Learning Latin requires time, lots of time. Learning any language takes hours of listening to and reading the language, and Latin is no different. To read the classic Great Books in Latin we have to first read a number of Good Books in Latin. This course exists because it is difficult to find a guide through the beginning of reading Latin.

Understanding over Translating

While this course is not organized around learning the parts of the Latin grammar, it is grammatical. Students will be looking at and understanding sentences word-by-word, though we will usually avoid translation. This is not because translation is bad, but because Latin is so good. Very often, students understand and remember words better when they associate them, not with English equivalents, but with images, sounds, sentences, stories, and quotations.

Towards this end, this course is conducted primarily in Latin. Students will come to class expecting to hear and see Latin (and English when necessary). This practice adds to the student’s time spent in Latin—not just looking at Latin, but understanding what is going on through Latin directly.

Æsop’s Fables

This course walks through my own renditions of Æsop’s fables, which are designed for brand new, beginner, or early intermediate Latin students. Æsop’s fables provide just the thing for learning a language, short stories that are concrete and readily understandable.

Homework

Each week students will recite a catechism together in class. This catechism is composed of a prayer, a psalm, other famous selections, and a song. At the end of the year, they will know these pieces not just well enough to recite without error, but so deeply they have become a pattern for learning more of the language.

Also, students will narrate previous stories from class. These practices train students to look for meaning in Latin sentences, not just endings.

During the week, students are expected to

• recite their catechism,
• complete a scriptorium (dictation) of the fable from class, and
• spend a half-hour in voluntary free reading.