Prima Latina (A REVIEW)

We have never tried a Latin curriculum before, so I was thrilled to get the chance to try the Prima Latina complete set from Memoria Press. I have always felt a little intimidated by Latin because it is just not something I've ever studied myself, but wanted to give it a try. Memoria Press has always had great curriculum choices, and this was definitely one of them!

As I mentioned we received the Prima Latina Complete set. It was a physical copy of the Teacher's Manual, Student Book, Pronunciation CD, Flashcards, and Instructional DVD. This set is intended to be an introduction to Christian Latin, and since we have never done Latin before was used by my 3rd grader. He was very interested in learning Latin, and actually requested that I take on this review because he wanted to learn a different language.

What is Prima Latina?

Prima Latina is the preparation for a young student, primarily grades 1-4, who wants to get a little foundation before starting the Latina Christiana, and would then go onto the the more advanced levels including Second Form, Third Form, and Fourth Form. The Prima Latina contains 25 lessons. These lessons contain vocabulary and its meaning, and various exercises of speaking, translation, prayers, fun puzzles, etc. There is a lot in each lesson. My son was able to complete one lesson during the week. He would watch the DVD, and do the pages in the workbook. There are flashcards, and a listening CD that contains the pronunciations, songs, and prayers. All of those things work together to make a complete and very full lesson.

How does this work?

As the teacher I found that I didn't have to do a whole lot. I loved that my 3rd grade boy just took the DVD's, watched it, worked through the pages, and he was done. All I really had to do was correcting his workbook pages, review, and the flashcards. He picked up on the words quickly, and would come to me when he had to say something specifically to his teacher. He even came to me with interesting information and words he had learned. Now, this is how it worked for a 3rd grader who can do much independently. It might take a little more involvement of the parent if he were a younger child. But, I feel comfortable teaching this particular level as a parent who has never really studied Latin before. I would definitely recommend this level if you have an elementary student and parent who have never looked at Latin.

Is this going to be useful?

Yes! I believe it helps the children recognize where some of our words come from, their Latin roots and all. I also know that it will help them in building their vocabulary. They learn a lot of different words and their meanings. They will recognize scientific names, and science terms easier. In fact Memoria Press has a great article on "The Top 10 Reasons for studying Latin." In case you are needing more convincing of why to even try Latin in your homeschool.

If you would like to see what others have to say about this and the other Latin curriculums, please click the banner below. There are some great reviews over there!