We tried two different programs to learn Latin. We got a little farther with the DVD program, but we still were not able to stay motivated. I know I had a bit of a bad attitude about Latin and at some point I made the decision to set it aside and learn Spanish instead. I thought in our family that Spanish would be more applicable and practical. It was a great decision.
We have not totally ignored all Latin. We have enjoyed two programs that are giving us a taste of Latin by studying the roots.
English From the Roots Up:
We started off with the book and the cards but what has endured to the end are the cards. We took these very slowly, discussing and learning each root one at a time. When I say slowly, I mean it has taken us four years to cover the box of one hundred Latin and Greek roots. We just finished our very last card this week and I can honestly say that both boys know *every* Latin and Greek root in this set.
The cards give simply the root on the front and the definition with examples of words on the back. I love things that are that simple.
We use the cards each week to drill the roots into our memory. We play simple games with the cards if we have some extra time during the week. We study five minutes a day, four days a week.
- Quiz each other: I give the root and they give the meaning or I give the meaning and they give the root.
- Speed: Use a stopwatch and see how fast we can get through the cards we know.
- Made Up Words: Use the roots to make up new words, mixing together funny combinations.
- Matching: Many of the roots are given in Greek and Latin. I give them the Latin and they tell me the Greek or vice versa.
Vocabulary from Classical Roots:
This series of workbooks has helped us tremendously with our vocabulary. These books are meaty in content and they assume some level of sophistication to begin with. The pages are not colorful or full of illustrations. They have helped our skills in recognizing Latin and Greek roots in new words and thus giving us a pretty good idea of what the word means.
I highly recommend that you view the samples on the website for the various levels before purchasing your workbook. The link to the samples is on the right sidebar of the website linked above.
Here is a link to Lesson 2 in book A: Sample
I admit that I did not use all the suggestions for activities in the Teacher's Guide. Both my boys work on these independently and I only help them review from time to time. They have 15 minutes per day allotted in their high school schedule to work on the lessons. They complete a lesson every week with a test on Friday.
I feel very good about what we have accomplished. Setting aside Latin, it freed us up to take our time to learn the roots and then apply them in our other schoolwork and in the vocabulary workbooks. Both my boys like words so they actually enjoy the workbooks.
No regrets,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Sidenote: We muscled our way through Science Roots during our biology study last year. I found the program a little overwhelming to try to accomplish in one year. If I could have a "do over", I would have started the Science Roots program when they boys were in middle school so they would have been ready for all the vocabulary in their biology study.
10 comments:
Barb,
I enjoyed reading this post and will look into these suggestions. I was wondering if you could share what program you've done for Spanish and why you like it? ~Sydni (from the WTM boards)
Sydni,
We have used a combination of programs over the years but the two that were the most helpful were Rosetta Stone, taken slowly and independently, and The Easy Spanish.
Here is a link to a review I wrote about this program.
http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com/2008/08/easy-spanish-charlotte-mason-spanish.html
I love The Easy Spanish because it is Charlotte Mason in presentation. We used all the components and it was very thorough and it was interesting. We actually were able to implement what we were learning each week in our family.
Hope that helps.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Great review! I definately won't have you locked up for not completing a Latin program, I think that it is awesome how you tailor your needs to suit your family. You're a wise mom.
Thanks for the confession. :-) We tried one Latin program last year... oh, it was so "not fun." This year, we tried another program, and we both enjoyed it much more. We made it through 6 solid weeks... then fizzled out. **sigh**
I like your ideas of getting Latin in other ways.
Anyway, I think we'll try again next year... we'll see!
Oh, and we did just make it through our 5th week of Greek! We're doing a program where you learn the letters & their sounds. We encounter a lot of Greek at church, so even if this is as far as we go, I feel good about it.
And, my daughter has taken 2 years of Spanich - but both were intro courses. I'm really thinking about getting her into a more in depth class next year, or possibly a tutor. Learning Spanish would be very handy down here in the Houston area!
Barb, what ages were your boys when you started using the English from the Roots Up?
We have been working for about four years so they would have been 9 and 11. I think you could even go younger if you have a child who is very linguistic. You could just take it very slow like we did and work until you finish. :)
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
We used English from the Roots Up for a while...I liked it. We are doing a Latin program...SLOWLY!
Barb,
I like the idea of the flashcards and playing games with them. As far as Vocabulary from Classical Roots, did you do this at the same time you were working with the flashcards.
I'm wondering how/where you would start if your boys were 10/12.
Thanks,
Sarah
Sarah,
Yes, we have used both at the same time.
We started English from the Roots Up when the youngest was in 5th grade and continued with the cards until this year, age 13.
We started with VFCR A when they were in middle school, currently working just finishing VFCR C. We don't necessarily cover a lesson a week or a book a year so that stretches things out. I prefer to work slowly and thoroughly.
You certainly could start with the EFRU cards this year and also VFCR A at least with your older child. You might consider using the lower books for your younger child. I have not used the 5th and 6th grade books since they are a fairly new thing.
Hope that helps,
Barb
Thank you. That helps a lot.
Sarah
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