May. 7, 2009 - Product Review -- Bridge to the Latin Road
Bridge to the Latin Road
By Barbara Beers
A Product Review
What is it? You might be fooled, as I was, by the title of this series. When I agreed to review this set, I expected that I was receiving an elementary level Latin program. Instead, what I received was a complete elementary level grammar program (3-6th grades) with an very basic introduction to Latin included. The book is divided into three sets of exercises. The first set of exercises teaches material such as noun, pronoun, subject, predicate, etc. The second set of exercises teaches sentence diagramming. The last set of exercises teaches Latin derivatives and Latin vocabulary by breaking English words into prefixes, suffixes and root words. The root words are all Latin vocabulary words! Each of these sections are covered several times throughout each week; so the student is learning a part of speech, learning how to diagram that part of speech, and learning something about Latin vocabulary. The idea behind this curriculum is the Latin Centered Curriculum, in which everything taught ties back to Latin.
What I Like? For our family, we had already invested in First Language Lessons for learning grammar. However, If you are planning to use a classical curriculum with your children, this program is excellent and certainly worth considering equally with First Language Lessons -- especially because it is covering two subjects in one. I love the way Latin vocabulary is introduced with over 400 English vocabulary words. I also find the focus on diagramming sentences refreshing! I have always loved diagramming sentences (don't shoot me!) and I have been so frustrated to see a move away from this in most grammar programs. The training and discipline that diagramming provides makes it so easy to rearrange sentences and vary the sentence structure in your essays later on. Certainly, I found that advanced diagramming techniques improved my writing skills.
What I Don't Like? I find the marking system with different colored pencils, used to teach parts of speech in the first set of exercises to be a bit cumbersome. It feels like busy work to me, even though my students like it. If you are familiar with Kay Arthur's Precept Upon Precept Bible studies, it is a similar system. Circling the noun, double underlining the verbs etc. Specific colors are used as well. I believe this would work great for a visual student, but as the teacher I was a bit overwhelmed. I am also a little put off by the price. $139 for the Bridge level is designed for only one year of study in Latin and Grammar. Lastly, I was not impressed by the accompanying videos which claim to teach both the teacher and the student. No way was my daughter going to watch those videos!
What's My Bottom Line? I believe the logic learned from a careful study of Latin is invaluable; and I certainly agree that a Latin Centered Curriculum is an excellent choice. This curriculum kills to birds with one stone, giving students a solid grasp of grammar concepts while also introducing a large number of Latin/English vocabulary words. In spite of the price, Bridge to the Latin Road is a serious contender for grammar instruction to our family. It was a privilege to review and use this product!
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