5th Grade Latin: Transition from another curriculum

[Marnie]

I am strongly considering homeschooling my daughter this upcoming school year. She will be in 5th grade. Her English writing, spelling and grammar are excellent, and she had Latin for Children (LFC) A & and the first half of B, when we switched schools (we moved to a different state). For the last half of the year she had Latin but it was the first year Latin for that school and it’s a curriculum that is put together by the teacher, not a mainstream curriculum. She had already learned everything covered by the class but learned some knew vocabulary. That curriculum is used for first-year 4th-6th grade; the 4th graders go at a slower pace than the 6th graders.

I’d like to do your Latin curriculum but am not sure where to start. I really liked LFC when I did it with my kids, but there were always questions I couldn’t answer. From what I’ve heard Latina Christiana and First Form Latin are more straightforward with good teachers manuals. Since I don’t know Latin, except what I learned when my kids did LFC-A and the first part of B (and as I said some parts left me a little confused, with unanswered questions), what would be your recommendation for where to start?

I noticed in The Classical Teacher that First Form Latin is for beginning 5th-12th grades. My daughter is entering 5th grade but she’s already had some Latin as described above. So, should I still start her with FFL, since it’s her first year with this curriculum, or should I go straight into Second Form Latin? Also, will I also need an English grammar curriculum?

[tanya]

Hello.

If your daughter knows all 5 noun declensions, the 6 active verb tenses, and 1st-2nd declension adjectives, First Form would be a review. But if you feel she would benefit from the practice on these grammar forms, this would be a good place to start. It wouldn't be an intimidating subject while adjusting to homeschooling either. And even if you finished First Form early because of her previous Latin background, you could move on into Second Form the second semester. This would be easier than jumping into Second Form from another program.

Regards,

Tanya Charlton