Last year my oldest daughter took an online Latin course through Memoria Press Online Academy and this year she continued with Latin, but for various reasons we decided to forego the online option and use the instructional DVDs with its corresponding texts instead during our homeschool day.
I thought I would give some of the pros and cons of each option in case someone was wondering which route to go when deciding about homeschool curriculum.
Like I mentioned, last year my daughter took an online Latin course. We decided to invest in the online course because I knew with having 4 other younger children, I would not have been able to focus on teaching her one on one. We thought having an online teacher would help keep my daughter motivated to do her assignments and quizzes and it would free me up with one less subject I would need to teach with her. The class she took, First Form Latin, met once a week for about 1.5 hours. The class was set up so students could see and hear the teacher and students could hear one another answer questions and recite vocabulary when the teacher called on them. The teacher then gave assignments from the workbook and students submitted online quizzes that the teacher graded and returned through an online grading system.
Pros of the Online Latin Course
- no planning for the parent
- your child is taught by someone else
- structured
- your child interacts with other students through audio learning and "talking" with students through chat box
- even if you miss the scheduled live class time, your child can listen to the recorded class some other time during the week.
Cons of the Online Latin Course
- the course was pricey (~$450 for the entire school year)
- your child meets at a specific time each week, which could cause scheduling conflicts with other activities and family outings during your homeschool day (however, as mentioned in the Pros list, if you aren't able to attend the live class, your child can make up the class by listening to the class recording at a different time.)
- your child is expected to keep up with the class schedule and assignments and the pace could be challenging and overwhelming for a child.
This year we decided not to register my daughter for another online Latin course and instead we thought it would be best if she learned the next Latin course, Second Form Latin, on her own with instructional DVDs and books that go with the DVDs. There are several reasons we did not register her for the online course option again: price, class availability didn't work with our schedule, and we thought our daughter had a good understanding of Latin to venture off on her own with the Second Form Latin course that included instructional DVDs provided by Rainbow Resource Center.
From Rainbow Resource Center, I received the Second Form Latin Complete Set in exchange for this review. The Set includes: Second Form Latin Workbook & Test Key, Teacher Manual, Flash Cards, Quizzes & Tests, Lesson Plans, Student Workbook, Instructional DVDs, Pronunciation CD and Student Text (not pictured).
Pros of Using the Instructional Latin DVDs (with its corresponding text) from Rainbow Resource Center
- the price of the complete Second Form Latin Complete Set is about $30 less than other companies and considerably less than the online class option
- I am able to plan the Latin lessons around our family's weekly schedule
- my daughter can learn the Latin course at her pace, taking time to review any material she may not understand.
- the instructional DVDs are very helpful as my daughter watches them at the beginning of each new lesson before she does her workbook pages for that lesson
Cons of Using the Instructional Latin DVDs (with its corresponding text) from Rainbow Resource Center
- Some planning required by the parent for each week's lessons
- If my daughter doesn't understand something, she doesn't have an online teacher to ask so she has to rely on me, her mom and teacher. Sometimes I can't answer the question so I have to view the DVD with my daughter
- child has to be motivated and self-disciplined to pace herself and learn the Latin as best as she can with the help of the DVD.
-child can't learn from other students' questions and conversations like on the online course.
So far using the Second Form Latin Complete Set from Rainbow Resource Center has been going well for my daughter and our family. I think my daughter enjoys being able to set her own schedule and pace the most which makes learning Latin a bit more engaging for her.
Besides Rainbow Resource Center's great prices on the Second Form Latin Complete Set and a wide selection of other products whether a family homeschools or not, they also have free shipping on orders over $50! If you have seen their online catalog or printed catalog, then you know how easy it is to spend at least $50 in no time!
Rainbow Resource Center is definitely your one stop shop for curriculum, games, puzzles, toys, and gifts!
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