Articles From The Classical Teacher

Which Latin Program Is Right for Your Student?
by Cheryl Lowe

Which Latin course your student should take will depend on several factors:

• Student age, ability, motivation, maturity
• Latin background of student
• Latin background of parent or teacher

See right for the suggested grade ranges for our three beginner programs. (no Latin background)

Depending on the variables listed above you can choose the appropriate program for your student. Latin is a difficult subject. Do not hesitate to choose the lower program if there are overlapping age ranges. Very few students suffer from a program that is too easy, but many become discouraged by a program that is too hard. We have found that students who have completed Prima are well prepared to be successful in Latina I and students who have completed Latin I are much more successful in First Form, and students who have completed First Form are much more successful in Henle I.

The Highlands Latin program outlined below may serve as a benchmark for excellence in the art of teaching Latin. While it is motivating to have a standard to work toward, the results that we achieve at HLS with an experienced staff and many years of experience, can not easily be duplicated by homeschoolers or classical schools. However, if you have young children and are beginning your classical education journey, with careful planning and hard work, this is a scope and sequence that you can aspire to.

See right for Highlands Latin Scope and Sequence.

However, a level of achievement, even one two or three years behind this ideal, is still a great accomplishment. It is never too late to begin Latin. Many of our teachers did not start Latin until after college! Whatever the age of your child, you can begin today to give him or her the benefits of learning Latin. And remember, if you are intimidated about teaching Latin do not hesitate to choose a lower level course. Latin is like an exercise regime. It is better to start off slow and warm up the muscles and not injure yourself, than to attempt a marathon and pass out. It is better to finish the course and not worry about whether you are a year or two behind schedule. There is no fixed schedule. At whatever age you begin Latin is a great time.

Switching from another Latin program to a Memoria Press Latin program?

If your student has already studied Latin with another program, the choice of the best Memoria Press program will have to be made on an individual basis. Here are some guidelines to get you started.

Unlike algebra I books which vary little in the content covered, there is no set order of grammar and vocabulary for Latin I texts. Latin programs vary greatly in:

• order of grammar covered
• vocabulary
• mastery required

This nonuniformity in Latin texts makes switching programs very difficult. It is usually best to go back to the beginning book of the new program. In addition most Latin programs require little memorization and review, so students usually have very poor mastery of the material they have covered.

Generally speaking if your student has already used another Latin program you may want to bump up to the higher beginning program recommended for your age student. For instance, if you have a 3rd grader who has studied some Latin you will want to use Latina I rather than Prima; or if you have a 5th grader with some Latin background you will want to choose First Form rather than Latina I.

If you are still undecided, call our experienced staff and they will help you choose the best Latin program or online course your student.

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Grades 2-4. Prima Latina program is the best choice for most students. Students in K-1 can learn do Prima Latina orally but we don’t recommend written Latin until after students have learned to read English.
Grades 5-6. Latina Christiana I is the best choice for most students. Students who have completed Prima Latina are especially successful with this more advanced course.
Grades 7-up. First Form Latin is a comprehensive Latin course that covers ¼ of the Latin grammar.

Which program should I choose if I am switching from another Latin program? Each case has to be decided individually, but unless your child has covered a significant amount of Latin, it is best to start at the beginning with a new program. The Latin grammar and vocabulary can vary considerably from one program which makes it difficult to change programs without at least a quick run through of the new program from the beginning.

An elementary student (5th-6th grades) who has studied some other introductory Latin program. If this student covered first and second declension nouns and first and second conjugation verbs, and first and second declension adjectives, he or she could, with a review of Latina I vocabulary, go on to Latina Christiana II. If not, the best thing to do is to start the student over in Latina Christiana I. There will be obvious overlap and the child will know some of the material, but it will offer the child much needed review anyway. At this age, you're not in a hurry: better to know a little material well than a lot of material in only a cursory way.

A middle school student (7th-8th grades) with no previous Latin experience. This student would do well in Middle School Latin I, a study of the first two units of Henle I. A competent 6th grader could also do well in this program, and a competent 8th grader could begin his Latin study in High School Latin I.

A middle school student (7th-8th grades) who has had the first two units of Henle I. This student should continue his Latin study in Middle School Latin II. Some competent students could go on into High School Latin I, which would offer a review of the first two units of Henle I and take him to the end of the 5th unit.

A middle school student who has had a year or more of Latin in some other program. A student who has some familiarity with Latin and did well in a previous course (or courses) is probably ready for High School Latin I: Units 1-5 of Henle I.

A high school student beginning Latin for the first time. A high school student beginning Latin for the first time should take High School Latin I: Units 1-5 of Henle I. In cases where a parent is concerned about whether a student will be able to handle the material, it might be a good idea to start this student in the Middle School Latin I course. The middle school courses cover the same material, but at about half the speed.

The student has taken Middle School Latin I, but wants to "graduate" to the High School Henle II course. The best thing to do in this case is to take our Henle Bridge Course which is offered in the summer. This is an independent studies course that covers Units 3-5 of Henle I, which takes the student from where he ended in Middle School Latin I to the beginning of High School Latin II. Completion of Middle School Latin I and the Henle Bridge Course would constitute a year of high school language credit.

A high school student who has taken one or more years of Latin in another program. In most cases, the student should begin with High School Latin I even though some of the material may be familiar. Many other Latin programs are inductive in their approach and focus on translation rather than grammar, or are not as rigorous as Henle, and going into a more advanced Henle class will confuse them because they are not familiar with many grammar concepts that are assumed in the course. Henle is a grammar-based approach and so students from other programs often are not well enough prepared to go on until they have the solid grammar grounding that the first units of Henle provide. Parents concerned that they will not be able to claim high school credit for the previous Latin their student has taken can in some cases legitimately consider their previous course a year of high school Latin translation and each Henle course, beginning with the first, as a year of high school Latin grammar.

The general rule is "Do not be afraid of review". There is nothing wrong with placing students in a class where they are covering material they have covered before. The more familiar they are with the material, the better they will do in later courses. It is better to know a little material well than a lot of material in a cursory way. On Latin placement, it is always err on the side of caution.