Saturday, September 8, 2012

Lingua Latina: User Guide

Lingua Latina per se Illustrata (LLPSI) is a fantastic Latin program for students in grades 6 and up (including adults with a Latin background.) However, it may not always be the most user-friendly program for those who are not familiar with its resources and methods.  So, here is a step-by-step guide to get the most out of LLPSI:

LLPSI USER-GUIDE
1.  There are 56 chapters in the program.  It will take five years to complete the series if you spend three weeks on each chapter (any less than this and you will not be able to fully internalize the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of each chapter.)
2.  Each chapter has 2 or more lessons (called lectiones.)  These are marked with Roman numerals in the margin.  Each lesson will take about one week to complete.  
3.  DAY 1 - Watch the Lesson 1 tutorial (labeled as 1.1, meaning Chapter 1, Lesson 1) available on Mr. K's Moodle site (click here to visit the site.)  Choose your LLPSI book/level (e.g. Familia Romana.)  Log in as a guest and use the key 'latin' to enroll.
3.  Read the first lesson (aloud!) paying particular attention to the endings (Latin is a language of few words but many endings.)  Use the Latin-Latin dictionary (available in the Resources section of this blog) to help you with your reading.
4.  After carefully reading lesson 1, you are now ready to try exercise 1. Watch the Exercise 1.1 tutorial on Mr. K's Moodle site.
5.  Complete Exercise 1 using the online course (available from pullins.com.)  The online course contains an online version of the book, all the ancillary materials, exercitia and pensa with a grade and hint feature, among other features.  After you move into the Roma Aeterna book (after chapter 35), you will need to switch to CD-ROMs for your exercitia and pensa (also available from pullins.com).
6.  DAY 2 - Re-read Lesson 1 (aloud!) paying close attention to the vocabulary and margin notes.  Study/memorize margin notes.
7.  If necessary, watch the Exercise 1.1 tutorial again (the 5-minute tutorial on Moodle covers all 3+ exercises for the lesson, so it may be useful to re-watch only the relevant potion of the video before a particular exercise.)
8.  Complete Lesson 1, Exercise 2 using the online course (or CD-ROM).
9.  DAY 3 - Re-read Lesson 1 (aloud!) paying close attention to the content (who/what/when/where/why/how).  Try translating the whole passage aloud.
10. Complete Lesson 1, Exercise 3 using the online course (or CD-ROM).  You have now completed Chapter 1, Lesson 1 (i.e. Capitulum Primum, Lectio Prima).
11. DAYS 4-12: REPEAT DAYS 1-3 for lessons 2, 3+, and the Grammatica (this should take 12+ school days.)
12. DAY 13 - When finished with the Grammatica for the chapter, memorize the Latin-Latin flashcards (available on this blog under the tab labeled "Flashcards.")
13. DAY 14 - Complete Pensa A-C using the CD-ROM or online course.
14. DAY 15 - Watch the Pensum D tutorial and complete the Pensum D worksheet (available on this blog.)
15. DAY 16 -Take the LLPSI 40-question chapter test (if you have questions about the tests, e-mail 50percentlatin@gmail.com).
16. DAYS 17+ - If you score 90% or better, go to the next chapter and repeat the process.  Otherwise, review the flashcards, listen to the chapter translation (available on this blog), study the margin notes, and redo Pensa A-C.  After that, go on to the next chapter.

If you start in 6th grade, you'll have a very solid foundation in Latin by the end of 10th grade.  If you begin in 9th grade, you will still be reading unmodified Latin texts (including Livy, Vergil, Catullus, and Martial) before you graduate.  Bona Fortuna!  If you have any questions, please e-mail 50percentlatin@gmail.com.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you!! I am new to LLPSI this year (some Latin background, and a 13 year old beginning Latin).... My goal is to have my children able to read original Latin sources (Augustine, Aquinas, Virgil) by the time they graduate high school, and I think this is a course that will help! Thank you for this!

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  2. Does Mr. K's Moodle site no longer exist?

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