First Latin: A Language Discovery Program

by Marion Polsky

First Latin offers 22 lessons in Roman culture and basic Latin for elementary and middle school aged students. The program consists of two "student activity books" and their associated teacher's guides, a cassette of all Latin words and phrases using classical pronunciation, and a set of "cue cards" which were not reviewed. In addition to basic Latin, First Latin focuses on Roman "social studies." Family life, mythology, slavery, and gladiatorial contests are some of the topics covered. The teacher's manual suggests that the students' cultural interests were kept in mind with a discussion of the underwear worn by Romans. A family is introduced and followed through the marriage of the thirteen-year-old daughter in the last lesson. Different types of families are introduced in lesson 7 and divorce is presented as a common occurrence among upper class families. The program has many "questions to think about" to help the child draw parallels between Roman times and now. The two 72-page workbooks are illustrated with black and white line drawings. Fill-in-the-blank and matching are the primary techniques, but there are occasional word search, crossword puzzle, or multiple choice options. The majority of the first workbook introduces vocabulary through very basic translations and line drawings with all objects labeled in Latin. Derivatives are emphasized throughout the program in the "word play" and other sections. The "language discovery" section, which begins with lesson 10, contrasts Latin grammar with what the student already knows in English. Subjects (noun gender and number), verbs (first conjugation present and imperfect), direct objects, prepositional phrases, and adverbs are introduced in an elementary way as building blocks for Latin study. The emphasis is on recognizing basic Latin words and translating them. Latin terms such as cases and conjugations are never mentioned.

72 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 1997