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Song School Latin Review by Classical Academia Press

Song School Latin Book 1 Program is a wonderful way to introduce your K-3rd graders to Latin! It’s fun for the student, easy for the teacher, and is great for teaching multiple children at the same time. Below you’ll find 3 reviews from 3 of our Hip Homeschool Moms team members. They were each provided with Song School Latin for free in order to use it and give you an accurate and honest review of their experiences with their children. We hope you enjoy the review and find out just what you need to know!

Here’s what Liz has to say about Song School Latin Book 1 Program:

I’m a homeschooling mom to 4 boys.  My oldest sons have loved Song School Latin 1 Program by Classical Academia Press  these past few months.  We’ve never studied a foreign language.  My oldest son is in 1st grade and my second son is in Kinder and I wanted to have him follow along.  He had no issues keeping up with the work.

Latin 1

Latin 2

Latin 3

The program is DVD-based and is very mommy-friendly.  I never thought I would have time to teach a foreign language with 4 young boys, housework, errands, and extra-curricular activities.  However, I also know that these early years are the best time to introduce a second language.

My favorite thing about introducing Latin to my boys is the broad base of history that is also introduced to them.  It’s one of the best languages to start with.  I was so impressed with Song School Latin.

sing song school latin1

 

song school latin review 2

The DVD is well made, fun, and energetic.   The instruction is slow and clear.  My kids followed along with understanding but also didn’t get bored. After watching a few DVD clips, we did the workbook pages and song review together.  I was learning as well!  Homeschooling is such a blessing that way.

We spent about 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week on this program.  It didn’t add too much to our current curriculum at all.  My kids actually thought it was a treat since we usually don’t have TV time during the day.

The Teacher Manual is full of activities and helpful ways to extend the lessons.  The student workbook, like the teacher’s manual, is easy to write in and perfect for early elementary students.  I appreciated the clean, concise lessons.  I didn’t feel like the pages were stuffed with busy work.  It flowed with the DVD perfectly.

I hope you’ll give Song School Latin a try.  If I can incorporate it with 4 young boys, I know it can work for a variety of homeschool families!

Here’s what Demetria has to say:

I’m excited about the opportunity to  provide a Song School Latin review and introduce you to this curriculum that my family has been enjoying for a few months now.

Reasons we love Song School Latin

First off, the Book 1 complete set comes with so much (and my daughter asks for it weekly):

  • student book
  • audio CD (with songs and chants)
  • teacher’s edition
  • DVD set
  • flashcard game

This is a wonderful Latin program for younger children (but great for the older ones, too.)

This is an incredibly fun curriculum and because it’s jam packed with so many resources it makes for a versatile experience and keeps learning Latin from being dull.

Latin 4

Each lesson in the workbook consists of  sections which include new vocabulary or phrases, chapter songs (included on the CD) , lesson and review practice, and some handwriting practice.

I was pretty surprised to see the audio CD included and was really impressed with the songs.  My 6-year-old picked up on the songs right away and went around the house chanting “vale, pater!” to her dad when he got home from work.

The CD brings the Latin pronunciation and dynamics to life with catchy tunes set to easy Latin rhymes.  My daughter really enjoyed this as she is a kinesthetic learner and enjoyed the movement.

Latin 5

The DVD series is a dynamic addition (actually a necessity, in my opinion) for the program.  It fully explains each lesson concept with mini lectures (which can be understood fully on a child’s level but doesn’t dumb down the material in any way) and short animated skits with Simeon the Monkey.  There’s also an animated derivative “river” which helps children learn how Latin influences other languages today.

Latin 6

The flashcards also bring another dimension to the program, adding a game component which is always great for my active, kinesthetic learner. This is great for Memory or Go Fish.

Latin 7

The teacher manual also includes supplemental worksheets, which my 11-year-old uses to accompany the workbook that my 6-year-old mostly uses.  I have been able to teach from this one level with both of my children. Despite the suggested age levels, it has proven beneficial in teaching Latin to both of my 6- and 11-year olds.

We cannot wait to get through this entire program and dig into the next level!

How about you? Are you considering teaching Latin in your homeschool?

Here’s what Jennifer has to say:

Whenever you mention to someone that you are studying Latin, a response often heard is, “Why?” Well, why not, considering Latin is the base for many of the words that we use in the English language? Whenever I think about Latin, it always throws me back to when I use to study vocabulary words in high school. By knowing the meanings of prefixes that were often Latin-based, I was able to better understand the meanings of the words.

Song School Latin, published by Classical Academic Press, brings music and fun to the instruction of the language for children in kindergarten through third grades. It is helpful to use it with children who can already read–or at least recognize their letters–so that they will recognize the similarity between the languages and easily follow the instructions and do the activities.

I used the program with Canyon, although he is not really the singer in the family. The reason this is important is because songs play an important part in the instruction of Song School Latin; ah, song school.

The lessons are about three to five pages long. Although they are not very long, I broke the lessons up to be covered over a two-day period. Canyon enjoyed the copy work and other activities like matching the Latin and English words and the chapter stories of familiar tales like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” retold with Latin words throughout. An example is the Latin word mater for mother and the Latin word sella for chair.

Latin 8

It took Canyon a while to warm up to the singing of the songs. As I said, he is not really a singer, but he will sing, and he did. He also enjoyed using the coloring pages {http://classicalsubjects.com/resources/SSL_ColoringPages.pdf} that are accessible for free on the Classical Academic Press website. The Latin Monkey Flashcard game was also a lot of fun for him and offered him a chance to work independently reviewing some of the words he learned. He listened to the songs while coloring pictures and using the flash cards.

One of the reasons I think the curriculum really works is because many of the words that are introduced are ones that are already familiar to young children. Some examples are (in Chapter 7) the introduction of items found in a classroom setting and (Chapter 12–one that I particularly like) the introduction of words used for good etiquette such as please and thank you. Regardless of the language, we all must learn how to speak politely!

Song School Latin makes learning the language fun and possible, without making it all about structure or grammar that is usually the direction taught to older students. The approach is more conversational, and for a young child who usually prefers talking (and singing), the learning is natural and he is learning new ways to says words that he already knows.

If you are looking for a curriculum that will introduce a foreign language as something that is natural– like a child learning his native tongue–then Song School Latin is a good beginning. The approach is one that is easy enough for the student as well as parent, who may want to join in the learning.

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