Latin 1 Syllabus
Charise Zelnick
A syllabus (/ˈsɪləbəs/, AFI: /ˈsɪl.ə.bəs/; pl.: syllabuses[1] or syllabi[2])[3] or specification is a document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curriculum. A syllabus may be set out by an examination board or prepared by the tutor or instructor who teaches or controls the course. The word is also used more generally for an abstract or programme of knowledge, and is best known in this sense as referring to two catalogues published by the Catholic Church in 1864 and 1907 condemning certain doctrinal positions.[4]
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word syllabus derives from modern Latin syllabus 'list', in turn from a misreading of the Greek σίττυβος sittybos (the leather parchment label that gave the title and contents of a document), which first occurred in a 15th-century print of Cicero's letters to Atticus.[1][5] Earlier Latin dictionaries such as Lewis and Short contain the word syllabus,[6] relating it to the non-existent Greek word σύλλαβος, which appears to be a mistaken reading of syllaba 'syllable'; the newer Oxford Latin Dictionary does not contain this word.[7][self-published source?] The apparent change from sitty- to sylla- is explained as a hypercorrection by analogy to συλλαμβάνω (syllambano 'bring together, gather').[7]
Chambers Dictionary agrees that it derives from the Greek for a book label, but claims that the original Greek was a feminine noun, sittybā, σίττυβα, borrowed by Latin, the misreading coming from an accusative plural Latin sittybas.[8]
In a 2002 study, Parks and Harris suggest "a syllabus can serve students as a model of professional thinking and writing".[9] They also believe effective learning requires a complex interaction of skills, such as time management, prioritization of tasks, technology use, etc., and that a syllabus can promote the development of these skills.
In 2005, Slattery & Carlson describe the syllabus as a "contract between faculty members and their students, designed to answer student's questions about a course, as well as inform them about what will happen should they fail to meet course expectations". They promote using action verbs (identify, analyze, evaluate) as opposed to passive verbs (learn, recognize, understand) when creating course goals.[10] Habanek stresses the importance of the syllabus as a "vehicle for expressing accountability and commitment."[11]
The Cambridge IGCSE Latin syllabus aims to develop learners' ability to understand Latin, leading to a recognition of Latin's influence on modern European languages. By comparing the structure of Latin with other languages, learners also develop an analytical approach to language learning. They study Latin prose and verse literature in its social and historical context, and are encouraged to develop a personal response to what they read. This will develop an awareness of a different time and culture, and an appreciation of Rome's legacy to the modern world.
Teachers at registered Cambridge schools can unlock over 30 000 teaching and learning resources to help plan and deliver Cambridge programmes and qualifications, including Schemes of work, Example candidate responses, Past papers, Specimen paper answers, as well as digital and multimedia resources.
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I make these Syllabi available with one caveat. This syllabus moves along at a steady, rather challenging pace. There is absolutely no reason one must complete all 24 lessons outlined in this syllabus in one year. In my own experience of teaching, I can honestly say I have never had two classes end at the same place. We begin with this syllabus, but when I sense that students are struggling to understand or master a concept, we slow way down until we're on solid footing again, and then move forward. Those concepts causing the trouble are often the same from year to year; the Passive Voice (Lessons 17-21), the Subjunctive Mood (Lesson 22 forward), and Relative Clauses (Lesson 24). Wherever the struggle may be, it is worth the extra time and effort to master the material before proceeding, since Latin grammar is cumulative in nature.
This collection of syllabi is a joint project of H-LatAm and the Conference on Latin American History (CLAH) Teaching and Teaching Materials Committee. Please send syllabus submissions, corrections, and links to Marc Becker at ma...@yachana.org.
It is planning time for my rising 4th grader and I think I am ready to take the plunge with Latin. I have no Latin experience, but he is an eager student who is a highly visual learner. What have you used and loved? Why? What have you used and hated? Why? Thanks!
Getting Started With Latin is my favorite so far. It's cheap, non-threatening, and gives kids a confidence boost before plunging in to something more robust.
Latin's Not So Tough was a pretty great introduction, too, but after a while I didn't feel as comfortable teaching because the books are written to the student, but not as clear as they could be after about book 3 or 4.
First Form Latin was...okay after GSWL. I don't like how workbooky it is. My kid learned a LOT, but...he's not as fond of the subject when he's using FFL. It would be a definite deep-end jump into the Latin pool if you start from nothing. I decided to go a new direction and back up again next year to Latin For Children A. He liked the activity book for it when I added it to FFL, so we're going to do it fully for a while and let him decide to go to B or return to the Forms.
And last, Cambridge - this is neither love or hate, but my kid enjoyed it A LOT. He had the vocabulary down well after GSWL and loved reading through the pages because it's more of an immersion method. I mostly let him just read the picture stories and short paragraph stories without doing any written work for it.
After GSWL we moved easily into the Big Book of Lively Latin and on into the 2nd book. In addition to the vocab and grammar there is a nice review of Roman history over the course of the two books. After that we move from Latin into living languages.
I do like it for the most part. I can tell you from experience that the older the text, the more likely there are to be tons of errors. This is what we found the most irritating. I made the mistake (?) of using older videos for LFC-B (there is a new version, but before that there were two prior versions at least). Anyway, my kids hated it. HATED. Last year my youngest did LFC-C while my oldest did LA1. I just didn't think my youngest was ready for a high school level Latin course (LA is very fast-paced IMO). Unfortunately my oldest DS does not like the teacher for LA. I really like her so this just goes to show you YMMV. It is like pulling teeth to convince him he should watch the videos. He pretty much didn't watch them last year and this year he is doing LA2 and I really think he should.
This past year I had a gift certificate and I bought First Form Latin Book Four. I can tell you that the instructor information seems more robust in it, and I puffy heart love the clean layouts of the tables in the back. Seriously, so nice and clean and easy to find things. Unfortunately we are already in deep with CAP. We did Song School, LFC A-C and now LA1 (and starting LA2). It's too late to jump ship.
A couple comments so I don't cause confusion. Generally you don't do LFC-C and LA1. I am doing that because my son was not ready for LA1 last year and honestly I thought the review that some of LA1 would be might be encouraging for him.
Caveat Magistra (Let the Teacher Beware): My children are officially in the preteen grumpies over here and hate mom because "she makes us do Latin. Latin is a dead language and why can't we just do Spanish if we are doing to do Spanish anyway, etc. etc." I receive more daily whining on Latin than any other subject. Many days I come close to conceding, but my plan was always just to go through LA2 and then quit (unless they transform into some other human that likes Latin somehow). We are so close, and I think we can make it. And I have already self-taught myself through LA2 so this momma doesn't want to concede. I think most of my homeschooling friends secretly think I am crazy.
We started with Prima Latina and I do still love that curriculum and the video. Then we started on First Form Latin and both older kids did it. DD complained so much about Latin that I folded and let her quit after First Form. DS continued and finished Fourth Form Latin. Great accomplishment but we were toast by then and quit Latin after that. We did learn Latin though and with all the recitations and vocab flashcards I learned Latin too.
The best Latin program I have seen out there in terms of solid instruction and engagement is So You Really Want to Learn Latin Prep by Galore Park. It is currently OOP, but you might be able to find a used copy.
Getting Started with Latin by William Linney is hands down the best intro to Latin. I've used it with little kids and I've used it with adults. Afterwards, I've found the Mother of Divine Grace syllabus using Henle to be a good next step. You need to spice Henle up a bit, but there are lots of fun helps out there. Two of my favorites are Latintutorials.com (I just find the tutorial video that matches what we are learning) and My kids and students loved learning the 3 word mottos, etc.
All that said, I think it is far more effective to wait until 6th grade for GSWL and then move to Henle in 7th. If I were you and knew nothing about Latin, I'd recommend you start teaching yourself now to prep for 6th grade.
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