Prima Latina Text Set

Lowe, Leigh

Prima Latina is a preparatory course for Cheryl Lowe's Latina Christiana. It is intended for teachers with no background in Latin and was developed for children in kindergarten through third grade. The course was designed for students who are still becoming familiar with English grammar. Its goal is to teach and reinforce an understanding of the basic parts of speech while teaching beginner Latin. This provides a child a solid foundation in grammar before moving on to more advanced language and Latin skills.

     Prima Latina is an ideal precursor to Latina Christiana, as the vocabulary and format are similar to the Latina Christiana I text. Prima Latina is accompanied by an audio CD which includes pronunciation direction. Latina Christiana I Flash Cards are an ideal study aid for Prima Latina and a great investment for the parent who intends to use Latina I and II as successor courses.

     Prima Latina uses a clear and systematic format to introduce Latin to young students. The course teaches children in grades 1-3 seven parts of speech, 125 Latin vocabulary words, numbers 1 through 10, basic constellations, and simple introductions to tenses, derivatives, conjugations, and declensions. Each of the 25 new lessons consist of a new grammar skill, five vocabulary words that correspond with the lesson, a Practical Latin phrase, and one line of a prayer that is learned in totality by the end of the chapter. The exercises that accompany each lesson are thorough and provide constant review of materials learned throughout the course. Five review lessons, five tests, an appendix, and an answer key are included.