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One of the major components of a classical education is the study of ancient languages, especially Latin. I started learning Latin in first grade and have continued every year since then.
Grammar School
I started my study of Latin in first grade with Classical Conversations. It wasn’t much, but throughout my years of Foundations, I memorized various basic Latin grammar. In Cycle 1, I worked on memorizing the basic endings for the six active tenses of the first conjugation. Next, in Cycle 2, I memorized the basic endings of the five declensions. For Cycle 3, I spent the first half of the year learning a handful of vocabulary words that appear in John 1:1-7 in the Vulgate. Finally, in the second semester, I memorized that scripture passage in English and Latin. Throughout my grammar years, the focus of Latin was memorization, which aligns with the goal of the grammar stage.
Logic School
In seventh grade, I started truly learning Latin grammar using the Henle Latin I book. I moved past the basic endings and began applying them to real words. I also started learning exceptions and more complex grammar. By the time seventh grade had ended, I could translate simple sentences from Latin to English and vice versa. While I was in eighth and ninth grades I used the Memoria Press Third and Fourth Form Latin books. I continued my Latin study with these books by learning more advanced grammar concepts and endings. By the end of ninth grade, I had learned virtually all the Latin endings that I would ever need to know.
School of Rhetoric
Last year, in tenth grade, I took a Latin readings class. I started applying the Latin grammar I had spent the last three years learning to begin reading and translating Latin literature. The first semester I quickly reviewed all the Latin grammar I had learned up to that point. Then, in the second semester, I started reading selections from Caesar. This year I am taking AP Latin where I will read through Caesar and Vergil. I’m going to translate selections from each author and truly solidify the grasp I have on the language.
Latin is a language that takes a while to truly learn. I’ve spent the past decade memorizing and learning Latin grammar and translating selections from various authors. This year I will finish my Latin studies with AP Latin. I’ve continued this long with Latin because it’s a wonderful language to learn and a great part of classical education.
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