Kraken Latin 1: Latin for the Logic Years Student Book (Second Edition)

With this title, you may find yourself wondering how a Scandinavian ancient sea-beast winds up in a Roman Coliseum, but you have to admit the play on words is appealing and descriptive of this course. Grammar age Latin students are content to memorize chants and vocabulary but the logic age student wants more interaction with the systems (figuring out the language) that distinguish Latin. Kraken Latin gives them that opportunity.

Well-organized, utilizing classical pronunciation, and written from a classical Christian perspective, Kraken Latin can either be a continuation of a grammar stage series (i.e. Latin Primer) or stand alone as a middle school (or high school) starting place for Latin studies. There are four units with eight weeks of lessons: 32 lessons total. Each eighth week is a review week followed by a unit test. Weekly lessons include word lists (20-25 words), chants, passage memorization, vocabulary exercises, grammar exercises, a fill-in-the-blank memorization exercise, translation activities (English sentences into Latin; Latin stories into English), and quizzes.

There is memorization required (it's Latin, after all) but the emphasis is more on understanding the inter-relationships of the language elements. Likewise, translation work from Latin uses stories rather than adaptations of classic authors. In fact, the stories (involving pirates, kings, queens, adventurers, etc.) are likely to be the favorite part of each week's activities. Passage memorization is cumulative weekly; with a couple of lines added each week – passages are from famous Latin religious literature: Pater Noster, Magnificat, Symbolus Nicaemum (Nicene Creed), and Psalmus XXIII, etc.

The Student Book is a consumable worktext and provides word lists, all chant charts, memorization passages, and all worksheets for vocabulary, grammar, memorization, and translation. Tests are also included in the Student Book. Appendices include Chant Charts, English to Latin Glossary, Latin to English Glossary, Grammatical Concept Index, and Sources and Helps. The Teacher Edition provides introductory information (including a ten page Grammar Basics review), unit goals, weekly teaching notes (3-6 pages and includes derivatives) and an Answer Key for all student worksheets, quizzes, and unit tests. Appendices are the same as the Student Book.

Book 1 covers five conjugations of verbs and the indicative mood (active and passive); all five noun declensions; first, second, and third declension for adjectives; personal pronouns; and basic demonstratives. Most of the vocabulary word lists are review words from the Latin Primer series.

Book 2 provides the last year of Logic stage Latin. The student will review material from Book 1 learning more complex grammatical concepts and digging deeper into verbs and moods as well as expanding knowledge of pronouns, adjectives, and nouns. The student will acquire the tools to begin to translate increasingly unadapted Latin texts. A user-friendly, challenging Latin course for the thinking student. ~ Janice