LATIN SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
This is the scope and sequence I am using for my students at the Christian Language Center. My high school students at the International School of Communications do not have the benefit of starting Lingua Latina per se Illustrata in the 6th grade, so they begin in 9th grade and follow the 6th-9th sequence (finishing their senior year with Livy’s description of the 2nd Punic War in chapter 48 of Roma Aeterna.)
The goal of the K-5 scope is to learn all of the inflections of the Latin language. In grades K-2 parents should just sing the grammar chants together with their children using the Lyrical Latin and Latin Verbs Rock CDs. Practice a new song every day for a week. At this stage, have fun singing and memorizing, but don’t worry about “doing grammar.” In the 3rd-5th grades children will begin learning some vocabulary and a little bit of usage, but again, the focus should be on memorizing the forms. Using Latin Flash Drill (a computer program available from Cerberus systems) every day for 15 minutes to reinforce the forms in the textbook will really help with this.
Your children will be ready to start Lingua Latina in the 5th or 6th grade. This scope allows about 3 weeks for every chapter of the LLPSI series, which should allow for full assimilation of the new vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. For students who are forced to proceed more quickly, I believe the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary will never reach their long-term memory. Summers should be spent reviewing and consolidating information from the previous year. Students should re-read their LLPSI texts, highlighting the words they do not remember in context, creating lists of “Words and Phrases that Did Not Stick.” These words should be studied regularly over the summer, either as lists, audio recordings, or flash cards.
Besides re-reading and studying vocabulary, students should also read the recommended summer texts. For the first three years, these texts do not include any new exercises, but in the summer of the 9th grade year, students should complete the exercises in the Wheelock text, one chapter per day for one hour per day. This is enough time for the student to read the chapter and complete about ⅓ of the exercises at the end. This is all review, so the student does not need to complete every exercise. For the summers of the 10th-12th grade years, students will read Lhomond’s Epitome Historiae Sacrae, and this text has extensive exercises. These should be completed in their entirety, and this may present a very great challenge in the space of only three summers. The student should simply proceed as far as possible and save the rest of that text for post-high school review.
Students who diligently follow this scope and sequence will be well prepared for college studies in history, the humanities, and classics.
GRADE LEVEL | TEXT(S) | K-5 CATHOLIC ALTERNATIVES |
Grade K | English: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons Latin (for early readers): Song School Latin (not necessary - just a fun way to introduce a few Latin words and make learning Latin a habit) | |
Grade 1 | Lyrical Latin (Text + CD) English: First Language Lessons 1 | Prima Latina |
Grade 2 | Latin Verbs Rock (CD) English: First Language Lessons 2 | Prima Latina |
Grade 3 | Latin: Latin for Children, A Latin Flash Drill English: First Language Lessons 3 | Latina Christiana I |
Grade 4 | Latin: Latin for Children, B Latin Flash Drill English: First Language Lessons 4 | |
Grade 5 | Latin: Latin for Children, C Latin Flash Drill | |
UPPER LEVEL | TEXT & TEST | SUMMER READING |
Grade 6 | Familia Romana: 1-12 National Latin Exam: Intro | Colloquia Personarum: 1-12 |
Grade 7 | Familia Romana: 13-24 NLE: Level I | Colloquia Personarum: 13-24 |
Grade 8 | Familia Romana: 25-35 NLE: Level II | Fabulae Syrae |
Grade 9 | Roma Aeterna: 36-48 NLE: Level III | Wheelock’s Latin Grammar |
Grade 10 | Roma Aeterna: 49-56; Sermones NLE: Level IV (Prose) | Epitome: Prima-Tertiam Aetatem |
Grade 11 | De bello Gallico et Aeneis (AP) NLE: Level V | Epitome: Quarta-Quintam Aetatem |
Grade 12 | Amphitryo, Ars Amatoria, Cena Trimalchionis, Catilina NLE: Level VI | Epitome: Sexta Aetas-Novum Testamentum |
GRADE LEVEL | TEXT(S) | SOURCE |
K | Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons | Christianbook.com ($11.99) |
K | Song School Latin | classicalacademicpress.com ($22.95 text only OR $81.95 bundle) |
1-2 | Lyrical Latin | singnlearn.com ($42.00 book/CD set) |
1-2 | First Language Lessons 1-2 | welltrainedmind.com ($14.95 each) |
3-4 | First Language Lessons 3-4 | welltrainedmind.com ($18.95-19.95 for student texts; $29.95 for the required instructor text) |
3 | Latin for Children, A | classicalacademicpress.com ($22.95 text only OR $99.95 bundle) |
4 | Latin for Children, B | classicalacademicpress.com ($24.95 text only OR $114.95 bundle) |
5 | Latin for Children, C | classicalacademicpress.com ($24.95 text only OR $114.95 bundle) |
3-8 | Flash Drill, General Version | centaursystems.com ($10.00) |
6-8 | Lingua Latina per se Illustrata: Pars I by Hans Oerberg 1. Part I: Familia Romana (text) 2. Lingua Latina: A College Companion: based on Orberg’s Latine Disco, with Vocab and Grammar 3. Exercitia and Pensa (online subscription to Familia Romana Essentials) 4. Colloquia Personarum | All Lingua Latina materials are available from pullins.com 1. Text: $35 (hardcover) 2. Companion: $27 3. Familia Essentials: 1-year subscription: $29.95 4. Colloquia: $15.00 |
8-10 | Lingua Latina per se Illustrata: Pars II by H. Orberg 1. Part II: Roma Aeterna (text) 2. Part II: Roma Aeterna CD-ROM (for electronic Pensa) 3. Part II: Exercitia (CD ROM) 4. Part II: Latine Disco: Student Manual 5. Fabulae Syrae 6. Epitome Historiae Sacrae 7. Sermones Romani 8. Wheelock’s Latin Grammar | available from pullins.com 1. Roma: $38 2. Roma CD: $31.95 3. Roma Exercitia CD: $26.95 4. Disco: $7.00 5. Fabulae: $19.00 6. Epitome: $25.00 7. Sermones: $15.00 8. Wheelock: $15.00 |
11-12 | Various authors edited by H. Orberg 1. Caesar: De bello Gallico 2. Aeneis Libros I et IV (Vergil) 3. Plautus: Amphitryo 4. Ovid: Ars Amatoria 5. Petronius: Cena Trimalchionis 6. Sallustius and Cicero: Catilina | available from pullins.com 1. Caesar: $15.00 2. Vergil: $15.00 3. Plautus: $15.00 4. Ovid: $15.00 5. Petronius: $15.00 6. Catilina: $15.00 |