I received this question:

Hello, I am looking for a continued Latin program for my son. He has completed Latin for Children A and B for Classical Academic Press. Can you guide me as to what class would be appropriate for him?

Here is my reply:

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I’m not entirely familiar with Latin for Children, so I’m going out on a limb here.  I hear great things about it.  People seem to like it.

That said, I would still recommend Visual Latin.  Here’s why:

Most Latin programs take six or seven years to complete.  At that point, students begin reading the classics.  Unfortunately, also at that point, students find out they can’t really read the classics.  They need lots of help.  

I think this is because most Latin programs spread the process out over too many years.  

Visual Latin takes students from zero to reading the New Testament in Latin by the end of the second year.  This is not easy.  In fact, this is quite tough.  Most people say that Visual Latin has become rather challenging by lesson 15.  There are 60 lessons.  It is, for this reason, I suggest people start at the beginning.  

It’s annoying, I know, to start over.  Just don’t think of it as starting over.  Think of the first 15 lessons as a high-speed review.

If that doesn’t sound like a course you want to take, there is and even more aggressive route you can take.  You could start reading Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg.  This is my all-time favorite Latin book.  It is also one of the toughest books available for students learning Latin.  It is a novel, written completely in Latin, which teaches students to the grammar and vocabulary of the language as they go.  There is nothing else out there like it.  Anyone who says differently is selling something.

You do not need my help to read this book.  It was designed for self-study.  However, if it’s just too much, I do take students through Lingua Latina every year over on my site: www.dwanethomas.com.

I hope I have answered your question.  Feel free to contact me again if I have only confused you.

Have a happy Thursday!                                                                                    Dwane Thomas

By the way, every Saturday, I send out a tip of the week.  I also include announcements, upcoming classes, and so on.  This is the main way I keep up with students and parents.  If you would like to hear from me every weekend, and if you haven’t already signed up… sign up for my weekly updates here:

https://dwanethomas.com/tip-week-archives/

This is the first draft of a quiz I am writing for chapter 20 of Lingua Latina.  It will be available for subscribers/students on my my site.  If you have been through the Lingua Latina course, or if you are going through the course, and if you like quizzes, and if you like editing… then this is the blog post for you!

Have a go.  If you spot any mistakes, please let me know.

1. Quid infans est?  Infans __________ est.     A) parvus miles     B) puer parvulus     C) gubernator bonus     D) pirata
2. Ubi parvulus infans dormit?     A) in cunis     B) ad cunas     C) pro cunis     D) in the treetops
3. Ubi cunae sunt?     A) in cubiculo parentis     B) in cubiculum parentis     C) in cubiculis parentis     D) incubator
4. Quid cunae sunt?     A) lectulus infantis     B) lectulus militis    C) lectulus parentis     D) lectulus matris
5. Longus somnus infanti tam necessarius est quam __________.     A) pecunia    B) annulus   C) cibus    D) gladius
6. Infans cubat cum __________.     A) parentes    B) parentum   C) parentibus    D) parentheses
7. Quid est cibum infantium?     A) lac matris     B) pizza     C) mala     D) pira
8. Quid vocatur mulier quae alienum infantem alit?     A) miles    B) gubernator   C) nutrix    D) nauta
9. Quid agit infans qui cibo caret?     A) ridet    B) pulsat   C) vagit    D) pizzam postulat.
10. Infans qui cibum postulat magna voce __________.     A) vagio    B) vagis   C) vagit    D) vagiunt
11. Infantes qui cibum postulant magna voce __________.     A) vagio    B) vagis   C) vagit    D) vagiunt
12. Si infans vagiet parentes male __________.     A) dormiunt    B) dormiebant    C) dormient    D) dormire. 
13.   Ubi Julius dormire vult?     A) in cubiculo suo cum infante    B) in alio cubiculo ubi infans non est     C) in Tusculo     D) in alia patria
14. Quot filios habent Julius et Aemilia?  Julius et Aemilia habent __________.     A) duas filias     B) duas ancillas    C) duos filios    D) duas filios.
15. In pauci mensibus, quot liberos Aemilia et Julius habebunt?    A) unus     B) duo     C) tres     D) quattuor
16. Nemo infantem aegrum tam bene curare potest quam __________.     A) mater    B) magister    C) gubernator    D) nauta.
17. Cur Syra non in horto manet?     A) Leo in horto est.    B) Imber venit.    C) Germani et Galli in horto sunt.    D) Marcus omnes qui in horto pulsat.
18. Quid afferunt nubes?  Nubes __________ afferunt.    A) noctem    B) cibum    C) dona    D) imbrem.
19.   Quid est imber?     A) est aqua de caelo     B) aqua de oceano     C) aqua de poculo     D) aqua de water bottelo.
20.   Dormitne infans in lecto magno?     A) Infans in lecto magno dormit.     B) Infans numquam dormit.     C) Infans in lecto parvulo dormit.     D) Infams in schola dormit dum magister recitat.
21. Quid est nutrix? Nutrix est __________.    A) mulier quae nondum dentes habet.     B) mulier quae alienum infantem alit.     C) mulier quae multos libros legit     D) mulier quae multos liberos habet
22.   Aemilliane filium alterum aut filiam alteram vult?     A) filium     B) filiam     C) neuter   
23.   Cur Iulia sororem habere non vult?    A) Iulia sororem habere non vult quia non amabitur a parentibus.     B) Iulia sororem habere non vult quia non amabitur a fratribus suis.     C) Iulia sororem habere non vult quia non amabitur a magistro Diodoro.    D) Iulia sororem habere non vult quia non novam sororem in cubiculum eius vult.
24.   I will be there.     A) Ubi ero.     B) Ibi ero.     C) Ibi eris.     D) Hibiscus
25.   You will be there.     A) Ibi ero.     B) Ibi eris.     C) Ibi erit.     D) Ibi erimus.
26.   She will be there.     A) Ibi ero.     B) Ibi eris.     C) Ibi erit.     D) Ibi erimus.
27.   We will be there.     A) Ibi ero.     B) Ibi eris.     C) Ibi erit.     D) Ibi erimus. 
28.   You (plural) will be there.     A) Ibi ero.     B) Ibi eris.     C) Ibi erit.     D) Ibi eritis.
29.   They will be there.     A) Ibi ero.     B) Ibi eris.     C) Ibi erunt.     D) Ibi erimus.
30.   I do not want to come.     A) Nolo dormire.     B) Nolo audire.     C) Nolo venire.     D) Nolo currere.
31.   He does not want to sleep.     A) Nolo dormire.     B) Non vis dormire.     C) Non vult dormire.     D) Nolunt dormire.
32. We do not want to sleep.     A) Nolo dormire.     B) Non vis dormire.     C) Non vult dormire.     D) Nolumus dormire.
33.   They do not want to sleep.     A) Nolo dormire.     B) Non vis dormire.     C) Non vult dormire.     D) Nolunt dormire.
34.   I want to see.     A) Volo videre.     B) Vis videre.     C) Vult videre.     D) Volumus videre.
35.   They want to see.     A) Volo videre.     B) Vis videre.     C) Vult videre.     D) Volunt videre.
36.   Puer qui nondum ambulat est __________.     A) Infans     B) Pater     C) Mater     D) Miles
37.   Vir qui liberos habet est __________.     A) Infans     B) Pater     C) Mater     D) Miles
38.   Femina quae liberos habet __________ est.     A) Infans     B) Pater     C) Mater     D) Miles
39. Vir qui gladii et scuto pugnat __________ est.     A) Infans     B) Pater     C) Mater     D) Miles
40.   Cibum dare = __________.     A) carere     B) alere     C) fari     D) postulare

For some reason, we tend to idolize ancient Rome and ancient Greece.  We forget that they were barbaric statist societies built on slavery and, at times, human sacrifice.

I received this email:

Dwane,  Always love to read your thoughts. Hope your son is progressing through his recovery, I want you to know our littlest son is still praying for his older brothers Latin teacher’s son every night, he never forgets him. When you have a moment let us know how he is doing and I know the boys would love to see a picture of him (and could you please give us his name),

Dwane,  Always love to read your thoughts. Hope your son is progressing through his recovery, I want you to know our littlest son is still praying for his older brothers Latin teacher’s son every night, he never forgets him. When you have a moment let us know how he is doing and I know the boys would love to see a picture of him (and could you please give us his name),

I am also writing to ask, how I can get a hold of the Vocabulary Lists for Visual Latin 2, we purchased the DVD set and it came with the downloads for the worksheets, quizzes, and answer keys. For Latin I, you had the vocab lists in sections 1-10.1-20, 1-30. I couldn’t find this equivalent download for Visual Latin 2 for lessons 31-60. Could you please let me know if these vocabularies are available for lessons 31-60 and how I can get ahold of them. Thank you so very much. God Bless you and your family.

Here is my reply:

Actually, there is no list for Visual Latin 2.  We hired an editor to complete this some time ago.  I thought she did.  Turns out she didn’t. 

Sometimes, if you want something done (and done correctly) you just have to do it yourself.

Creating the vocabulary list for Visual Latin 2 is high on my priority list this summer.  I will begin as soon as I return to Tennessee.  Indexing is no fun, and I am not looking forward to it, but it doesn’t matter.  IT must be done.

Meanwhile, here are some online dictionaries you can use while you wait:

Whitaker’s Words: http://archives.nd.edu/words.html

Latin-Dictionary: http://latin-dictionary.net/

Thanks for the prayers.  My son is doing so much better.  His name is Jackson, and you can actually follow him on Instagram if you like: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonkthomas/?hl=en

My wife also blogs almost daily about his recovery.  That blog is here: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackson.thomas?utm_source=SilverpopTransact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Repeat%20Author%20Autoresponder%20(10.24.16)