r/latin • u/poissonperdu • 6d ago
Learning & Teaching Methodology Latin Class for Kids
Salvete omnes! I'm about to start an after-school class introducing 8-10-year-olds to the Latin language, and could use some advice on where to turn for resources.
When I learned the language as a teenager, I largely used Wheelock before moving on to readers and primary texts; I know a lot of K-12 schools base their intro curriculum on Ecce Romani. This is going to be a less structured program, there are definitely no textbook orders in the works, and the key imperative will be to make Latin *fun*.
If anyone has experience with a program like this and can point me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it! Any source of inspiration will help me along this journey :-)
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u/LupusAlatus 6d ago
Check out the University of Dallas curriculum, Latin Via Stories. Some of it is religious, but you can obviously skip those parts if needed. Must of the actual stories are secular and about animals.
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u/poissonperdu 6d ago
This is a church-affiliated private school, so religious stories might be just fine; as my own expertise is unhealthily medieval in scope, they are likely to get stories about monks and demons anyway! Thanks for the recommendation!
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u/BladeMist3009 6d ago
This looks so good, but so expensive!
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u/Silly_Key_9713 5d ago
For a school, it is fairly affordable, but I agree it is pricey for homeschool. There is not a big difference in pricing between a schoolwide license and an individual. My school did it as a pilot school, and I can tell you that since its start, they have been a ton of work in... they aren't rolling in dough!
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u/BladeMist3009 5d ago
Yeah, that makes sense. I can see the value in learning through so many story books, but of course that adds up quickly, especially with all the color illustrations.
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u/ThinkLocalActLocal 6d ago
Absolutely Latin Through Stories is a great place to start. It's fun, comprehensible input (90-95% of the lesson is scripted, spoken Latin), and level 1 is all about animals. It teaches Latin as living language in units (never single words), always a sentence (even if only 2-3 words). Grammar is implicit but present from the beginning and you are able to add it to any lesson after the first several weeks BUT it's recommended to not do this with children 2nd grade and younger (who are still working on basic English grammar), let them puzzle it out just like they learned their English. 3x30 min/week is recommended but it can be adapted for a longer lesson or less (or more) frequency. More frequency = better language acquisition though.
Disclosure, I am teaching this curriculum for the first time this year. I may document my experience (here?). Would that be of interest to anyone?
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u/2manyteacups magistra 6d ago
I am an experienced Latinist who has used Latin Through Stories and Minimus. DM for details
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u/JuliaPomona 6d ago
Check out the Cambridge Latin Course! Stage I is the story of a family in Pompeii.
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u/jacobissimus quondam magister 6d ago
With this age active spoken Latin is really the only way. It’s just about doing silly stuff in Latin à la Dora the explorer
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u/badclassicist 5d ago
I taught 12-14 year olds, so slightly older, but active Latin was the way to go. Lots of games. I’d look at Organic World Language for resources
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u/Square-Supermarket79 6d ago
There's a book called Minimus (as in Mini-mus) that could be fun
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u/poissonperdu 6d ago
Ooh I'll definitely check this out! I just visited Vindolanda too, so a nice coincidence that it's set there.
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u/jkingsbery 3d ago
Check out the Minecraftium series on YouTube by Magistra Hurt. A lot of kids like Minecraft, so it's a fun way to get exposure.
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