Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek!
by Karen Mohs
Reviewed by Martha Robinson
Purchase details: Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek!, by Karen Mohs, reader and Levels 1 through 6, available from Greek 'N Stuff. Please support HomeschoolChristian.com by buying this program from our Amazon affiliate link.
Karen Mohs' enthusiasm for Greek is obvious in her Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! series for children. Having learned Greek while her husband was in seminary, she is a strong proponent of reading Scripture in the original language. Consequently, the primary goal of this program is to learn to read the New Testament in Greek. Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! offers a systematic approach suited to even the very youngest children.
The materials for each level of Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! are have similar components. A consumable, comb-bound workbook is the heart of the program. The workbooks offer fill-in-the-blank, matching, puzzle, and circling activities, an extensive review of previous concepts at the beginning, and a final review at the end. Families have a choice of purchasing the "answer key," which reproduces the student workbook with all blanks filled in, or the "answers only key," which is a small booklet. The quizzes and exams are loose-leaf papers in a large envelope and are reproducible within the family. Answers are filled in on a loose-leaf key for each test. The "Flashcards on a ring" are 2" x 4 " heavy stock cards with a hole in them to accommodate the metal ring. The front and back cards are color-coded. The pronunciation audios, available in CD or cassette tape, include the reader and levels one and two on the first audio, levels three and four on the second, and levels five and six on the third.
The Reader is a picture book featuring Mrs. Mohs' nephew, Andrew, a cute boy of 4 years. Black and white pictures of Andrew illustrate the Greek alphabet. The Reader has recently been professionally printed in a paperback format (no longer comb-bound!)
The focus of the level one workbook is to learn the Greek alphabet, but true to her goal, Mrs. Mohs introduces vocabulary words that immediately start building the background necessary to read the New Testament in Greek.
Level two reviews the alphabet and builds vocabulary. Students really begin to appreciate the rich contribution that Greek has made to the English language through the extensive derivatives listed in the answer key beginning with this level.
In Level three, the student is encouraged to begin doing copy work with a Greek Interlinear New Testament. Mrs. Mohs recommends the purchase of either Machen's New Testament Greek for Beginners or Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar to use as a reference to the grammar sections. The answer key includes "you are here" charts to help with understanding where the grammar concept being taught fits into the big picture.
In levels four through six, Mrs. Mohs continues building the student's knowledge with noun paradigms, conjugations, articles, adjectives, and prepositions. Translations from Greek to English and English to Greek are taught. Helpful paradigm charts and a glossary are included in the back of the workbooks. The vocabulary continues to support the reading of the New Testament, and actual Bible passages are used for some of the exercises.
Level seven carries on with more advanced topics including aorist verbs, contract verbs, relative, demonstrative, and reciprocal pronouns. Extensive new vocabulary from I John is introduced. The smaller font used in this book allows for many more exercises. An extensive appendix includes paradigm charts, a glossary, and flashcard tips. Two hundred ninety-two flashcards of vocabulary and grammar concepts complete the volume. The "full text" key has extensive "you are here" charts and easy-to-read answers. As students should by this time have a good understanding of pronunciation, Mrs. Mohs does not offer an audio.
When Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! is used with high school students, Mrs. Mohs suggests that one semester credit each for level three and level four and one year each for level five through seven would be appropriate.
A Bible Copybook featuring the entire book of John is the latest addition to the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! series. With almost 200 pages, this workbook has the student copy a line of Greek and its corresponding line of English. Very specific instructions guide the student in doing a proper job of copying. The copybook is intended to be used as reinforcement and enrichment for students using levels three through seven.
Level eight is planned for the future.
Recommendation: Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! makes a difficult subject seem much easier. With her organized, systematic approach, Karen Mohs offers a method for everyone to be able to grasp Greek. Concepts are introduced slowly and reviewed frequently. Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! would be a good fit for the family who prefers a "slow and steady" method or a workbook approach. Perhaps the parents would enjoy getting additional workbooks for themselves to study along with the child!
After progressing through Level Seven, the student will have earned four high school credits, equivalent to two semester credits in college. This knowledge should allow the student to do well on a CLEP or other college credit examination in Biblical Greek.
As with Mrs. Mohs' Latin's Not So Tough, I highly recommend purchasing the "full text answer key" for the additional explanations and derivatives. The budget conscious family could avoid purchasing the flashcards if the student is willing to cut up the ones from the back of the workbook. The pronunciation tape/disk is helpful for reinforcing both pronunciation and memorization of the vocabulary.
HomeschoolChristian.com resources related to this review:
HomeschoolChristian.com's Classical Languages Resource Section
Review of Latin's Not So Tough by Karen Mohs
Review of A Greek Hupogrammon
Interview with Karen Mohs
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