(Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way).
Learn Latin – Prima Latina Complete Set by Memoria Press
Did you know that English is considered a “Latin-based language?” If you're a teacher or a homeschooler, you probably already know this. However, I think it is an interesting phenomena.
Even though I've not studied language much, I heard this years ago. English, along with Spanish, French, Italian, German, and many others are all Latin-based languages.
What this means is that if you learn Latin, or if your child learns Latin, many words will be easier to learn in English and the other Latin-Based languages.
Knowing this inspired me to take advantage of the opportunity to review Memoria Press Prima Latina complete set. My son just turned 15 this May. However, he has absolutely no background in Latin. Other than the Latin he gets simply by knowing the English language. And this is the same for me. This is why we chose to start at the very beginning.
Even though Prima Latina is specifically written with 1-4 graders in mind. It was the right level for us.
Goals for the Prima Latina Complete Set include:
- Learn Basic Latin alphabet and pronunciation of vowels and consonant sounds.
- Learn 25 practical Latin expressions and 4 prayers in full.
- Pronounce, spell, and translate approximately 125 Latin words.
- Learn numbers 1 through 10.
- Learn names of popular constellations
- Understand concept of derivatives
- Grammar – Learn parts of speech including verbs, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions
- And more.
When the title says, “Prima Latina Complete Set,” it literally means “a complete set.” What I mean is all that's needed to teach and learn Latin is included. See the list below:
- Audio CD – Leigh Lowe has a really nice voice – This is a quick and easy way to listen to the pronunciations and to practice saying the words out loud. It plays like a music CD, with 38 tracks that you can skip through as needed. This is mainly what son uses.
- DVDs (Video) – I couldn’t figure out how to get the DVD to work on my computer. Plus, I felt that the audio CD and the books were sufficient. My son resists looking at unfamiliar faces. As a result, he would have been distracted by the teacher’s visual presence. However, I perused the three DVDs this past week:
- The DVDs work perfectly on our TV and add not only substantial value to the package, but are almost as good as being in a live classroom.
- The only downside is you can’t question the DVD instructor. But obviously that’s no big deal.
- However, a HUGE benefit is that you can press stop, rewind, fast forward, and choose to review chapters in order or out of order. And every DVD has a “Table of Contents.”
- Teacher Guide – Basically the same as the student guide with teacher helps and an answer key.
- Student Book – Super simple. My son didn't complain too much. He doesn't like to write down words with a pencil. The fact that there is a little bit to write every day was perfect for him so that he didn't feel overwhelmed.
- My son was able to independently work through the lessons with a bit of encouragement from me. (After we went through the introduction together, which includes a pronunciation guide and a grammar overview).
Sample of completed lesson page.
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- The hardest thing for me to get my son to do is to talk. He doesn’t like to use names of people, for example. So getting him to say the words out loud wasn't particularly successful. This is only because he has Autism. However, I can tell by the accuracy of his workbook exercises that my was understanding the words and learning what they meant.
- He seems to like learning language and I hope to continue teaching Latin through next year when he will be in 10th grade.
- One especially neat thing about the program is the Latin prayers.
When Completing the Prima Latina Complete Set, your child learn prayers in Latin. But he or she can learn and memorize the English versions as well.
- Downloadable tests for each section. For example, Lessons 1-5. Quizzes are in the hard copy book.
- Huge Deck of Flash Cards
Be sure to check out the complete Memoria Press series, which includes not only the Prima Latina Complete Set, but also the Latina Christiana Complete Set, and more.
And don't forget to read the other awesome Homeschool Review Crew Members' Memoria Press Reviews for more awesome reviews on the Prima Latina Complete Set, The Latina Christiana Complete Set, and more by clicking the image below:
