Why "Form" series if Henle is good?

[LJB]

My oldest child has gone through Prima Latina through Second Form Latin with 3 others following behind in the same sequence. I have read how much Mrs. Lowe likes the Henle series. Why did she create the First-Forth Form series? How are they different? And will some of the Henle books be a review of material in the Form series?

LJB
Homeschool mom with no Latin background

[pschaeffer]

When I was in 3rd grade, Cheryl began teaching me Latin in a co-op with Latina Christiana I. In 4th grade we did LC II and then we dived right into Henle in 5th grade. It was written for high schoolers, so it was a little too much for us as 5th graders. For that reason, Cheryl began the Form series--it is geared towards elementary/middle school students whereas Henle is geared towards high schoolers. The Form books make Latin accessible to the younger students.

The Form series (meaning First - Fourth Form) covers all the Latin grammar, which Henle covers in just his first book. The idea is that when a student finishes Fourth Form (whose exercises are taken directly from Henle 1), he should go straight into Henle 2 (translation of Caesar).

Our ideal sequence is:
2nd grade: Prima
3rd: LC I
4th: First Form
5th: Second Form
6th: Third Form
7th: Fourth Form
8th and up: Henle 2-4 (Caesar, Cicero, Virgil), maybe some Ovid, AP Latin prep

Paul

[The Autumn Oak]

Thank you Paul...Your explanation is very helpful...

[Jenchick1@aol.com]

Thank you Paul for the most wonderful explanation! My daughter too, began Latin with Prima, then LC1, FF, SF and this coming year she will be in Third Form.
This is the first time that I've heard about the recommended transition from Fourth Form to Henle 2. Your explanation makes perfect sense but I was noticing that the Classical Teacher has Henle 1 and 2 (syntax and Caesar prep)following Fourth Form and then the following year Henle 2. (Classical Teacher Spring 2012 Page 20)
So I just want to be perfectly clear that your suggestion (Fourth Form ---->> Henle 2) is the recommended steps we should take with our Latin Studies and, if so, when is it recommended to study Henle 1. Is this recommended for a Latin Student who has not followed the recommended Latin sequence to get caught up with those who have studied the Form series? Thank you for your time!
Jennifer

[Michael]

Jenchick,

Hello, I've been working with Cheryl on Fourth Form, so I'm going to hijack this thread from Paul real quick : )

The "Latin sequence" you are referring to in the Spring catalog is being revised to reflect how Fourth Form will integrate into our curriculum. This revised sequence, which is what Paul gave you, will be in the next catalog. So yes, Fourth Form to Henle II is what we recommend. Henle I is actually being incorporated into Fourth For, so it will not be skipped.

For students who are not on the recommended sequence, what course(s) would be best for that student is something that is best determined on an individual basis. In general, they should start at the beginning of the appropriate program, depending on their grade/ability level (e.g. LCI, First Form), but that is very much a generalization.

Hope this helps and done hijacking!

[Jenchick1@aol.com]

Thanks Michael! By the way we are LOVING the Form series! Thanks for such a great Latin program.
Warmly,
Jennifer

[Jen in Japan]

I was also thinking that the current Latin sequence chart reflected where an age-appropriate student would begin their Latin studies. A 9th grader, beginning Latin, would need begin with Henle 1.

It's almost like there should be TWO charts: MP's sequential recommendations AND a first-time Latin placement chart.

[pschaeffer]

Jen,
It is always difficult to place students when they are jumping into Latin later than 2-4 grade, but the general rules we follow are:
- Students starting Latin in 4th grade should still do LC I before doing FF.
- Students starting in 5th-7th should start with the Form Series.
- Students 8th + can start with Henle. However, depending on the ability of the student, whether he will be learning alone or not, his prior studies in grammar, and his motivation, the Form Series may even be more suitable for an 8th or 9th grader than Henle.

I hope this is clear (probably only as clear as mud though!), and I hope later we can put something in a very understandable format for these types of situations.

Paul