We are currently working our way through First Form Latin from Memoria Press and I'm happy to give you a review of it. This is our third Latin level from Memoria Press so that in and of itself tells you I'm pretty happy with it.
While we don't follow a classical education model, I do firmly believe that there are attributes from one that are relevant and essential to our family's homeschool curriculum. Latin is one of them.
First Form Latin is geared towards grades 4-9. The lessons are written for a class, but can be used with one student. I have an allotted amount of time that I want our children to work on Latin each day but they are allowed to work at their own pace. I like this better than keeping them together because if one child wants to excel, they can. Memoria Press recommends the following schedule. However, feel free to adapt the schedule to what best suits your family's learning style.
- Monday: 35-40 minutes (includes DVD instruction and workbook time)
- Tuesday-Thursday: 20-30 minutes with Thursday leaving time for review before the following day's quiz
- Friday: Quiz
We have the complete First Form Latin set and I'm thankful for every aspect of it. The Instructional DVDs are the backbone of the program and will be for you, too, if you don't already know Latin or aren't working with a local Latin learning group. Since I know nothing about Latin and we don't belong to a group, the DVDs are essential to us.
With this set you will be receive the following. I've made notations about items I believe to be essential and ones that are nice to have.
- A 9×7.5 inch Student Text (essential)
- Teacher's Manual (essential)
- A full-size Student Workbook with 4-6 pages of exercises per lesson. (essential)
- A Quizzes & Tests booklet with reproducible weekly quizzes and unit tests (nice to have)
- A Teacher Key (for Workbook, Quizzes, & Tests) with answers to the workbook and quizzes/tests. (essential)
- A Pronunciation CD that includes all vocabulary and grammar forms for each lesson (essential)
- Flashcards (helpful to have)
- DVDs (3 discs, 9 hours, 15-20 minutes/lesson) (essential to have unless you have a thorough understanding of Latin or are in a group that is led by a teacher)
- The six indicative active tenses of the first two verb conjugations
- Five noun declensions
- First and second declension adjectives
- 185 vocabulary words
Also, more than half of our English words come from Latin. I love, love, love it when we are out and about and I hear one of our children read a word and say, "Mom, did you know that comes from the Latin word..."
Additionally, Latin is the language used in the classification system for plants and animals and of the modern sciences including psychology and physics. It is also the language of law and theology. Giving our children a solid Latin foundation will help prepare them for almost any field of study.
I also love the discipline that it helps instill in them. I'm so thankful for the progress they have made over the last several years.
I'm currently planning out our next school year's curriculum and I'll be checking out the Christian studies curriculum from Memoria Press because I want our children to have a thorough understanding of biblical history. This is an area we have not yet begun to study but one that I feel would be a welcome addition to our children's education.
Be sure to check out Memoria Press' other valuable curriculum options and don't forget to get some Latin while you're there. 😉
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1 comment:
This books looks to be quite historical as I myself like to know the history, as there are reviews according to my likes so I’m thinking to go for it.
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