Wheelock’s Latin 1

“When Rome fell, Europe dreamed of it for a thousand years.” - Philip Schaff

This Latin 1 course will guide students through the first half of Wheelock’s Latin textbook, which covers almost all of Latin grammar and syntax (the second half of the textbook will be completed in Latin 2). This online class will include memorizing the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle’s Creed. The course will also include some cultural and historical study about the Roman world.

Students who study Latin through this course will be participating in a language that has been heavily in use for over two thousand years. It was not only the spoken and written language of the Romans and the peoples they conquered, but it continued to be the written language of scholars throughout the ages (as well as influencing western thought, philosophy, theology, culture -political, legal, structural, and the etymology of French, Spanish, Italian, and English, among others). God used the spread of the Latin language to spread the gospel through missionaries and Latin translations of the Bible (such as the Vulgate - the most widely read book in the last two thousand years), and it became the language of the western church. Students who study Latin are also learning more about their own language, as 60-80% of our English vocabulary comes from either Latin or Greek, and they score higher on standardized testing. Students who study Latin are also well prepared to study other languages, both ancient and modern.

Course Objectives:

Students will complete the first half of Wheelock’s Latin grammar, up through chapter 22. (Students will complete the book the following year in Latin 2, which will complete all essential Latin grammar, aside from exceptions particular to certain authors or time periods.) Students will learn all four verb conjugations in all six verb tenses, in both active and passive voice; they will also learn all five noun declensions, and first, second, and third declension adjectives. They will learn pronouns, relative pronouns and interrogative pronouns, demonstratives, and be introduced to ablative classifications. They will also learn many common vocabulary words from classical Latin, as well as derivatives and Latin sayings that we still use today.

Texts:

• Wheelock’s Latin - 7th Edition

• 38 Latin Stories - 5th Edition

• Students will also need to purchase 3x5 index cards to make vocabulary flashcards (you can order them here from Amazon, but any will do great), or order them premade online here.

Recommended: A Comprehensive Guide to Wheelock’s Latin by Dr. Dale A. Grote