People often ask me, “How did you teach Latin to your own kids?”
This is such a tough question to answer.
It may be easier if I tell you what I wish I had done with my own kids.
I started my kids out in Latin, but this was before I had discovered Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. I consider most other Latin courses a waste of time, and back then I was trying to teach my kids using other Latin courses. Turned out to be a waste of time.
In the end, my kids moved on with little Latin and not much else. One of my daughters taught herself French and is now conversant. She did it on her own using DuoLingo. Which is free online.
If I had it to do over again, I would get my kids into Spanish, French, or German classes first. I’d do this while they were still in elementary school. Then, they would have a shot at speaking a modern language.
In high school, I’d give them Lingua Latina. Students could read all of Lingua Latina in two years if they were consistent. There are 34 chapters in the book. By chapter 28, students are able to read the New Testament… in Latin.
Lingua Latina is well worth your time. If you are trying to learn Latin, I can honestly say, use Lingua Latina. If it becomes a struggle, Visual Latin will help. If it is still too much, there are Lingua Latina classes available 24/7 on my site.
After Spanish or French, learning Latin would have been even easier. The very best students in my classes have almost always been students from Hispanic/Spanish-speaking families. They pick Latin up quickly. Italian would help too, I am sure.
So, what should you use if you decide to go with a modern language? Use DuoLingo. It’s free, and it’s effective. I am using it right now to master French. It’s working. It’s faster than anything else I have tried. There are other things you could add. Coffee Break Spanish, Spanish Playground, and Spanish books from the library. But, I’d stay steady with DuoLingo. It will surprise you.
As for Latin and Greek roots, I really do recommend my own stuff here. Check out Word up! over at Compass Classroom. I make an idiot of myself in the series, but I also put a lot of work into all of those root words. And, the reviews are good. People like it.
