Latina Christiana Level I, by Memoria Press
If you had told me a few years ago that I would be working on learning Latin with my daughters, or was teaching a Latin class for homeschoolers, I would have laughed. I’ve been encouraged over the years to consider teaching Latin to my children, and inside (and maybe outwardly, too?) I’ve scoffed. How can I even begin to teach a foreign language that is rarely spoken today?
Enter Latina Christiana: Introduction to Christian Latin by Cheryl Lowe, a Classical Trivium Core Series program by Memoria Press.
I received several different materials from Memoria Press as a member of the TOS Crew, and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from this company I had never heard of until a few months ago. Our version of Latina Christiana is the completely revised and updated third edition which was published in 2006.
Mrs. Lowe explains in the preface of Latina Christiana that this program is designed for parents, teachers, and students who have no background in Latin or foreign languages.
While a lot of foreign language programs make these kinds of claims, it is not always the case. Often, foreign language programs are not user friendly and are difficult for parents to grasp for themselves, let alone work on with their children.
What did I receive? How much does this program cost?
Latina Christiana, designed for 3rd through 9th graders, has been a wonderful introduction to learning Latin. The program consists of: *Teacher Manual *Instructional DVD set *Student Book *Audio Pronunciation CD which contains a pronunciation guide and most everything that will be learned throughout Book 1.
Optional materials include flashcard sets, a separate translation course based on hymns and prayers, and Latin wall charts and history maps.
Our family received the Teacher Manual, Instructional DVD set, two Student Books, and the audio Pronunciation CD. You may notice that the core package for Latina Christiana contains the Teacher Manual, one Student Book, and the Pronunciation CD for $39.95, and the additional Instructional DVD set is $55.
Enter Latina Christiana: Introduction to Christian Latin by Cheryl Lowe, a Classical Trivium Core Series program by Memoria Press.
I received several different materials from Memoria Press as a member of the TOS Crew, and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from this company I had never heard of until a few months ago. Our version of Latina Christiana is the completely revised and updated third edition which was published in 2006.
Mrs. Lowe explains in the preface of Latina Christiana that this program is designed for parents, teachers, and students who have no background in Latin or foreign languages.
While a lot of foreign language programs make these kinds of claims, it is not always the case. Often, foreign language programs are not user friendly and are difficult for parents to grasp for themselves, let alone work on with their children.
What did I receive? How much does this program cost?
Latina Christiana, designed for 3rd through 9th graders, has been a wonderful introduction to learning Latin. The program consists of: *Teacher Manual *Instructional DVD set *Student Book *Audio Pronunciation CD which contains a pronunciation guide and most everything that will be learned throughout Book 1.
Optional materials include flashcard sets, a separate translation course based on hymns and prayers, and Latin wall charts and history maps.
Our family received the Teacher Manual, Instructional DVD set, two Student Books, and the audio Pronunciation CD. You may notice that the core package for Latina Christiana contains the Teacher Manual, one Student Book, and the Pronunciation CD for $39.95, and the additional Instructional DVD set is $55.
Here is the Table of Contents from Level I of
Latina Christiana:
How does Latina Christiana work?
When I sat down with the teacher’s guide for Latina Christiana, I started at the beginning and read through the Grammar Overview, Student Goals for 1st Year Latin, and General Teaching Directions. While I didn’t understand everything, it was clearly written and simply laid out the curriculum. Then, I read through the History Key and Notes, viewed the colored maps of Italy and the Roman Empire, and read through Lesson Plan I.
Here is a sample of the Teacher's Guide:
Why is there a "History Guide" with Latina Christiana?
"The study of the history and culture of Rome and the Middle Ages, the two eras in which Latin was the dominant language, will greatly increase student motivation for learning Latin", according to Memoria Press. Latina Christiana encourages the use of chapters 1-13 in a separate book titled, Famous Men of Rome, which covers the legendary founding of Rome in 753 B.C. to the Punic Wars in 264 B.C.
"The study of the history and culture of Rome and the Middle Ages, the two eras in which Latin was the dominant language, will greatly increase student motivation for learning Latin", according to Memoria Press. Latina Christiana encourages the use of chapters 1-13 in a separate book titled, Famous Men of Rome, which covers the legendary founding of Rome in 753 B.C. to the Punic Wars in 264 B.C.
Here is the Table of Contents from Famous Men of Rome
Here is a sample of one of the stories in
Famous Men of Rome:
Here is the Table of Contents from the Teacher's Guide for Famous Men of Rome:
Our family had already read this book together as part of our studies of ancient history and the Middle Ages, so we chose to not read through portions of this additional book along with learning Latin.
What does it look like to teach a lesson in Latin with Latina Christiana?
Using Latina Christiana and its instructional DVDs was surprisingly quite simple! I opened my teacher’s guide to Lesson Plan I, put in the first DVD, and we watched and listened together as we were walked through the beginnings of learning Latin. Here is what we covered in about 45 minutes together: *a formal greeting to students and to teachers of Latin *a Latin prayer *a Latin song (Christus Vincit) *a Latin saying *five vocabulary words *a first conjugation grammar form *derivatives of our five new vocabulary words
Whew! Does that seem like too much all at once? Well, surprisingly, Leigh Lowe guided us so gently through each step of the lesson that while we thought it was challenging enough, it wasn’t too difficult. I was so prepared in my mind to "throw in the towel" right at the beginning, but this seemed so simple and easy!
During the week, I quizzed the girls on each portion of Latin we were learning. They also completed their accompanying worksheet page in their Student Book. We learned that it is better to quiz the girls separately instead of together, at least for our own family. I have one child who answers questions immediately (oh, how I wish I was such a quick thinker, myself!), and one child who often needs 5-10 seconds wait time before she is ready to give her answer. The bonus of reviewing each day separately with each child is that Mom gets to review the materials twice a day! And as many of you know, children learn things so much faster than most adults, so I appreciate two glances at the teacher guide each day!
How long does this program take each day or week?
For our family, each DVD lesson takes about 45 minutes on Mondays, give or take a few minutes. Then, to review each day, or at least 3-4 times during that week, we spend about 10 minutes per child working on a review. On Fridays, we will often pull out a board game, and in order for each child to receive a turn at the board game, they need to correctly answer a Latin translation question pulled directly from the teacher’s guide. Board games tend to take more time for our family, but because the girls enjoy this method of review so much, I think it is well worth taking 30-45 minutes on a Friday to do this.
Are the DVDs necessary for using this program? They are more expensive.
The DVDs are a more expensive option for teaching Latin with Latina Christiana. Yes, you can teach this program without the DVDs. But, my experience would have been far more frustrating in working through each new lesson, trying to figure out ahead of time how to pronounce everything correctly. Leigh Lowe does an amazing job of easily presenting the weekly lessons. Personally, I wouldn’t want to use Latina Christiana without the instructional DVDs. They are THAT good! I highly recommend them.
What about the additional materials that can be purchased?
Once again, I highly recommend the instructional DVDs. We are considering purchasing the set of flashcards to go with this program, because our vocabulary list has now increased considerably and will continue to grow as we finish this program. We could make our own flashcards, too. Either one is suggested by this program.
My overall impressions of Latina Christiana
We have enjoyed using this program, but I prefer another Latin program these days. However, I must say that it is quite easy to use Latina Christiana. One of my girls enjoyed it, and I think that the way the grammar forms are presented right from the start is an excellent tool that I wish more foreign language programs included. I sure wouldn’t have been so lost when attempting to learn German and Spanish in high school and while homeschooling.
I do recommend this program, if you are wanting to learn Latin along with your children, although it tends to be on the dry side of things.
If you have children younger than 3rd grade, Memoria Press also sells Prima Latina, and I’ve heard great things about it from the other TOS Crew reviewers as well.
If you are considering learning Latin with your children, I don’t think you will be disappointed with Latina Christiana!
© 2009 by Julieanne Miller
Using Latina Christiana and its instructional DVDs was surprisingly quite simple! I opened my teacher’s guide to Lesson Plan I, put in the first DVD, and we watched and listened together as we were walked through the beginnings of learning Latin. Here is what we covered in about 45 minutes together: *a formal greeting to students and to teachers of Latin *a Latin prayer *a Latin song (Christus Vincit) *a Latin saying *five vocabulary words *a first conjugation grammar form *derivatives of our five new vocabulary words
Whew! Does that seem like too much all at once? Well, surprisingly, Leigh Lowe guided us so gently through each step of the lesson that while we thought it was challenging enough, it wasn’t too difficult. I was so prepared in my mind to "throw in the towel" right at the beginning, but this seemed so simple and easy!
During the week, I quizzed the girls on each portion of Latin we were learning. They also completed their accompanying worksheet page in their Student Book. We learned that it is better to quiz the girls separately instead of together, at least for our own family. I have one child who answers questions immediately (oh, how I wish I was such a quick thinker, myself!), and one child who often needs 5-10 seconds wait time before she is ready to give her answer. The bonus of reviewing each day separately with each child is that Mom gets to review the materials twice a day! And as many of you know, children learn things so much faster than most adults, so I appreciate two glances at the teacher guide each day!
How long does this program take each day or week?
For our family, each DVD lesson takes about 45 minutes on Mondays, give or take a few minutes. Then, to review each day, or at least 3-4 times during that week, we spend about 10 minutes per child working on a review. On Fridays, we will often pull out a board game, and in order for each child to receive a turn at the board game, they need to correctly answer a Latin translation question pulled directly from the teacher’s guide. Board games tend to take more time for our family, but because the girls enjoy this method of review so much, I think it is well worth taking 30-45 minutes on a Friday to do this.
Are the DVDs necessary for using this program? They are more expensive.
The DVDs are a more expensive option for teaching Latin with Latina Christiana. Yes, you can teach this program without the DVDs. But, my experience would have been far more frustrating in working through each new lesson, trying to figure out ahead of time how to pronounce everything correctly. Leigh Lowe does an amazing job of easily presenting the weekly lessons. Personally, I wouldn’t want to use Latina Christiana without the instructional DVDs. They are THAT good! I highly recommend them.
What about the additional materials that can be purchased?
Once again, I highly recommend the instructional DVDs. We are considering purchasing the set of flashcards to go with this program, because our vocabulary list has now increased considerably and will continue to grow as we finish this program. We could make our own flashcards, too. Either one is suggested by this program.
My overall impressions of Latina Christiana
We have enjoyed using this program, but I prefer another Latin program these days. However, I must say that it is quite easy to use Latina Christiana. One of my girls enjoyed it, and I think that the way the grammar forms are presented right from the start is an excellent tool that I wish more foreign language programs included. I sure wouldn’t have been so lost when attempting to learn German and Spanish in high school and while homeschooling.
I do recommend this program, if you are wanting to learn Latin along with your children, although it tends to be on the dry side of things.
If you have children younger than 3rd grade, Memoria Press also sells Prima Latina, and I’ve heard great things about it from the other TOS Crew reviewers as well.
If you are considering learning Latin with your children, I don’t think you will be disappointed with Latina Christiana!
© 2009 by Julieanne Miller
DISCLOSURE: While I will never be paid to write a product review (gasp!), I did accept a free copy of Level 1 of Latina Christiana for me to use in our home and then write an unbiased review.
