Prima Latina REVIEW

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. 

Little Bug just loves to learn and I really love that about her.  She is definitely one of those kids that "loves" school, as long as things are going her way, LOL.  She loves learning new languages.  She "thinks" she can speak 4 different languages (even if she only knows one or two words in each one).  She tickles me with this.  She was SO excited when she learned she was going to add Latin to her repertoire.  I received the Prima Latina Complete Set from Memoria Press.  You do not need to know Latin to teach this.  It is written for grades 1 through 4 and introduces Latin vocabulary and grammar in a fun and exciting way. It is a precursor course for the next course, Latina Christiana.

Teacher Guide

Student Book

The Prima Latina Complete Set is just that, complete!  It even includes the flashcards that are really needed for the next level but are also very useful at this level.  The Prima Latina Complete Set includes:

• Softcover Teacher Guide (with answer keys, appendix, teaching guidelines, and reproducible drill sheets and tests)
• Spiral-bound, softcover Student Book
• Instructional DVDs for all 25 lessons (3 discs)
• Pronunciation Guide, Songs (4 hymns from Lingua Angelica), & Prayers (The Sanctus, The Doxology, The Table Blessing, and The Pater Noster) on CD
• Latina Christiana Flashcards

We keep our flashcards in a little container to keep them neat and together.
I place them in order as we learn each new word.

DVD lessons and audio CD with pronunciations, songs, and prayers.

The course includes 25 Chapters (Lessons) that are recommended to be completed one a week which allows this to be a full year curriculum.  The 25 lessons are divided into 5 Chapters with correlating review lessons (5) and tests (5).  In addition to the answer keys, the Teacher Guide includes many resources.

• Pronunciation rules (also in the Student Book)
• An appendix that includes a vocabulary appendix (alphabetical, parts of speech, and practical Latin sayings), and a listing of Vocabulary & Practical Latin Sayings by Lesson
• Teaching Guidelines that include a sample lesson plan
• Reproducible Vocabulary and Grammar drill sheets
• Reproducible Tests (5 tests that each cover 5 lessons) and Test Keys

Pronunciation Rules

Reproducible drill sheets

Student Goals for Prima Latina (from page 7 in both the Teacher Guide and Student Book)

1. Learn basic Latin alphabet and pronunciation of vowels and consonant sounds
2. Pronounce, spell, and translate approximately 125 Latin words
3. Learn 25 practical Latin expressions and 4 prayers in full
4. Learn numbers 1 through 10
5. Learn names of popular constellations
6. Understand the concept of derivatives - English words that are derived from Latin
7. Grammar
1. Learn to identify basic parts of speech including verbs, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions.
2. Recognize that conjugating is associated with verbs.
3. Recognize that declining is associated with nouns.
4. Memorize 1st declension noun endings.
5. Memorize 1st conjugation verb endings.

The instructional DVD is not necessary to complete the course but it sure does help in so many ways.  It is another source of proper pronunciation and it helps to reinforce everything in the Student Book since it walks you through the lessons.  Leigh Lowe, the instructor, is your virtual teacher.  It would definitely allow for an older child to complete lessons on their own with her instruction.  If you do not get the Prima Latina Complete Set and/or the DVD to accompany your books I would highly recommend getting the CD for proper pronunciation purposes.  Having the prayers and hymns are a definite bonus and worth the purchase.

Listening to a video lesson while following along in the Student Book

As we began to use this Latin curriculum it became easier the more familiar we became with the process.  They recommend reading your lesson first then watching the DVD but I found it better to watch the DVD first.  It helped to introduce the lesson from someone other than me and Little Bug was able to hear the correct pronunciations of the words before she tried them herself (or I butchered them, LOL).  We are trying to stick with the one lesson per week, but we have had a few hiccups and are just now completing our fourth lesson this week.  Also to clarify with the DVDs, each Chapter coincides with a Lesson (i.e. Chapter 1 is for Lesson 1 in the Teacher and Student guides).  Leigh is a great instructor and her joy is infectious as we follow the lessons.  It helps to keep things simple and light and that works well for Little Bug and her personality.

Learning new words and proper pronunciation

I scanned the drill sheets into my computer so we can easily print new pages as we need them.  We try to complete these 3 times weekly.  Little Bug thinks its a hoot for some reason and she enjoys doing it.  I think she is just really proud when she remembers the word correctly and its translation.  She won't be ready for her first test for another week if all goes well.
It is also important to note that "proficient reader" is mentioned in the Teacher Guide.  I didn't have to worry about this because Little Bug has been reading since Kindergarten and she reads very well, currently at a 2nd/3rd grade level.  If you have a child who is not yet reading I'm not sure what struggles there might be.  I know with my son when he was this age he was not reading and it would have been very frustrating for him (mostly because of his dyslexia).  That being said, if you have an eager and willing child it would still be a great curriculum to practice on and just take at a slower pace.
Also important to note is the confusion (maybe all me) with Chapters and Lessons.  I may be the only one, but it really threw me at first.  Just know that there are basically 5 Chapters with 5 Lessons within each chapter (25 total lessons).  However, on the DVD there are 25 Chapters (really Lessons).  The Table of Contents lists EVERYTHING as a Lesson.  It lists, for example, Lesson 1 through 5, then lists "Review Lesson 1 (Lessons 1-5)."  I personally think it should say "Review Chapter 1 (Lessons 1-5)."  Just a heads up.
A typical lesson consists of:

• Practical Latin (introduces a new Latin word or phrase)
• Lesson (lesson for the day)
• Vocabulary (5 or 6 new Latin words)
• Latin Prayers (you learn a line a week from one of the 4 prayers so that you have one prayer memorized at a time)
• Derivatives (learning English words based on the 5 new Latin vocabulary words) - it is recommended to skip this with younger students but we found it kind of fun and I didn't dwell on it.
• Exercises (consist of Review Questions and current Lesson Questions, Translation, Speaking Latin, Write and Learn, and Fun Practice

Sample completed lesson

We try to use this every day (5 days a week).  It is recommended to be used 4-5 days per week for older students and at least 3 per week with the younger students.  In our case daily is better for practice purposes and some days we only spend a few minutes depending on where we are at.  We start Mondays by watching the video and practicing the Practical Latin section.  We also read and start to memorize the Latin Prayer line for the week (we do this every day).  Tuesdays we complete the Lesson and quickly review the Vocabulary words (we use the flashcards to practice these once introduced).  Wednesdays we work on the Vocabulary words and gloss over the Derivatives.  Thursday we begin completing the Exercises generally covering the  Questions, Translation, and Speaking Latin sections.  Friday we complete the Write and Learn and Fun Practice sections.  Hopefully, the Prayer line for the week has been memorized at this point and she has a good grasp on the new vocabulary words.  All of this can easily be managed into a 3 day week.

We are loving this Latin curriculum!  I really like all the repetition and how they use the speaking, writing, and seeing to get a good grasp on the material.  I feel it is very well written and we are enjoying the lessons.  We give the Prima Latina Complete Set two thumbs up and we definitely plan to continue with Latina Christiana next year.  I think the only thing I would change at this point would be if the Teacher Guide could also be spiral bound.

You can connect with Memoria Press on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, and YOUTUBE.  My fellow Crew members reviewed this set in addition to others for the upper grades so be sure to check the reviews out by clicking on the graphic link below.  It will be time well spent.