When it comes to homeschooling Latin, there are numerous options to choose from. Parents have the ability to find the best curriculum that fits their child’s learning style and interests, as well as the budget. This article will explore some of the best Latin homeschool curriculum options available and provide guidance on determining which one is right for your family.
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Let’s review ten of the best Latin curriculum programs below!
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Why Study a Latin Curriculum (Isn’t it Dead?)?
Latin is considered to be a dead language, yet its study and understanding remain important for many reasons, particularly for those interested in the fields of linguistics, law, theology and literature.
The origins of Latin can be traced back to the days of Ancient Rome. It was the official language used by all the people in the Roman Empire and was widely spoken throughout Europe and beyond until it began to decline in popularity during the Middle Ages. Despite this, Latin has had an immense impact on our modern languages today — especially English — through its influence over grammar rules and vocabulary words. For instance, there are dozens of common English terms that derive directly from Latin roots such as “magazine,” “direct” or “personality.”
Studying Latin helps us better understand how language works in general by allowing us to analyze word roots and structure while appreciating its historical significance.
You can check out more reasons to study Latin here.
Latin Homeschool Curriculum Options
In this blog article, we’ll look at the following Latin curriculum programs that are popular today. These are:
- Compass Classroom – Visual Latin
- Memoria Press
- BJU Press Latin
- Veritas Press
- Classical Academic Press
- Canon Press
- Logos Latin
- Oxford Latin
- Schoolhouse Teachers
- Latin for Littlies
Let’s look at these Latin homeschool curriculum programs in more detail below.
Compass Classroom – Visual Latin
Visual Latin by Compass Classroom is a complete Latin curriculum. They offer you online access or DVDs with workbooks.
The reason I love Compass Classroom is the lessons are really funny and engaging, so you get to enjoy yourself as you learn Latin. This makes the program a big hit with students!
If you get the physical copy in the mail, you’ll get DVDs with files that include printable worksheets. If you get the online version, you’ll get online access and you can complete the worksheet portion as fun interactive quizzes on thier online platform.
Each lesson has three parts: grammar, sentences, and reading /translation. This Latin homeschool curriculum is designed to be used by families without Latin experience.
Lessons can be completed independently by students making this a good option if you’re a parent who is working from home.
Visual Latin 1 and Visual Latin 2 contain 30 lessons each. The first volume of Visual Latin covers cases, mood, pronouns, nouns, active & passive verbs, the accusative case, declensions, and some more.
Then Visual Latin 2 builds upon the foundation of the first volume and covers verb tenses, present participles, the perfect/pluperfect tense, adverbs, the subjunctive, and some more.
The recommended schedule is one lesson per week for the school calendar year. You can use this program for all of your children too, which is wonderful!
Check out this Latin homeschool curriculum here.
Memoria Press – Latina Christiana
Latina Christiana was designed as a beginning course for homeschool students interested in learning Latin.
The program was specifically written for a parent or teacher with no background in Latin. Latina Christiana includes everything you need to start your Latin journey today!
Latina Christiana gets a lot of great reviews online and is commonly held to be one of the best latin homeschool curriculum programs around today.
Check out this Latin curriculum here.
BJU Press Latin
BJU Press offers Latin 1 and Latin 2 courses as a boxed homeschool curriculum. That means this program is available and comes with teachers’ manuals to help parents teach the material. You (as the teacher/parent) don’t need any prior Latin experience to teach your children this program.
Latin 1 introduces students to basic Latin vocabulary and sentence structures. They learn Latin grammar, and each concept is addressed gradually in an inductive way. The teaching format allows a teacher who may not have any previous knowledge or experience in Latin to instruct the Latin course. The educational materials also provide a summary of Roman history from the kingdom to the Republic and an overview of mythological Roman gods and goddesses in the light of God’s Word.
Latin 2 helps students enrich their English vocabulary through the study of Latin. The Latin educational materials teach grammar, vocabulary, and translation skills while emphasizing Roman history and Latin translations of the Bible. The text is designed so that the teacher does not need previous experience in Latin.
Check out this Latin homeschool curriculum here.
Schoolhouse Teachers Latin
Schoolhouse Teachers have a primary Latin curriculum you get when you buy their homeschool curriculum. Children can start with Beginner Latin and then can progress to Latin II.
This curriculum provider also offers hundreds of electives (and multiple languages like Spanish and Korean) at the same subscription price for all children. So they’re probably one of the most affordable Latin programs you’ll find.
Check out this Latin curriculum here.
Latin in the Christian Trivium
Latin in the Christian Trivium is an offline workbook that comes to you in the mail.
The first textbook of Latin in the Christian Trivium includes 16 chapters that provide an introduction to the language of Latin, as well as the history of Italy, Rome, the Republic, and other aspects of Roman life.
This Latin curriculum uses the Bible as the primary source, providing information on the alphabet, pronunciation, declensions, moods, and other basic grammatical information.
To help children memorize and recall information, helpful charts, examples, and graphs are provided.
Exercises are completed in a student notebook. that is provided with the program.
With this program, Latin students will follow the story of a Roman centurion and his family. As they read, students learn new vocabulary in the context of this Roman family.
Check out this Latin homeschool curriculum here.
Classical Academic Press
If you’re looking for a good Latin program for kids, Classical Academic Press offers a few options.
Firstly they have Latin for Children, which introduces young children to the Latin language.
Older children can try the Latin Alive series, which presents Latin through Roman culture and in other entertaining ways.
Finally, if you have more of an audio-kinesthetic learner, you can try their audio CDs, which present Latin through songs children will love to learn. They also have a Latin CD with Christmas carols on it!
Check out this Latin curriculum here.
Canon Press
The Canon Press Latin curriculum is helpful for classical homeschoolers who want to understand Latin and deepen their knowledge of the Latin roots of the English language. It’s also for students who want to read ancient Roman and Latin-language texts.
Canon Press offers several Primers with accompanying flashcards.
You can check out the Canon Press program here.
Logos Latin
Logos Latin is a great way to connect with historical documents (like the Illiad and the Odyssey) and the foundation for modern ‘foreign languages’.
With weekly activities that include: coloring pages, story writing, word searches, crossword puzzles, anagrams, comic strips, and more. Following three friends throughout the workbook, students will learn to conjugate verbs, translate and pronounce new vocabulary, and learn derivatives. 316 pages, soft cover with glossary.
Check out this Latin curriculum here.
Oxford Latin
Oxford Latin is an excellent choice for older students or students in college. The Oxford Latin Course uses a reading-based approach as it offers students everything they need to know that is essential in a first-year Latin course.
The program focuses closely on the life of the Roman poet Horace. It also has cartoon images that appeal to older/college-aged students (as opposed to younger homeschooled students).
You can check out the Oxford Latin curriculum here.
Latin for Littlies
Latin’s So Not Tough
Latin’s So Not Tough is a Latin homeschool curriculum that covers all grade levels. Young students in grades K-primary school can start with Level 1.
Older students can start at Level 2 or 3.
A kit with the Latin’s So Not Tough curriculum includes a student workbook, answer keys, and a quizzes and exams booklet. They also include Latin flashcards on a ring.
Check out their full kit here.
Why Learning a Latin Homeschool Curriculum Will Help You Learn Other Languages
Learning Latin may seem daunting, but it can help increase your chances of understanding other modern languages and broaden your horizons.
Latin has been the basis for many European languages since the Middle Ages and is still used in medicine, science, and law even today.
Because of its roots in so many cultures, mastering Latin will give you an advantage when learning other Romance languages like French, Spanish or Italian – all of which have their foundations in Latin.
Furthermore, by studying Latin grammar, you will become familiar with sentence structures common to most modern European languages like German or Dutch.
So Latin is such a valuable language to learn.
Learning a Latin Curriculum in the Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric Stages of Classical Education
When students study a Latin curriculum today, they often do classical education. Classical education has three stages, the grammar, the logic, and the rhetoric. We’ll learn about how Latin is used in each stage below.
Grammar Stage
In the grammar stage, learning emphasizes memorization and the basics of language skills to lay a strong foundation for later stages. (The Grammar stage is typically geared towards elementary school-aged children.
During the Grammar Stage, students focus on mastering the grammar of their native language through Latin by memorizing vocabulary words, as well as rules of pronunciation and spelling.
The goal is to understand how language works so students can read and write effectively.
As part of this stage, emphasis is placed on memorizing facts about each subject to gain quick recall for later use.
Logic Stage
The Logic Stage of Classical Education is the third and middle stage of the Trivium.
This stage focuses on teaching a child how to think critically and logically, emphasizing using the Latin grammar students learned in the first stage.
The goal of this stage is to teach children how to understand complex concepts, draw logical conclusions, and use language effectively (of which tasks they are assisted by their knowledge gained in the grammar stage).
As they progress through the Logic Stage of Classical Education, they will become more proficient in these skills by learning to reason with structured arguments and use sound judgment when making decisions.
Rhetoric Stage
The Rhetoric Stage is the third of three stages in the classical trivium. During this stage, students learn to think deeply, ask questions, and develop their opinions.
At this level, engaging with Latin texts is often a significant component of learning (although students can choose to discontinue their Latin curriculum when they reach high school).
Students are encouraged to explore literature from ancient Greece and Rome and other essential historical works.
The aim of the rhetoric stage is to create wise students who can persuasively and winningly present well-reasoned arguments.
So, as you can see, a Latin curriculum or program is indispensable to classical education.
Conclusion on the Best Latin Homeschool Curriculum Options
In conclusion, the Latin homeschool curriculum options are vast and varied. From online courses to textbooks, there is something to fit the needs of every student. With so many resources available, students can find the perfect curriculum that will help them achieve their goals of studying Latin in a fun and engaging way. Latin language and culture can be brought alive for homeschooled students through carefully selected materials that emphasize understanding rather than rote memorization. With careful consideration, it is possible to find the perfect option for any student.
