Customer Reviews

Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been trying to teach my kids Latin with no Latin background myself. There are some wonderful programs out there, but I still struggled to "get it". We have tried several programs with our oldest. She has done great, but I have struggled. The downfall is always me. I don't have the option of a Latin tutor, so I struggle on for the sake of my kids. This is the first to make the light go on for me therefore for them.

After listening to Bill Linney speak and trying this book myself, I started to understand somethings that I struggled with. Suddlenly, it seemed so easy. I tried this at home with my children - they love it! They are begging to do Latin with this book.

My two year old says with ease the Latin words. (I am not sure why it just happened. He's been hearing Latin since he was born. I think he saw that his siblings were having fun, and he wanted to join in.)

Imagine, my shock when after 3 days of this book when my 4 year old who can't read is translating oral Latin sentences. I read "Sum et nauta et agricola." And she said "I am both a salior and a farmer." I about fell out of my chair.

I recommend this to any homeschool mom or student who needs some help. Any student who can read can do this on their own. The way this is written anyone can do it. We have moved pretty quickly through the first 15 lessons, but you can take your time. We are slowing down now, but it's still coming together with ease for us.

This new book meets a need that others I've seen don't: it dishes up Latin lessons in small bites and makes them interesting-- just right for the beginner whose passion for the subject has not yet taken hold and needs to ease into it. But if you pick up this book because you already have a passion to tackle the Latin, you can cover more than one lesson at a time. My homeschooled (elementary-aged) kids have found this method effective, and the author has done the work to make it easy to teach, even if (like us) you have no prior knowledge of Latin. As we got this for our children, I haven't gotten all the way through it yet myself, but predict that by the end, I'll have a great foundation for further studies. Mr. Linney's book stirred an interest that I didn't have or expect before I picked up this great intro to Latin.

To prepare for this review, I decided to put this book to practical use. Nightly, as our family sits down to family prayers, husband begins by doing a lesson orally with the kids. It's been a hit, a very nice family activity indeed. We all participate, from first to tenth grader, mom included. For some of us it's mostly review, for some it is all new, but we all look forward to it.

Getting Started with Latin is an introductory adventure into Latin. The path is easy with short lessons: only one new word or concept is introduced per lesson. Some lessons introduce a peculiarity of Latin or a grammar point. Sprinkled amidst the lessons there are interesting explanations of Latin expressions that we commonly encounter in English. For instance, between lessons 83 and 84 there is page entitled "Have you ever wondered what per capita means?"

The format is also suitable for being read aloud with a group of students or your whole family. We have enjoyed it as a family very much! And no, you do not need previous knowledge of Latin.

"A good general introduction!", says my husband. For the Catholic homeschooler this volume can serve well as a next level Latin for beginning students or for the next level for students who have done Our Roman Roots, albeit these will be able to go quite quickly through the first twenty lessons or so.

The book has a companion website with resources and downloadable pronunciation both on Classical and Ecclesiastical styles. Also, you can preview many sample pages.

If this is your first experience with Latin, Getting Started with Latin, is the book for you. This 206 page book, with answer key, is written for those who want to learn Latin on their own or teach it to children. After purchasing many Latin resources to help me with my first year of Latin, Mr. Linney's book was by far the MOST helpful resource available to me. Getting Started With Latin gave me the opportunity to learn Latin at my own pace using short lessons and an easy to understand approach. Additionally, William Linney offers a FREE pronunciation CD on his web site, [...]. How many companies offer that? He really does want the consumer to love learning Latin. Throughout his book, Linney adds Latin expressions and their meanings. For example, on page 75 he explains what the c. and ca. mean before a date. If you haven't embarked on your journey with Latin, you really don't know how confusing Latin can be to learn, especially on your own. GSWL will be the best investment you ever made! Check it out for yourself. You will NOT be sorry!

I'd like to add my praise to that of the other reviewers of this marvelous text. I recently retired and decided to set up a home-study course for several subjects I hadn't had time for when I was an undergrad. Latin was one of them. I finished this book with the help on the on-line readings by the author in about ten days and have ordered his recommended next text to continue my studies. This text was by far the best introduction of the four subjects I chose. It introduced the subject in small bites and then continued to reinforce already-covered material at each step. The book was too short. I could have gone on with it forever. I wish there was a "Getting Started with Latin II, III, IV" etc. This was one of the best texts I've ever used in an academic life that included two Master's degrees. Thank you William Linney. There could not be a better text (with superb Internet support) on this subject. Let's deluge Mr. Liney with requests for other subjects that he might be familiar with. He must know more than Latin.

I have a Ph.D. in English and am currently homeschooling my 7-yr-old son. I looked at several texts for teaching him Latin. I prefer this one b/c it is a simple yet systematic approach to learning the language. The sequence progresses clearly, logically, and manageably. The audio downloads provide clear, effective support for the lessons (they just repeat the lessons, but sometimes my son likes to listen to Linney rather than me!). One doesn't need any Latin background to use this book. I highly recommend it as a starter.

I also got Bell's _Minimus_ book, but I don't recommend it--not as the main text, anyway. It's not a systematic approach but more of a "Latin for speaking/cultural knowledge" approach. But who needs to speak Latin? It's more useful to know the forms of "to be" (Linney) than to learn to have a conversation involving, "Who are you?" "I am the mother" (Bell). I will use this book (since I bought it) after my son has a stronger grasp of the language structure. It's a fun accompaniment, but not the main text--certainly not essential.

For parents wanting to learn alongside their kids, I recommend Wheelock's Latin grammar, which is quite comprehensive but written (originally) for GIs entering college on the GI bill and having no background (or use for) classical languages. It's much denser and more comprehensive than Linney, but it is clear and accessible. Only the self-tutorial exercises have an answer key (as far as I can find), but it's a great intro to the language and even to Roman literary history. I recommend it as well.

I am happy to give this new book 5 stars. As a teacher, my students range from proficient to strugglers. With my Principal's approval, I have recommended this book to my 7th Graders using Wheelock's who may be feeling overwhelmed. It will be a valuable source of additional help. To our 5th and 6th Graders who will begin Wheelock's in 7th Grade but will miss taking Latina Christiana in our 4th-6th program, I am requiring it. Mr. Linney brings a very kind and gentle approach to teaching Latin by teaching the student to translate Latin before they ever conjugate a verb or decline a noun. His small step by small step method makes failure quite unlikely. The correct answers to all of his lessons are contained in the back of the book, so that those seeking self-help can accomplish that. If there is any desire on the part of the student to succeed, Mr. Linney has provided a more than adequate tool.

When I previewed the book in Mr. Linney's website, I knew I had to get hold of a copy. When I finally held my own copy, I was not disappointed. In fact, it was everything I had hoped it would be! My daughter loves it and has no problem working through the lessons. In fact, Latin is now one of her favorite subjects. We have so much fun going online to hear the pronunciation of the word or expression we are learning for the day. We can actually speak Latin now! Sum et nauta et agricola. :) How's this for a start?

Strengths of the program
1.There are 134 lessons. Each is self-explanatory. Even if you, the parent, have never studied Latin, you will feel comfortable with it. Older students will enjoy going through it themselves.
2.It is self-paced and self-contained. I really like this aspect of it.
3.There are lots of practice exercises after each new concept. Answers are given at the back of the book.
4.It is non-consumable so you can use it with multiple children.
5.You can download the free pronunciation recordings in MP3 format. Each new word and exerise is read aloud by the author and you can choose from either classical or ecclesiastical pronunciation recordings.
6.There are no extra materials to purchase. Yeah!
7.The program is non-threatening and you feel a sense of achievement after each lesson. Can you imagine the delight in your child's eye after each lesson? Well, that's what I see my daughter's eye after each one and that warms my heart.

I have two other programs in my bookshelf but I knew my daughter was not ready for them. And I wanted the whole experience to be an enjoyable and enriching one. This program, Getting Started with Latin, fits the bill perfectly! I will not hesitate to recommend this to any homeschooler or just about any one who wants to learn Latin from scratch.

Thank you Mr. Linney for writing this wonderful program!

My 11 year old son is crazy about this book! He has taken French and Spanish at school with little retention. Curiously, he requested to learn Latin. After much curriculum research, I found Mr. Linney's book and website. Since we received this very affordable book with free audio support via his website, we are all happily learning Latin. My son, however, has been carrying the book around with him and teaching all of his friends who, it turns out, are interested, too. The lessons are short and easy. Mr. Linney's voice is pleasant and easy to understand on his MP3 commentaries. Even the most easily frustrated student can accomplish a good start with this book.

This book simply and progressively guides a student in grasping the complexities of the Latin language. An ideal Latin resource for reinforcing what one has already learned, reviving what one may have forgotten, and for those that are new to Latin - this book gently reaches out, and effectively teaches you the foundation of the Latin language.

After dinner, I spend a few minutes going over a couple lessons with my wife. She is amazed that she is actually learning sentences from the beginning of the course. The next lesson builds on the previous lessons which reinforces what she has previously learned.

I will be teaching Latin to an 8th grade class this year. I will leave a review after this year to inform you how the kids did with the material. Until then - Sine labore nihil