Favorite Latin Curriculum

For SAT prep use The Latin Road to English Grammar is great.  This program does require the parent to learn and work with the child. http://www.thelatinroad.com/latinroad/ 

 Review from Cathy Duffy Homeschool  Reviews:

http://cathyduffyreviews.com/foreign-language/lively-latin.htm 

Forget direct comparisons to other Latin programs; this one is really different. It combines instruction in English grammar with Latin, eliminating the need to use anything else for those subjects in most situations. The author states that students as young as fourth grade level have successfully worked through Volume I, although it will be more appropriate for most students who are at fifth grade level or beyond. It should work well with students beginning at junior or senior high levels

 

We also like English from The Roots Up, and these days we just use the flash cards, to rave reviews by the kids who love studying this way, as a game in our Mom School Latin Study Group.http://www.amazon.com/English-Roots-Up-Vol-T/dp/0964321033  

 

 

Review from Amazon Reviews: 

Amazon review: 

 

This review is from: English from the Roots Up, Vol. 1: Help for Reading, Writing, Spelling, and S.A.T. Scores (Plastic Comb)

English From The Roots Up is an excellent vocabulary and spelling tool for any age student--including the child who is learning to read, especially with phonics, and can write or the high school student trying to prepare for college entrance exams. It develops words from Latin and Greek roots using simple nemonic devices--index cards outlined in red for Latin or green for Greek, which you make yourself. Students learn one root at a time, and from that root are given examples where it's used. Recognizing Greek or Latin roots in English words enables the student to determine the definition and spelling of unknown words. The exercise is consistent for each root--learn the definition of the root, learn words that have that root and the definitions of those words as well. The lessons build on one another. Elementary children think it's fun, believe it or not, because they find themselves discovering big words that don't intimidate them anymore. They also have fun making up new words based on the roots they've learned. I have my 1st grader working through the lessons along with my 4th grader. We learn one root and the words associated with that root, master it and move on to the next at their pace. The book calls for making the cards on 3x5 index cards, but 4x6 or even 5x7 would be better in my opinion. I can't even write small enough to get the words with the root and their definitions on a single 3x5, much less a 5 or 9 y/o child.

 

I've just discovered Lively Latin and,  it is all the buzz in the Classical Liberal Arts Home School Community because students can self study using this program. I've read many great reviews,and Cathy Duffy's is the best, giving much detail.  We just purchased this program for our fourteen year old, and will let you all know how it goes. 

http://www.livelylatin.com/site/index.php  

 Review from Cathy Duffy Homeschool Reviews:

http://cathyduffyreviews.com/foreign-language/lively-latin.htm

After years of teaching Latin to homeschooled students with existing curricula and doing a lot of adaptation, Catherine Drown decided it was time to create her own program for teaching Latin to students in the elementary grades.

There were a number of elements she decided were essential for her ideal program:

• Study of English derivatives so students "could use their Latin knowledge to become more articulate and attentive to meaning in their own language."
• History of Rome incorporated into the course with related activities such as maps, timelines, internet links, and review.
• Use of traditional methods for learning Latin—recitation, chanting, parsing, and translating, but with a bit more fun and variety than in other programs.
• An  online component for students to play vocabulary games and connect with other students.
• A program that is easy for both parents and students to use--requires minimal preparation and presentation time from the teacher and allows students to do a great deal of their work independently. 
• Assumes no prior Latin study by the parent.
• Allows you to choose either ecclesiastical or classical pronunciation.

All of this available at an affordable price without having to purchase extra components!

In my opinion, Lively Latin lives up to its name. Even though the methodology is quite traditional, the mix of multi-sensory learning methods and use of stories and art should be more appealing to most students than most other options trying to cover comparable material.