There are many learning resources on this blog. How and when you should use them depends upon your learning style, your background knowledge, your teacher (self, parent, other), your personal preferences, and a myriad other factors.
Below you will find my recommended learning sequence for a typical LLPSI lesson. In my classes, this sequence would take roughly one week to complete.
Keep in mind that the goal is fluency. By the end of a lesson, you should be able to use the new vocabulary and grammar without hesitation. Merely recognizing a word or sentence is not enough. The goal is mastery.
Don't rush yourself. This first lesson may take two weeks (or longer) if you have never studied a foreign language or English grammar. Even if you have studied Latin for a while, you should not rush the early lessons. Take your time and go deep.
1. Read aloud!
Watch the reading tutorial and then read 'Lesson 1' (Lectiō Prīma) aloud. To build your Latin fluency, you must read every word in lines 1-21 (versūs i-xxii) out loud. Don't worry about translating the Latin into English. Don't worry about mispronouncing some of the words. Use the rules you have learned (pronunciation lessons 1-5) to read everything aloud as best you can. Your pronunciation will improve in the conversations to come.
Remember, the lessons are marked by Roman numerals in the margins. Lesson 1 ends when you get to the Roman numeral 'II' in the margin (in this chapter, Lesson 2 begins at line 22). You should read only one lesson per week, but you'll read it many times. There is no lack of new vocabulary and grammar, even in the shortest lesson. The lessons will increase in length as your reading ability improves (later chapters will have more than 100 lines per lesson).
2. Free translate!
Create a document with a two-column table. On the left, translate Lesson 1 without using any resources (no dictionaries, no online resources, no nuthin'!) Use only the margin notes and context clues to guess the meaning of all new vocabulary and grammar. You'll make plenty of mistakes, but that's part of the learning process! You'll have a chance to correct everything in this step when you reach step #11 below.
3. Watch!
Watch this conversation and see how much you understand. After the guided conversations to follow, you'll be able to join this conversation yourself.
4. Talk and take notes!
Participate in the following guided conversations. You may choose to take notes during the conversations, but your focus should be on speaking rather than writing.
5. Watch!
Watch this conversation and see how much you understand. After the guided conversations to follow, you'll be able to join this conversation yourself.
6. Talk and take notes!
Participate in the following conversation. You may choose to take notes during the conversations, but your focus should be on speaking rather than writing.
7. Flash!
Study the following flash cards until you can do them perfectly (Latin to English, English to Latin, and Latin to Latin).
8. Sing!
Sing the following song (preferably every day!), but definitely a few times before taking the practice quiz below.
http://llpsi-songs.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
9. Study!
Study the following worksheet before taking the practice quiz below.
Study this worksheet.
10. Practice!
Take the following practice quiz as many times as necessary until you can do it perfectly.
11. Create marginalia!
Go back to your translation from step #2. Using any resources you have (including all the resources in your Lingua Latina Companion), underline or highlight everything in your translation which demonstrated a form of misunderstanding. In the right-hand column, create margin notes explaining the meanings of the words or phrases which you originally misunderstood.
12. Exercise!
Complete the exercises for this lesson (the exercises are called 'Exercitia'). These could be in workbook, CD-ROM, or online format, depending on which one you own. The following tutorial will help you understand the exercises assigned to this lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment