I received this question:
Hello,
I have a daughter who is in Classical Conversations Challenge 1. She has done 2 years of Henle 1 (up to lesson 29) and is bored to death.
She is a good Latin student and I was considering switching her to Lingua Latina. I would have her use your online recorded classes. I am afraid she will give up if something doesn’t change.
My question is, do you think that would be a good switch? Is it possible to complete the 1st book in a year? Is this a course that can be completed independently? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Here is my reply:
Good morning!
Unfortunately, I get this same email almost daily. First Year Latin by Robert Henle bores many children.
If she is a good Latin student (that probably means she studies without much complaint, even though she is bored), then yes. Switch to Lingua Latina. It’s so much better. Not easier, necessarily, but so much better.
If she is simply trying to get some high-school language credits, then I would switch to something spoken (and useful) like Spanish, French, Italian, etc. When she is done learning any of these languages, she could fly to a country and actually talk to people.
You asked, is it possible to complete the first book in a year? Yes. Especially since your daughter has already read most of First Year Latin by Robert Henle. She has most of the grammar she needs for Lingua Latina already.
Lingua Latina can be completed independently. It seems it was actually built for self-learners. If she is doing this alone, she may also need this explanation of the grammar (much of which she already knows) by the author himself: https://amzn.to/2Q9PHtI
If you are looking for more about Latin check out this page:
What I recommend for Latin: https://dwanethomas.com/resources-latin/
For the other languages I teach, check out these pages:
What I recommend for Greek: https://dwanethomas.com/greek-resources/
What I recommend for French: https://dwanethomas.com/french-resources/
What I recommend for Spanish: https://dwanethomas.com/spanish-resources/
What I recommend for Italian: https://dwanethomas.com/italian-resources/
I am still working on some of these pages, so feel free to let me know if you spot mistakes.
If your daughter gets into Lingua Latina and finds herself in over her head, you guys can always join my site. I have lots of videos there for Lingua Latina (and Henle Latin as well if you decide to stick with the Classical Conversations plan).
Let me know if you need more help!
Hope you are having a great day!
