We recently got the chance to review an item from Memoria Press. Memoria Press offers several subjects for a variety of ages. We were allowed to try out Prima Latina which is a Latin curriculum from Memoria Press.
Prima Latina is a Latin curriculum for your child to learn how to sound out(pronounce), speak, and read Latin. While some may not think this is important in this day and age, I believe it is. As a nurse knowing some Latin would have helped immensely when I was reading and learning all those medical terms! Knowing Latin is also correlated to higher scores on the SAT and ACT. I know most homeschoolers aren't thinking of those tests when they're teaching their 1st graders, but it is something to keep in mind.
Prima Latina is directed for students in grades 2-4. The entire subject kit includes a student book, teacher's manual, pronunciation cd, instructional dvd's, and flashcards. The kit sells for $90.90. I was using this with my 8 year old daughter(she just turned 8). She is currently going into 2nd grade for some subjects and 3rd for others.
This course is said to be an introduction study for students who will be using the Christian Latin course. While I don't think that I will be using another Latin course at this point(none of my children are at a point where they have chosen a career) I do feel that it would transition you well into another study.
In Prima Latina you will find yourself learning many things in Latin. Some of these are hymns, vocabulary words, saying, prayers, and constellations. It of course also teaches proper grammar. Whether your child is going into a profession where they will need to know some Latin or not, I feel that this course also helps them with learning proper English vocabulary. Even if your child does not "get" the Latin yet, I feel it will show some improvement in their regular English studies. It should also help them sound out and figure out what certain words mean if they already know the Latin root of the word.
The DVD's include 9 hours of instruction. Your first lesson teaches you the Latin alphabet as well as a few vocabulary words. I feel that this is the most important lesson and we spent a great deal of time on it. In fact we are still watching this one every other week to once a month as review. All of my children watch and listen to the dvd's even though they are not all taking the course. They are picking up bits and pieces and it is wonderful for them to be learning something along with their older sister. The dvd's are engaging for children and the speaker has a pleasant voice that seems to draw them into her spell! The lessons are only 15-20 minutes so not too long where your child would get bored and no longer be paying attention.
The CD is also a wonderful tool that all of my children are enjoying. We tend to listen to this when we are in the van. It is an hour drive to the closest city where we get groceries so we have a good listen on the way there and on the way home. It is amazing what children can pick up in that time. They are little sponges. This has reminded me how careful we need to be of what our children hear around them or even on the radio as they may not know what they are saying or singing, but they will repeat it and will continue with it.
The workbook contains 25 lessons. Each lesson covers 5 vocabulary words with the English derivatives(love the small number of vocabulary per lesson). Each lesson also contains a phrase in Latin for your student to learn. Lastly, each lesson teaches a short line of prayer so that at the end of 5 lessons they will know it in its entirety.
Other members of our Crew Review Team were able to review the Latin curriculum as well as a Geography curriculum so make sure to head over to the Main Crew Blog Post and read what they thought of the programs.
I really kind of want this for myself.
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