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Latin For Children Primer Series
Includes accessories: DVDs, Chant CDs, Activity Book, History Reader, Answer Key
Q: Why learn Latin? Isn't it a dead language?
Q. Why should children as young as 3rd graders study Latin?
Q: But I don't know Latin myself. How can I teach it?
Q: What grade is the LFC series targeted toward?
Q: Can an older student use/profit from the books?
Q: Do you have a recommended weekly schedule for teaching Latin for Children?
Q: Why so many vocabulary words per week?
Q: What is Shurley Grammar?
Q: How exactly is Shurley grammar integrated?
Q: Can my child receive a language credit for going through LFC?
Q: Do I need the Answer Key if I buy the book?
Q: Can I get VHS tapes instead of DVD?
Q: What is a chant cd?
Q: What material is on the DVDs & chant cd?
Q: Can I get the Chant CD without purchasing the DVD set? Why not?
Q: What is the Libellus de Historia?
Q: Do the History Readers follow the LFC series?
Q: What period of history do these readers follow?
Q: Will these stories be too difficult?
Q: Can you suggest how & when to use these History Readers
as we go through the LFC series?
Q: Does the Activity Book follow the LFC series?
Q: Why are some of the tests in older LFC primers named "pre-quizzes"?
Q: Is the LFC series sequential?
Q: I'm moving over from another curriculum to LFC. What book should I start with?
Q: Who is using LFC?
Q: What curriculum do you recommend for students who have completed LFC?
Q: If I don't want to go on the Oxford Latin after Primer C what
in its stead would you recommend?
Q: How does Latin For Children compare with Memoria Press's
Latin series Latina Christiana?
Q: How do you compare with Canon Press' Latin Primer series?
Q: Who qualifies for an evaluation copy?
Q: What does it mean to be a distributor?
Q: Why learn Latin? Isn't it a dead language?
A: Well Latin isn’t dead after all, it lives on in the mouths of all of us who speak English, as half of our English words are derived from Latin. For those who speak French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian or Portuguese (the “Romance” languages), 90% of the vocabulary comes from Latin. These Romance languages are actually forms of Latin that have evolved over the centuries in various regions with some interaction from other local tongues. As you might guess, studying Latin is fantastic preparation for the Romance languages! Studying Latin is one of the easiest ways to become fluent not just in one but in several Romance languages. There are other good reasons to study Latin, cited below:
- Studying Latin prepares a student to master English and the Romance languages. Students of Latin, for example, typically score the highest on tests on English vocabulary!
- Latin prepares a student for several important professions that are steeped in Latin or English words derived from Latin. Examples: law, medicine, science, music, theology, philosophy, literature.
- Latin enables a student to have improved access to English literature prior to 1950 which is replete with references and citations in Latin. As well, the history of art and architecture is replete with Latin. Monuments and art all over the world are frequently graced with Latin.
- Latin enables a student to more fully understand and appreciate the Roman empire which has had profound and continuing effect on western civilization.
- Latin enables a student to enjoy some of the most influential literature the world has known in the original language. Learning Latin well enough to read original Latin works is attainable and imparts great satisfaction and enjoyment.
- The study of Latin is an ongoing study in linguistic puzzle-solving that generally helps students to become close and careful readers and writers. Many believe it also hones the mental faculties generally. One well-known cancer researcher asked what best prepared him for a life of medical research. His response: “Studying Latin and Greek as a child.”
I think you can see why studying Latin is a way of doing advance study in several subjects simultaneously. This is why we regard it as a master subject—it is a subject that like a tool enables one to master other things, other subjects. It is no wonder that it has been a required subject in schools for centuries.
Q. Why should children as young as 3rd graders study Latin?
A: Children are widely recognizes as being able to learn language faster and better than adults. No doubt, this has something to do with the way the human brain develops—the brain acquires language best and most quickly during childhood. Children can memorize vocabulary quickly, especially with repetition and all the more so when set to songs and chants. Children can also readily master the rudiments of grammar when it is taught clearly, incrementally and especially when combined with generous reading. Over three years, the LFC curriculum teaches students 720 words and the rudiments of grammar that will launch them into the mastery of Latin, English and other languages they choose to study. The vast majority of student who take LFC really like studying Latin!
Q: But I don't know Latin myself. How can I teach it?
A: Many home-school moms and dads have asked themselves the same question, and have found that with the user-friendly program we've put together, it was not so hard after all. Our video series has been especially helpful for those home-school parents who aren't fully comfortable with the language themselves.
How to Teach Latin (PDF). 15 pages on teaching LFC.
Q: What grade is the LFC series targeted toward?
A: Our primary target audience is 3rd – 5th graders
Q: Can an older student use/profit from the books?
A: Absolutely. Very often, older students find the very incremental, logical and memory-oriented approach of LFC to be "right up their alley," so to speak. This is true even more frequently when:
- The teacher isn't as familiar with the language (e.g., a homeschool parent without any previous training in Latin)
- When the student either struggles with, or is intimidated by, learning a new language.
- When the student just simply doesn't want to move at the fast pace of most high-school Latin programs (the learning curve can be especially steep in certain places of certain high-school Latin curricula, as I myself found in high school when we were going through Ecce Romani, or as my students have sometimes found out in 7th or 8th grade when learning the passive voice or the subjunctive mood in books 2 and 3 of the Oxford program.)
- When the student prefers a memory-oriented approach to the more inductive, reading-oriented approach of most secondary-oriented curricula.
Q: Do you have a recommended weekly schedule for teaching Latin for Children?
A: Different teachers and students have different approaches that work for them. Here's our general recommendation:
Latin for Children--Suggested Weekly Schedule (PDF)
Q: Why so many vocabulary words per week?
A: Actually, the number of vocabulary words in each chapter has been influenced by our extensive testing and experience with students in the 3rd-5th grade primary target student range and we find that the approximately 10 words per week is very doable for most students in this age range. Of course, if you find that in your unique home-school environment this isn't the case for you, though, feel free to vary the pacing accordingly. Actually, we found that for many 3rd graders the 10-words-per-week typical memory load seems almost too easy, and we experimented early on with systems that taught even more words and "front-loaded" much of this memory-work early-on in the year and concentrated on more application/ review in the later part of the school year. While most students could handle this approach, we found that enough found it difficult and stressful to keep up that we decided to back off on the memory-work pacing, and we think that this ends up being a doable pace for the vast majority of students.
Once again, however, if you find that this pace is "too easy" for your student in your situation, feel free to vary the pacing. You could try a "front-loaded" approach much like that mentioned above by, for example, moving through the Primer itself at a faster pace than the typical one-chapter-per-week pace that we typically use at CCA, and spend more time doing application work later in the year by doing more work in supplemental materials like the activity book and/ or the history readers.
A: Shurley Grammar is an English grammar program that has lately become very popular among classical Christian schools and home-schools.
Q: How exactly is Shurley grammar integrated?
A: The short answer is this: In understanding what we mean by LFC being integrated with Shurley Grammar, it is important to know what we do mean, as well as what we don't mean. This does not mean that an individual level of Shurley Grammar is integrated with an equivalent level of LFC or vice versa. It also does not mean that students who are going straight through both curricula at the same time at the expected pace are necessarily going to be addressing the same topics in the same order at the same time. Doing this probably wouldn't have been a good idea in any case, since different people start LFC at different times anyway, and we want LFC to be a flexible product that many people can use at different ages and moving at their own individual pace. What's more, we decided that the differences in the nature of the task of teaching Latin and of teaching English grammar was sufficiently different that organizing LFC around the scope and sequence used in Shurley Grammar would not be ideal for teaching Latin.
So, if the sequencing doesn't entirely "sync up" between Shurley and LFC, what do we mean by it being integrated with Shurley Grammar? We use the same abbreviations for the parts of a sentence, teach similar parsing methods for breaking a sentence down into its parts and make use of similar terms, concepts and definitions wherever possible. The theory is that we shouldn't be teaching them one set of terms and abbreviations in Latin class and another in English class. While English grammar and Latin grammar aren't moving forward at the same sequence when using our program together with Shurley, we also believe that there is a very helpful sort of "spiral review" dynamic between the two, as similar terms, concepts and abbreviations pop up in both books as the children progress through both classes. This sort of "spiral review" dynamic is not accidental in the case of LFC and Shurley, because LFC was created by teachers who are very familiar with Shurley Grammar and consciously worked to build opportunities for pedagogical "synergy" between the two.
Q: Can my child receive a language credit for going through LFC?
A: “Credit” is usually a concern for students in grades 9-12, the only transcripts that colleges see. Transferring a student into a school (or from school to school) in any grade can also raise concerns about “credit.” LFC will generally satisfy foreign language requirements for any student in grades 3-8. In some cases LFC may even satisfy high-school requirements, especially if taken in higher grades. Parents should check with prospective schools about what they will regard as sufficient for credit. Taking the National Latin Exam (say after Primer C) will also help show school administrators that your child has actually learned some Latin!
Q: Do I need the Answer Key if I buy the book?
A: The short answer is that if you need the answers, yes, as they do not appear in the student book. But do you need the answers…? (Dr. Larsen's opinion) If you are not confident enough to be able to correct papers quickly and accurately without one, I would highly recommend it. I never bother with an answer key when I grade papers myself (both using LFC and in my current 7th grade class where we currently use the Oxford series), and I rarely made much use of one when I taught out of our school's previous curriculum to the 4th and 5th graders… but even then it was handy to have it nearby…
Q: Can I get VHS tapes instead of DVD?
A: Sorry, because of the incredibly low demand for VHS tapes, Classical Academic Press is no longer selling any of their videos on VHS.
A: The chant CD is a audio disc that contains Dr. Perrin going through each week's vocabulary words as his children repeat each word in a chant-like style.
Each chant CD contains all 240 vocabulary words (taught from each Primer book). The CD is structured so that each chapter is on it's own audio track (for easy navigation).
The entire vocabulary list is first presented with a Classical pronunciation then is repeated in the Ecclesiastical. The chant cd contains both pronunciations in full.
Useful for practice around the house, doing chores, in the car...
Q: What material is on the DVDs & chant cd?
A: Author Dr. Perrin teaches two girls through the entire textbook book, chapter by chapter. Each chapter (32 chapters) is roughly 10 to 12 minutes long.
The memory page charts and vocabulary is presented on the screen so viewers can participate with or without their text books in hand. Fun extras/skits make learning Latin fun.
Q: Can I get the Chant CD without purchasing the DVD set? Why not?
A: At this point, we are not selling the chant CD separately. Because of the cost of producing audio/video products, we have chosen to bundle the DVDs together with the chant CDs in order to keep our retail pricing affordable for everyone.
Q: What is the Libellus de Historia?
A: Libellus de Historia (A Little Book about History) is a History Reader for young Latin students. A reader is a tool to help students apply the Latin grammar tools they have learned to actual translation, much in the same way students use readers like Dick & Jane or the Bob books to practice their English reading skills. These readers look to history for their storylines, which makes them an ideal resource for laterally integrating your history and Latin programs.
Q: Do the History Readers follow the LFC series? How so?
Libellus de Historia was initially designed as a supplement to the Latin for Children Primer series. As such each story incorporates the grammar and much of the vocabulary taught in the correlating chapters of the primer it is partnered with. However, the readers were also designed to be flexible enough to be used by students of any Latin program. The table of contents lists the grammar assumed for each story, so parents and teachers will know which stories are most appropriate for their students’ lesson. Each story has its own glossary and set of notes to guide readers through their translation. While these individual glossaries do assume some familiarity with the LFC lessons, there is a comprehensive glossary in the back of each reader that lists every word used. So, those students who have not used the primers will have immediate access to all the vocabulary needed.
Q: What period of history do these readers follow?
The history stories found in each reader are inspired by the Veritas Press History Card series. The first reader partners with their New Testament, Greece, & Rome series, but does not begin until card #18 on the architectural advances in Rome. This is because up until this point, students have not yet acquired enough tools to translate simple sentences. The second reader partners with the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation series. The third and final reader partners with the Explorers and Early American History series.
Readers should also be aware that while the topics on each history card inspired the stories written, the stories are not a mere translation of the information already written on the cards. Usually the stories elaborate on one smaller topic listed, such as the Battle of Actium, the trial of Joan of Arc, or the midnight ride of Paul Revere.
Q: Will these stories be too difficult?
Each story was designed with the Latin level of its readers in mind. The first reader is meant for third graders using LFC Primer A, the second for fourth graders studying Primer B, and the last for fifth graders studying Primer C. The stories were written by an experienced Latin teacher currently using LFC in her classroom, and many of them have been translated by her students to ensure that they are at an appropriate level.
There is one caveat, however. These stories were not designed for easy reading, but to challenge the Latin skills acquired by the students. Students should not be expected to sit down with a Libellus and read it as though they were reading Charlotte’s Web or another English book. Students will need to take some time to analyze and translate each sentence. Latin is like a linguistic jigsaw puzzle. Each piece must be looked at carefully to see how it best fits within the puzzle. Sometimes it might take a couple of tries to see how the pieces fit. Once finished, however, you should end with a wonderful picture of history and a greater appreciation for the skills your Latin studies have brought.
Q: Does the Activity Book follow the LFC series?
A: Yes. The Activity Books have 32 chapters--just like the Primer that they follow/support. The same vocabulary and grammar that are being covered in the Primer series is also the bases for the games and puzzles found in the Activity Books.
Q: Can you suggest how & when to use these History Readers
as we go through the LFC series?
It would certainly be overwhelming for teachers to fit all thirty two stories in alongside weekly lessons, grammar practice, and quizzes. It would be wise to look through the stories in advance and decide which ones you will incorporate into the classroom. Some grammar lessons might warrant more practice than others, and an added story would be helpful. Review chapters are often a good time to vary lesson plans by adding a story that would review all the recent grammar topics. You might also speak with your history teacher to see which stories would best enhance the history lessons planned for the year. Some of the Veritas History cards cover a very broad time period. For instance, card #20 in the Middle Ages series covers the hundred years war, the black plague, and Joan of Arc. The Libellus equivalent focuses only on Joan of Arc. That may free the history teacher to focus more time on the other topics.
If you choose not to use all thirty two stories in class, it does not mean that the remaining ones are wasted. Consider offering them to the ambitious students who are always the first to finish. Extra stories can provide a great opportunity as extra credit assignments. Perhaps students can later share their translation with their fellow classmates.
However you decide to incorporate the readers into your lesson plans, please keep in mind that the more regularly you use them, the more beneficial they will be. Exercising your mind is in many ways like exercising your muscles. The more you exercise, the more you improve, and the easier the routine becomes.
Q: Why are some of the tests in older LFC primers named "pre-quizzes"?
A: Because they are what we used in our school, Covenant Christian Academy, as our last check-up before Friday's quizzes. We find that most people use the "pre-quiz" as the real quiz.
Q: Is the LFC series sequential?
A: Yes. Each primer builds off of what was learned in the previous primers.
Q: I'm moving over from another curriculum to LFC. What book should I start with?
A: Generally, if you've completed at least one book from another curriculum you may be able to start with our LFC, Primer B. However, we recommend that you review that our LFC, Primer A for 4 to 6 weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
A: Homeschoolers, Private Schools, Public Schools, Co-ops...
People in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jordan, England,...
Q: What curriculum do you recommend for students who have completed LFC?
We recommend that students who have finished Primer C go into the Oxford Latin Course using the second book (the yellow book)--Oxford Latin Course Part II. This book will begin with some review for students but will also start teaching them some new concepts and vocabulary. Student find the transition to Oxford Latin II quite easy since they already know virtually all the vocabulary as well as the verb and noun paradigms. The blended emphasis of both grammar and reading that Oxford presents is effective--the text features an ongoing narrative of the life Horace (a Roman poet) that incorporates the vocabulary and grammar that students are learning. After Part II of the Oxford series they can do Part III (the blue book), which will effectively complete their study of Latin grammar (focusing on the subjunctive mood and the passive voice). We then recommend a course of readings in original Latin. Oxford publishes a reader (Part IV), though other original Latin texts can be taken up at this point. Here is chart summarizing our recommendation:
| Year 1 | LFC Primer A |
| Year 2 | LFC Primer B |
| Year 3 | LFC Primer C |
| Year 4 | Oxford II |
| Year 5 | Oxford III |
| Year 6 | Readings in Latin |
| Year 7 | Continued Reading |
Q: If I don't want to go on the Oxford Latin after Primer C what other options would you recommend?
A: I (Dr. Larsen) recommend especially that you look into a similar sort of "reading-based" program. Good examples of other such programs include the Ecce Romani series and the Cambridge Latin series.
Q: How does Latin For Children compare with Memoria Press's Latin series Latina Christiana?
A: We get questions from time to time about how LFC compares with Latina Christiana--a competing product which we esteem greatly. Latina Christiana is a strong text but with a different aim and approach. What follows describes our comparison and contrast.
- LFC better integrates with their English grammar class, especially if they are using Shurley grammar.
- Unlike LC, LFC has the grammar instructions right in the student book, which we believe provides the following advantages:
- It encourages the student to read and re-read them, which encourages them to better "learn" and take "ownership" over the grammar concepts for themselves, which isn't as likely when the grammar instructions are left in a margin of the teacher's manual.
- It makes extensive "teacher's guide"-type materials unnecessary
- It makes classical school parents (who wouldn't normally have a teacher's guide) better able to help their children with their homework in a conventional school environment.
- LFC is better integrated with a Veritas-style, chronological history program; In fact, our new History Readers help students to drill and review their history facts and their Latin translation at the same time.
- The vocabulary of LFC has been carefully researched using frequency lists; we figure if we're going to invest this sort of effort into memorizing Latin words, they ought to all be, as much as possible, among most important words in the language.
|
|
|
Latin For Children |
|
Volumes |
2 (not including Prima Latina) |
3 (Primers A, B and C) |
|
Vocabulary |
400 words |
720 words |
|
Grammar |
All 5 noun declensions All 4 verb conjugations One irregular verb 1st 2nd Declension adjectives Basic Latin prepositions Personal Pronouns
Some adverbs Present, future and imperfect tenses Active voice of verbs |
All 5 noun declensions All 4 verb conjugations Several common irregular verbs 1st 2nd and 3rd Declension adjectives Virtually all Latin prepositions Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns Many adverbs Present, future, imperfect, perfect, pluperfect, future perfect tenses. Active and passive voice of verbs Use of Imperatives, compound verbs Special uses of the dative, genitive, ablative cases. Use of Ordinal and Cardinal Numbers |
|
Reference |
Derivatives, basic charts |
Derivatives for every Latin word, extensive reference charts |
Q: How do you compare with Canon Press' Latin Primer series?
A: Another competing product which we esteem is the Canon Press series. Here is our comparison and contrast of LFC and the Canon Press series:
- The sequencing and organization of LFC's vocabulary, grammar instruction, and grammar chants has been arranged in a very logical and mutually reinforcing way. Thus, for example, we introduce the 3rd Declension, 3rd Declension words, and 3rd Declension endings all at the same time.
- LFC better integrates with their English grammar class, especially if they are using Shurley grammar.
- Unlike CP, LFC has the grammar instructions right in the student book, which we believe provides the following advantages:
- It encourages the student to read and re-read them, which encourages them to better "learn" and take "ownership" over the grammar concepts for themselves, which isn't as likely when the grammar instructions are left in a margin of the teacher's manual.
- It makes extensive "teacher's guide"-type materials unnecessary
- It makes classical school parents (who wouldn't normally have a teacher's guide) better able to help their children with their homework in a conventional school environment.
- The LFC text series is better integrated with a Veritas-style, chronological history program; In fact, our new history readers help students to drill and review their history facts and their Latin translation at the same time.
- The vocabulary of LFC has been carefully researched using frequency lists; we figure if we're going to invest this sort of effort into memorizing Latin words, they ought to all be, as much as possible, among most important words in the language.
Q: Who qualifies for an evaluation copy?
A: Schools and/or Homeschool Co-ops may request a 30-day evaluation copy of any text that Classical Academic Press publishes.
E-mail us at: info@classicalsubjects.com or call us: 717-730-0711 to request your evaluation copies. PLEASE include your school or co-op name & address.
Q: What does it mean to be a distributor?
You can read about becoming a distributor with Classical Academic Press here.
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