For most of us, the return of the school year brings with it both joys and challenges. If your enthusiasm this year is tempered by a little trepidation about your student’s Latin studies, I am here to help! Let me share with you a checklist of simple steps that will help you prepare for a great year of Challenge Latin and will allow you to be as eager for the beginning of the new school year as I am.
- Review the Latin your student already knows. It may be their Foundations Latin (Cycle 1 or 2) or their previous year’s Latin. Review endings and vocabulary.
- Review English structures from Essentials. The English Grammar Trivium Tables® used in Essentials is an excellent place to start. Review sentence structures, parts of speech, and definitions.
- Gather your supplies. Purchase index cards to create vocabulary flashcards and use a ring to keep said flashcards organized and in one place. Designate a Latin notebook and divide it into sections for exercises, for quizzes and tests, for noun declensions, for verb conjugations, and so on.
- Decide on a schedule. Some students prefer to distribute their tasks evenly throughout the week; they typically do a few exercises and some memorization each day. Others opt to complete all of their exercises on one day in order to reserve the rest of the week for memorization. Discuss schedule options and preferences with your student, and settle on a basic plan for implementation.
- Line up extra resources. Look at the free Google books dealing with Latin. Check out free podcasts and Amazon Prime books. Find websites that will help you if you get stuck like http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/classics.html or http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001&redirect=true. Browse the Latin grammar videos available in the Challenge subscription tier of CC Connected: https://www.classicalconversations.com/challenge-learning-center/grammar-(latin).
- Encourage your student! Commit to honor their efforts, empathize with their struggles, and celebrate their achievements.
