible to learn alongside the kids, at least for a while.

[Trivium Academy]

Angelina, (or anyone else who can answer this)
With French and Latin, do you schedule them in a special way? Such as having Latin in the morning and French in the afternoon or done on different days?

We're doing French daily M-F and Latin will have to be done daily as well. I just wondered if there was anything you might do?

My Spanish/French/Greek/Latin/English hsling friend told me the same thing about multiple languages- that it would be my problem. Although she has told me that her boys mix Greek and Latin at times when speaking. What a problem to have! :w00t:

There are a few homeschoolers I really wish I could live next door to or right down the street, and you're one of them. :D

[cajun.classical]

Angelina, (or anyone else who can answer this)
With French and Latin, do you schedule them in a special way? Such as having Latin in the morning and French in the afternoon or done on different days?

We're doing French daily M-F and Latin will have to be done daily as well. I just wondered if there was anything you might do?

My Spanish/French/Greek/Latin/English hsling friend told me the same thing about multiple languages- that it would be my problem. Although she has told me that her boys mix Greek and Latin at times when speaking. What a problem to have! :w00t:

There are a few homeschoolers I really wish I could live next door to or right down the street, and you're one of them. :D

Yeah, then our kids could have French Coffee Time (tea is British!) every day.

As far as teaching the languages, I confess that I am still very much learning about teaching French. Sometimes my goal seems unattainable. But then I spend time with native French speakers and they really encourage me and remind me that what I am doing is very difficult and will take time. I get discouraged if I don't see enough advancement.

Anyway, I guess that's a little irrelevant. All that was to say that we are in our Latin groove and still finding our way a bit with French. We've been doing them both daily and both in the morning, but not back to back. I suppose I would say that our Latin approach has been more traditional academic--meaning we don't speak it. I would love to do Lingua Latina, but there is just no way that I can be teaching myself to speak French AND Latin, so I had to choose: traditional textbook Latin approach and a mix of grammar and immersion for French.

We are using French Prep which I really love. We've been doing it mostly orally, although I'm thinking about upping the writing for next year. We try to speak as much French as we are able during the day and we watch movies in French, read French story books, etc. We also incorporate French into other classes (just a little; it increases as we get better). We do calendar and weather time in the morning en francais. That sort of thing. I have them ask me for help in their other classes en francais. That all really helps. What I have discovered is that when I'm really consistently trying to block out English from our day, our French really improves rapidly. But it's very difficult to maintain that level. In fact, I was very encouraged to spend time with native speakers who told me that they were unable to teach their own children French because it was just too difficult to block out the English. They really encouraged me to continue and told me not to feel bad that it was taking so long.

So, I've tried to distinguish in my approach between teaching the two languages. But I'm still learning!

Oh, I'm remembering some other differences between Latin and French in our house. For Latin we drill flashcards. For French, I keep a master list of vocabulary and then quiz them by using the French word in a real sentence. For example, to drill nouns, we go around the house. I point to different items and ask in French "What is it?" They respond in French "It is a desk." That way they associate the word with the object instead of associating the French word with the English word. Does that make sense? To practice prepositions, we do the same sort of thing. I say in French "What is under the chair?" They respond "The book is under the chair."

I'm still trying to come up with ways to use our French. I feel like we've had many setbacks in French this year, but I'm looking at getting more aggressive with a few things. We'll see what happens.

[Mamagistra]

Angelina, (or anyone else who can answer this) With French and Latin, do you schedule them in a special way? Such as having Latin in the morning and French in the afternoon or done on different days?

I hesitate to answer since we haven't technically begun our French studies yet, but I will be scheduling French (First Start) for the afternoon. We do Latin in the mornings right after math, followed by a short break, then Greek. For us, French will definitely be better in the après-midi. :)

Off to look at CAP again... :tongue_smilie:

[Sarah CB]

Outside of our informal French, my sixth grade daughter does both Latin and French with texts. She does Latin first thing in the morning and French after she's finished a few other subjects. I had her scheduled to do Latin and then French but she doesn't like to do that much language back to back.

Her Italian teacher told me that she often uses her knowledge of French and Latin to figure out what's happening in Italian. There haven't been any major mix-ups here - she is usually able to keep her languages separate, but sometimes she slips. They were counting in her French class at co-op and she slipped into Italian, but once it was pointed out to her she realized what she was doing a switched back to French.

[WTMindy]

Angelina, (or anyone else who can answer this)
With French and Latin, do you schedule them in a special way? Such as having Latin in the morning and French in the afternoon or done on different days?


We have been doing Spanish and Latin for the last 3 years and it really has not been an issue. We haven't done anything magical in terms of scheduling, but dh is the Spanish teacher (he is the one who speaks it himeself) and I am the Latin teacher and learning right along with the kids!! We do Spanish every day and Latin is not daily, and we are moving slowly through LC2 right now. Next year I think we will go to Latin Prep because I've heard good reviews and the kids are still young enough that I'm not quite ready to tackle Henle. Good luck in your decisions! I think you are wise to not wait to start Prima.

[Trivium Academy]

We try to speak as much French as we are able during the day and we watch movies in French, read French story books, etc. We also incorporate French into other classes (just a little; it increases as we get better). We do calendar and weather time in the morning en francais. That sort of thing. I have them ask me for help in their other classes en francais. That all really helps. What I have discovered is that when I'm really consistently trying to block out English from our day, our French really improves rapidly. But it's very difficult to maintain that level.


I tried to maintain that level, without the help of native speakers. I tried so hard I burned out. Lol. Maybe after we move in June, I'll plug Michel Thomas back in and continue my own studies.

[Audrey]

I haven't read the other posts, but here is what I would do.

I would go ahead and start Latin when you feel your dd is ready to do so. Why make her wait?

I wouldn't bother trying to get ds to keep up with his sis when you start. That's not realistic. However, do include him in the lessons. This is a good opportunity to teach him to listen patiently. You could give him cool Roman colouring pages to do while he listens. Does your Latin program use chanting? That is so much fun for little kids (and big kids, too, truth be told ;)). I wouldn't expect any kind of retention on ds's part, but he can still be a part of the lessons in his own way.

Then, when he is ready to start Latin, both you and dd can teach him. Having her help teach ds will reinforce the Latin for her. There's nothing better to solidify a concept in your mind than having to explain it clearly to someone else.

This may not be the kind of answer you were looking for, but perhaps it may give you a different perspective.