A Greek Alphabetarion by Harvey Bluedorn

 

An Easy Start to Greek

Before we can learn a language, we must master its alphabet. Yet many Greek grammars spend little time teaching the symbols and sounds of the Greek alphabet.  Failure to master the basics of a language -- its spelling and phonics rules -- will cripple our progress in mastering the whole language. Suitable for all ages, child through adult, in homeschools, private schools, colleges, and seminaries.

 

Mastering the sounds of the Greek alphabet is truly the most practical way of beginning language study. It is not simply an alphabet book, it also teaches the phonetic code of Greek. The sounds the letters make. It uses a similar teaching system to the Spalding method (The Writing Road to Reading) and to Wanda Sanseri's method which is an Orton/Spalding based program called: Spell to Write and Read.

 

The reason that we have an epidemic of dyslexia in America today is because children are not taught the phonetic code of the English language. They are taught whole-language/sight reading methods and can often read only books containing the small number of words that they have been taught. When you teach the phonetic code of a language first children can sound out any word that they have not previously read and will read and comprehend at a much higher level.

 

The same will be true of children who are first taught the phonetic code of Greek. They will eventually read and comprehend Greek at a much higher level than their counterparts who were taught a few Greek words by sight.

 

Since I already teach my children with Spell to Write and Read and they are familiar with this system of learning, it has been quite easy to add on this program.  I am starting by teaching my 13-year-old son the Greek alphabet because he is the one who asked to learn Greek. He loves the Ancient Greek time period of history and likes to read archeology books.  Who knows where his Greek study will take him?

 

We have placed our Greek Alphabet Banner in our kitchen and it is quite beautiful and draws our children into a curiosity about these "strange letters."  I often see them pointing and discussing the sounds various letters make with my 13 year old son.  In the eyes of the younger children—he is the household expert at Greek!

 

The Greek Alphabet Flash Cards are much like the phonogram flash cards in Spell to Write and Read.  They have the letter on the front with all the sounds that letter makes and sample guidewords for clarification.

 

The Greek Phonogram Bingo game is a fun way to master the Greek alphabet and check for understanding.  You call out the sounds a Greek letter makes, your kids echo you, and place a marker on the correct square.  After playing Bingo give a Greek Phonogram quiz and all this learning will really be cemented.

 

 We mastered all the sounds of the Greek alphabet (using Greek Alphabet Flash Cards/Greek Phonogram Bingo), then I checked his understanding by giving him Greek phonogram quizzes (a la Spell to Write and Read), and then we worked into spelling simple Greek words.

 

  I was surprised at the results the first day I gave my son Greek words he had never seen or spelled before in a spelling dictation (a la Spell to Write and Read again.)  My son spelled correctly about 20 words without first seeing the Greek word written down.  So you see, learning the phonetic code of a language is a very important first step.

 

My son is also working through A Greek Hupogrammon, copybook, by Harvey Bluedorn.  This is a workbook that he can do on his own and I check later.

 

We have not been as consistent with this program as we could be; yet my son is doing quite well.  He can write several sentences in Greek from memory including:  The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

 

His younger brothers watch him at his Greek lessons with interest and have also learned many of the sounds of the Greek alphabet.  One of the younger brothers is developing his own alphabet (a cross between Greek and hieroglyphics) and is explaining the phonetics of his language to us all.

 

If your children are struggling with reading and writing in English, I recommend that you postpone the study of Greek until they are more secure.  The program that I use and recommend for teaching spelling, reading, and writing of the English language is Spell to Write and Read (SWR) by Wanda Sanseri.

 

 (What Is Spell to Write and Read?)  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/66553/

  If you begin this program with your children when they are in kindergarten they will achieve college level spelling mastery by the time they are in 5th or 6th grade.  I am planning to take all my children through SWR and then begin Greek and/or Latin with them when are secure at reading and spelling. (Though right now I favor starting the Latin before they are done with SWR!)  They may learn the Greek alphabet and its sounds before they are done with SWR, but we will go easy with formal Greek until they test near or at college level spelling.

 

Britta McColl

Morning Star Learning

 

To purchase a complete Greek or Latin Program using a credit card to pay go to www.morningstarlearning.com  Search under the topic:  Teaching the Trivium

 

Related links:

 

Latin for Children Review

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MorningStarLearning/89541/

Excerpt: What sets Latin for Children apart from the other Latin Programs I have looked over is the DVD and correlating Primer.  With the DVD, you can learn Latin along with Zoe and Madison as they are taught by their dad (author Christopher Perrin) at home.   Each lesson features the chanting and singing of vocabulary and paradigms along with clear grammatical explanations by Dr. Perrin. The actual text from the Primer appears on the screen as the girls chant and sing their vocabulary and paradigms, making it easy to follow along.  As I watched these cozy home teaching lessons and held my matching Latin Primer in my hand my fear vanished.  I thought to myself, “I CAN do it --and now I even WANT to do it.”