The Little Latinist introduces students, from about third grade to adult, to a unique way of studying both English and Latin.
The curriculum is specifically designed to:
extend English vocabulary and grammar skills;
develop the ability to examine and analyze text; and
promote persistence and analytical thinking.
Students systematically study grammar and vocabulary by comparing and contrasting Latin with English. Each new concept builds on previous learning. Once introduced, vocabulary words and grammatical structures are practiced in a variety of exercises and continue to be used in translations thereafter. This repeated practice, tying new learning to old, ensures that new knowledge is effortlessly retained in long-term memory.
Every Latin sentence is a problem to be solved as meaning relies on endings rather than on word order. Each word must be examined to determine its role in the sentence. The challenge when translating from English to Latin is to add all the correct endings and agreements.
Students of all ages and abilities, even those whose first language is not English, can benefit from this Latin course.
Some learners will initially work through this curriculum faster, already having a broader vocabulary and grammar base to aid understanding. Translations in The Little Latinist use vocabulary that should be familiar to young students, but which also has value for more those more mature. The derivative sections are deliberately challenging. Subsequent units will gradually become more complex as they explore further the subtleties of word choice and incorporate into sentence translations all new and previous learning.
