Getting Started with Latin
Author: William Linney
For more information or to order: www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com

Over the years I’ve spoken with many homeschool moms who desire to teach Latin, but, having no background themselves, have no idea how to start. Getting Started with Latin takes away all the questions and reasons for fear. William Linney has created an amazing program that is specifically designed for homeschoolers and self-taught learners of all ages. The program’s 134 lessons introduce Latin in a gentle, easy to understand manner. Truly bite-sized lessons take only a few minutes in the early stages and not more than 30 minutes as one progresses to the end of the course.

Lessons are written in a friendly tone and everything is explained so clearly. This program is an excellent introduction to Latin and will serve the student well who desires to go on to further study, but also is a great stand alone course for the learner who just wants a basic understanding of how Latin works. In addition to introducing new vocabulary and grammar concepts, the author also includes interesting explanations of various Latin expressions. Translation exercises conclude each lesson, and are perfect for review and reinforcement of previously presented material. An answer key and pronunciation guide is provided in the back of the book.

In addition to the well-written text, Mr. Linney provides free audio downloads of teaching tips and pronunciations of the Latin words and phrases for each lesson on his website. These can be listened to online, burned to CD or placed on an iPod, making it easy to review Latin on the go! In fact, the website is a great resource, featuring downloadable lectures by Mr. Linney regarding teaching and learning Latin, samples of the book and more.

Getting Started with Latin’s concept-upon-concept approach, presented in bite-sized lessons, are perfect for young learners (with mom’s guidance), upper elementary and older students will find they may move through the course at a more rapid pace, slowing down to review as needed. As I began reading the first few lessons, I found myself thinking “I could do this!” Mr. Linney has done an excellent job making the teaching parent feel comfortable and confident from the very first page.

Making the grade: A+
Cost: $18.95
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10