First Form Latin from Memoria Press

If you’ve considered adding a Classical flare to your homeschool but found the thought of teaching Latin intimidating, Memoria Press has you covered. With their programs, you can teach Latin from elementary school right on through high school, and even prepare your students for the National Latin Exam.

Latin with Memoria Press

The Latin curriculum available from Memoria Press is a great choice for homeschool moms who want to use Classical methods (like teaching Latin) but need a program that will help them teach (and maybe even learn along with their kids!).

Their Latin programs include:

• Prima Latina (grades 1-4)
• Latina Christiana (grades 3-6)
• First Form Latin (grades 4-9)
• Second Form Latin (grades 5-10)
• Third Form Latin (grades 6-11)
• Fourth Form Latin (grades 7-12)
• Henle Latin series (high school)

They also have a variety of other Latin materials that you can use as supplements – Lingua Angelica, guides for the National Latin Exam, Latin recitation CDs/DVDs, and copywork books.

If you’re starting with older kids, there is no need to start with the first program as their programs work with a variety of ages. If you’re starting in middle school, begin with the ‘First Form’ series.

 

First Form Latin

The first book in the ‘First Form’ series – First Form Latin – is the first of four books that deeply cover Latin grammar. As the author states, “All beginners—regardless of age—are in the grammar stage of learning.” Instead of jumping right into translation, students are taught basic vocabulary and plenty of grammar, preparing them for future translation work.

The program is recommended for students in grades 4-9. Students on the younger end will probably want to move more slowly through the program, taking the time to really understand the material before moving on. A solid foundation is the most important part of learning Latin. There is really no point in trying to move quickly through a subject like Latin. Take your time and aim for mastery.

What is included:

• Student Text (34 2-page lessons)
• Student Workbook (exercises and worksheets correlated to the lesson material)
• Teacher’s Manual (includes the Student Text as well as extra teacher helps)
• Teacher Key (answer key for Student Workbook as well as quiz & test answers)
• DVD set with lectures by Glen Moore (for each lesson)

Those are the basics that you’ll definitely want to have for teaching Latin (you could skip the DVD if you feel comfortable teaching the lessons yourself). The complete package also includes a booklet of quizzes and tests, pronunciation CD, flashcards, wall/desk charts (which are handy for recitation).

When your student completes First Form Latin they will have mastered:

• Six indicative active tenses of the first two verb conjugations
• Five noun declensions
• First and second declension adjectives
• 185 vocabulary words

A week with Latin at our house

This series is deep and rigorous and for us, it worked well to cover one lesson every two weeks (we used First Form Latin during my daughter’s 5th-grade & 6th-grade years, covering about half the book each year). Moving at a slower pace gave us plenty of time to review the material before moving on to the next lesson. It took longer to work through the series but we both have a deeper understanding of the language (I even purchased an extra workbook for myself!). Here’s a peek at our schedule:

• Day 1 – Watch the DVD, Oral Recitation (from teacher’s manual)
• Day 2 – Teach the lesson using the teacher’s manual
• Day 3 – Oral Recitation and complete worksheet 1
• Day 4 – Review flashcards and complete worksheet 2
• Day 5 – Review Grammar Questions, practice conjugations and declensions
• Day 6 – Vocabulary Drill and complete worksheet 3
• Day 7 – Review Grammar Questions and complete worksheet 4
• Day 8 – Review flashcards and complete worksheet 5 or practice conjugations and declensions
• Day 9 – Oral Drill and complete worksheet 6 or practice conjugations and declensions
• Day 10 – Quiz

As you can tell from our schedule, we had plenty of time to review – which has really given my daughter a very solid Latin foundation. The Latin curriculum available from Memoria Press is a great choice for a thorough, rigorous foundation in Latin.

First Form Latin is available directly from Memoria Press.

Read more about Latin from Memoria Press from these Curriculum Choice authors:

• Meredith’s post – Lovely Latin: Learning with Memoria Press
• Kristen’s comparison – Latin for Children vs. Latina Christiana
• Brenda’s review – Prima Latin

~ Written by Tonia

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