I received this question:
Hi, my daughter pulled out of Ch. 1 mid-year this year and in the process of completing Henle 1. We moved and took quite a bit a time off but are planning on finishing the book this summer with the help of your classes. I’m actually making her go back and take the quizzes/tests online that you provide. Once complete, what do you suggest taking next year if she wants to continue Latin for a third year of high school credit? We do find Henle very dull, so if a switch to one of your other courses would be an easy transition, that would be preferred (but if you recommend Henle, we would consider that). Which class would you suggest she take next? And if different than Henle, would she need to do any prerequisite work to be prepared?
Thank you for your time.
Here is my reply:
Hi!
Given a choice, I always recommend students learn Latin via Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg.
I do teach the book every year on my site (and those videos are still up), but since she has already completed Henle 1 (or since she is getting close), she does not need any prerequisites. I would recommend she just pick up and read Lingua Latina. Read it like a novel… which is what it is.
In fact, I would recommend that she read the book on her own using the videos on my site to help her. She could move at her own pace. I spread the book out over two years, but since she has already been through Henle 1, this will likely be too slow a pace for her. Having read Henle 1, I would guess she could make it through Lingua Latina in 3 to 6 months.
After Lingua Latina, she would be welcome to join any of my advanced Latin classes. Every year, I take students through Caesar’s Gallic Wars, Cicero’s orations, a prose reading of Vergil’s Aeneid, and some of the histories of Livy. All of these courses are late high school/college level courses.
Let me know if you need more help!
Dwane Thomas