I received this question:
Mom of a Latin 1 student here…do you suggest Latin 1 as a full one credit course?
Here is my first reply:
If you are referring to Visual Latin, then, yes. Visual Latin 1 = a one-credit course. I suggest students supplement the course by reading Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. Tough… but, worth it. I suggest starting after completing Visual Latin 1 lesson 15, or so.
Visual Latin is more designed for middle school students. It is designed to help Latin students with any Latin curriculum. So many Latin courses are based on books. They can be quite dull. We designed Visual Latin to take some of the pain out of learning Latin. The series can be used with any Latin book, including Henle Latin.
I also offer Latin classes on my own site. The Latin classes on my own site (www.dwanethomas.com) are “next-level” classes. They are designed for students who have completed Visual Latin and who want something more. Or, in the case of Henle Latin, the classes are designed for students who feel they need extra help with that notoriously tough course.
Let me know if you need more help!
I received a follow-up email.
Oh, I’m so sorry to make you write all that you did, I should have said that Meg is 16, and taking your Latin 1 course.
My thinking is that she will finish through Henle 1 book which should equal 1 credit. Her hours put in on this online course with you will only equal the high part of half a credit (about 75), so I just wanted to get your input on that.
(Our credit standard system is roughly 60-90 hours= .5 credit. 120-180= 1 credit)
Unless the text completion itself issues a full credit regardless of hours spent.
On another note…My daughter really enjoys your course! She took Henle 1 in CC her freshman year and struggled. She’s doing much better in your course online.
Here is my reply:
Ah. That helps. And, thank you for the high-school credit breakdown. That formula drives me crazy. Seems like no one around here knows what it is, or if they do, they just aren’t telling me. I am very glad to have those numbers.
So, here is what I would do in your situation. If you don’t feel the class is enough (in terms of hours), just add some reading. I highly recommend Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. Not only is it the most effective Latin book that I know of, it is also a novel. For this reason, I find most students quite enjoy it. If she reads through the book, she will most certainly have the hours required for high school credit. As a bonus, she will have a grasp of Latin that few students have.
The book can be tough. If she struggles, she is welcome to use the live Lingua Latina classes on my site, or the hundreds of previous videos on my site. I record every class I teach, and I only take them down if I am updating them. I have quite a few students who use the previous classes only. In fact, many prefer this as they can move at their own rate. Students are always welcome to contact me if they have any questions.
Of course, there are other books she can read if she doesn’t want to read Lingua Latina. I provide a pretty extensive list with links in my book, Via.
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If you are learning Latin, I have written a book with all of my best tips and strategies. It’s available as a free download here: https://dwanethomas.com/via/
If you are interested in learning Latin, you can go through the classes on my site 24/7. I recommend the book Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. If you tackle the book and find yourself bogged down, you may find the classes on my site helpful. To join, just click here: https://dwanethomas.com/join/
If you want a more professionally filmed experience, check out the best-selling DVD series: Visual Latin.
Or, if you want to skip Latin, and just jump right into learning English words from Latin and Greek roots, you may enjoy the series Word up! Warning. Word up! is a bit wacky. You will learn a lot… but, you may find yourself rolling your eyes, too.
