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Oh, C’mon.
I received this email: Yesterday, a tutor talked to the parents about the importance of reviewing English grammar no matter what language they are studying. She told us that our kids can't give the 'logical' grammar terms. For example, verbs don't just show action....
A simple way to learn Latin.
Perhaps you are familiar with the book Carry On, Mr. Bowditch!, by Jean Lee Latham. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch! is the story of an early American merchant who spends quite a bit of his time at sea. As Mr. Bowditch sails around the world selling his wares, he teaches...
The tools you need to learn a language.
Perhaps you are familiar with the book Carry On, Mr. Bowditch!, by Jean Lee Latham. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch! is the story of an early American merchant who spends quite a bit of his time at sea. As Mr. Bowditch sails around the world selling his wares, he teaches...
A grab bag of questions.
I received a series of questions about my online classes. Some of you may find this helpful. My answers are going to look like this. Good morning, I am writing to you ask a few questions about your online class for Lingua Latina. My 13-year-old daughter (turns 14 on...
Why I abandoned Restored Classical Pronunciation.
The real reason I abandoned the Restored Classical pronunciation. My greatest problem with the "restored classical pronunciation", is that its proponents tend to be pushy. They spend a lot of time emphasizing the “correct” pronunciation. They spend a lot of time...
Words from porto.
I am up late grading student homework right now. In one class, the vocabulary class, I told the students to use English words that came from the Latin word Porto. Porto means "I carry". This student went above and beyond: 1. The porter did not comport himself...
Multiple users, one email.
I contacted the developers of WP courseware. I want to know from them if it would be possible to register multiple users under one email. Unfortunately, this is not going to be possible. Here is their reply: Unfortunately, this isn't possible since WordPress...
The 15 commandments…
I am up late checking emails. I'll be out for at least another hour or so. One email list I subscribe to is Bob Bly's list. Just found this fantastic advice from him while plowing through a long list of homeworks to grade: I think everyone who wants to be a kind...
Latin Folder
Years ago I worked on a project. I was trying to distill all of the Latin endings into a concise, condensed format. I planned to turn the finished product into a folder my students could use during class. They would have quick reference to all the complicated Latin...
Lingua Latina kept me going.
Someone asked: "Is there a particular grammar book for Latin that you would recommend reading and re-reading?" Here is my short answer: Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. Here is my long answer: I have looked for an answer to this question for years. Really. Years. I...
Miscellaneous language advice.
I received this inquiry: "When reading the chapter ever day are they (we, I'm trying to do this with her) suppose to be reading in English, Latin or both? Also: We are using the Cassell's Latin Dictionary both Latin-English and English-Latin. Many of the vocabulary...
Education via smartphone.
My students have the latest and greatest tools. They have ipods, ipads, and idon’t know what else. For someone who grew up in the 1980‘s, today’s tools are mind blowing. The kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers of my childhood didn’t have access to...
Flip your email.
I have several problems. First of all, I'm a procrastinator. Second, I receive about 100 emails a day. Combine both of these, and I've got a major problem. About a week ago, I discovered a helpful tip. I flipped my email. For years, I have always received newest email...
Time to do the dishes!
Yesterday my son came home from a new job. He had been washing dishes all day at a restaurant. He's a smart, personable, driven, ambitious kid. I thought he could do better. I told him that I was a little surprised at his choice. "You're washing dishes in a...
He gets it.
I received this email from a Visual Latin user. He gets it. I added the Vulgate into the course on purpose. "Of course, your winning personality and humor won me over immediately when I first found your VL program online. The bite size portions and the...
Access to class
Quite a few of you (those enrolled in an online class) have emailed me asking for access to class. You should have received a PDF with login instructions when you purchased the class. Unfortunately, it sounds as though quite a few of you did not. I am currently...
Whitaker’s Words
I received this inquiry: Comment: I'm teaching Visual Latin to a group of 8th graders. I'm wondering if there is a chart or resource somewhere that tells me which nouns belong in which declension as they are introduced lesson by lesson? I'd like to have the kids color...
Beyond Word Up…
I received this inquiry: This looks like a great class. My high school daughters already have a full schedule, but are interested. What amount of homework will be included? Would you also suggest it for upper elementary? Here is my reply: I am still developing this...
What does “auditing” mean?
I received this inquiry: What is your definition of auditing a class? I am trying to decide between auditing Henle 1 and "I already own Visual Latin". Thank you! Here is my reply: I personally grade the work of my students. This, however, is time-consuming. For...
Why does my kid hate Latin?
I received this inquiry: Hello. My son, now 12 y/o was in Classical Conversations Challenge A last year. He started the year LOVING Latin... then slowly began to hate it. I'm sure it's because it was more difficult as the year went along and I was not on page with...
Save money in the morning.
If you shave, if you know anyone who does shave, or if you know anyone with hair, this tip may be useful. As you know, razors are ridiculously expensive. If you can make them last longer, you should. I have been using this trick for some time and it seems to work....
Visual Latin or Henle Latin?
I received this inquiry: Comment: I have a question about Visual latin and Henle. I know you have a sheet for using both together. I am wondering if we really need it. My question is, will my children come away with the same level of latin just using VL 1 and 2 as...
Which Latin pronunciation?
I received this inquiry: What pronunciation do you use? Ecclesiastical or classical? Here is my reply: I use the Ecclesiastical pronunciation. The differences between the two are actually not that great. If you want something to imitate, imitate...
Why we made Visual Latin
I received this inquiry: Hi Dwane, I am a bit conflicted about what I should do for my 13 year old grandson (I homeschool him). He's doing the work of Challenge A this year, but is not in a community. There was not one this year. He does not enjoy schoolwork and is...
Help for students overseas?
I received this inquiry: Hi, I have been teaching my son Latin using Memoria Press' Form series, going into Third Form. We are learning it together, and yes, there is a lot of grammar memorizing, which is why I also purchased Lingua Latina to read through as a...
Henle 1 Syllabus
Quite a few of you have asked for the First Year Latin syllabus. Well, here it is: Henle 1 Syllabus Let me know if you spot any mistakes! Thanks! Dwane
Abandon Henle.
I received this question: "My son has completed Challenge I (Henle I) and wants to continue Latin one more year even though he is not in CC this year. Would you recommend continuing on to Henle II or switching to Lingua Latina since both are actual books? I plan to...
Cabbage
Cabbage: a hard round vegetable with green or purple, lettuce-like leaves. Who knew cabbage could be so interesting? Most of you thought of the definition above when you read the word cabbage. You were right to do so. Cabbage is one of the leafy foods your kids...
A head full of words.
Yesterday I asked, “Can you think of any English words that derive from the Latin word, caput?” A few of you took a stab at it. Just like a little league baseball game, no one struck out. You guessed cap, capitulate, capital, capitol, and decapitate (ewww.) You are...
Head’s up.
The Latin word caput means, head. When a Roman wanted to use the prepositional phrase, “of the head,” he would use the word capitis. Capitis is the “genitive” form of the word caput. I mention this for a simple reason. The genitive spelling of a Latin word often...
What level of maturity is needed for the online course?
Level of maturity needed for course? Age range? I have a group of 3 boys interested in possibly taking the course together (ages 11- 13). Would you suggest this course for them? If not, what is your opinion of a curriculum called Latin for Children - Primer A...
What does the calendar schedule for the class look like?
What does the calendar schedule for the class look like? Time off due to holidays? Two weeks off at Christmas. One week off for Thanksgiving, and that’s about it. May change from time to time. If it does, I will make sure students are alerted well in advance.
How flexible is the online Latin course?
How flexible is the course? i.e. in terms of holidays & unexpected occurrences? Everything is recorded. So, students can miss any class they like. My site currently has about 430 videos on it. In theory, students never have to show up to the live class and...
How long is the online Latin course?
How long is the course in terms of weeks & number of lessons? We start at the end of August and finish at the end of May. We will take two weeks off for Christmas and one week off for Thanksgiving. I have not decided yet if there will be a spring break at all....
Are quizzes & tests given in spite of whether we pay you to provide a grade or not?
Are quizzes & tests given in spite of whether we pay you to provide a grade or not? Yes. There are online automated quizzes and tests that you can take on my site. There are also assigned quizzes during the school year from the textbooks. I will be creating...
How demanding is the online Latin course?
What does the homework tend to entail? Is it intensive? How demanding is the course? The course is demanding. Whether you go through First Year Latin by Robert Henle or Lingua Latina, students are expected to be able to read the New Testament in Latin by the end...
How much time should we devote to the Latin 1 online class?
How much time should we expect to have to devote to the Latin 1 online class? Typically, students spend about an hour a day studying. I suggest they do this six days a week. I always suggested that they take Sundays off.
Henle 2 Syllabus
This week, I received a series of question about Henle and Visual Latin. I thought the thread might be helpful for you. Especially those in Henle 2. "Is Visual Latin 1 and 2 designed to only cover Henle 1? Same question I guess, is the online course only to cover...
Writing well.
If you can write well, you will go further. We all know this is true. If you are a student, you will score higher in school and university. If you are a writer, you will get your message across. In one of my favorite books, The Loom of Language, Fredrick Bodmer...
Decision made.
I posted nothing on my site yesterday. I posted nothing because I was busy. Later, I was depressed. This fall I am teaching a vocabulary class. In the class, we will study the great grandchildren of Latin and Greek. We will study the English words spawned by their...
Email of the week.
Here is my favorite email this week: "Here is a testimonial to the power of your Visual Latin combined with the pure enjoyment of Lingua Latina: My 11yo son started Visual Latin 1 with us mid-May. The only Latin he had taken before then was the CC Foundations memory...
Henle 2 before Henle 1?
I received this inquiry: "My son completed Classical Conversations Challenge 1 with Henle Latin 1. They only got about 2/3 of the way through the book. Which class should I sign him up for from you...1 or 2? Thanks!" Here is my reply: Why not both? 🙂 Seriously....
Tip #27: How to Write Clearly.
Clear writing. If you can write well, you will go further. We all know this is true. You will score higher in school and university. In one of my favorite books, The Loom of Language, Fredrick Bodmer reminds us: "Good English, well spoken and well written will open...
Last minute change.
Last minute book change: If you are in the online vocabulary class, do not order the book. I have been reading it again and there are simply too many sexual innuendos. I am going to look for another book. Terribly disappointed as this book is a rather entertaining way...
Pig Latin.
Brilliant. Having trouble seeing it? Here is the original post: http://www.incidentalcomics.com/2012/08/pig-latin.html
Intro to the Word Power class.
During this class, we will read through all of Word Power Made Easy, by Norman Lewis. 90% of the multi-syllable words in English derive directly from Latin. In other words, 90% of our “big” words are the children of Latin. Much of our scientific and medical...
Intermediate Latin?
I received this question: 1.still have room in your Lingua Latina 1 class? 2. If my 7th grader finishes VL mid-year is there something intermediate you recommend before jumping into a high school level class like Lingua Latina? Here is my reply: Hi! Still room. No...
Auditing an online class.
A reader, interested in auditing an online class, sums up the differences. Here is her short, to the point assessment: Audit class= viewing recordings, cannot ask questions, cannot have work corrected by Dwane, can watch as much as need to. Am I correct? Here is my...
More time for you!
According to the United States Department of Labor, Americans spend almost 3 hours a day watching television. I have seen higher numbers on other sites. But, hey, let’s give our fellow countrymen the benefit of the doubt. Let’s stick with the lower number. The...
Cynosure
Cynosure: the center of attention. Think of a dinosaur. He is always the cynosure. Incidentally, if I were half horse, and half man, I would be the centaur of attention. A Cynosure can also be something that serves as a guide. Polaris, in the constellation Ursa...