Matin Latin
by Karen Craig
Reviewed by Martha Robinson, March 2000
Purchase details: Matin Latin by Karen Craig, published by Canon Press. Level 1: Student text 144 pages, Teacher Text 143 pages. Level 2: Student text 171 pages, Teacher text 202 pages. Supplemental pronunciation audio tape/CD, worksheet package, and flashcard set also available. Please support HomeschoolChristian.com by buying this program from our Christian Book Distributors link.
Matin Latin, a program for young children, bills itself as "Early Latin for the faint of heart." While this program is more simply laid out than any other Latin program I have seen, it does not sacrifice on content. Matin Latin I, recommended for children as young as second grade, offers twenty-eight lessons focusing on English grammar as the vehicle to learning Latin. Lessons alternate between an English grammar lesson and a Latin lesson applying the English grammar just learned. For example, lesson 1 covers nouns in English and lesson 2 introduces various nouns in Latin along with the declension endings and the concept of gender. One lesson per week is recommended with reinforcement activities done daily.
Children are able to do translations of short passages using one hundred fifty basic nouns (first declension only), verbs, adjectives, pronouns, and prepositions after the first year. Pictorial flash cards, a pronunciation tape (classical), and a worksheet package including a "concentration" type game are supplemental materials. The flash cards that match the pictures in the text do not have English words on them. The idea is that the student gets total immersion in Latin without developing the need to translate mentally.
Matin Latin I lessons offer a basic overview of grammar to get the child translating quickly. First conjugation verbs are learned with all four forms (example: habito, habitare, habitavi, habitatum) from the beginning in Matin Latin though an explanation is held until later. Present, imperfect, and future tenses of first conjugation verbs and "to be" are introduced early in the course. Only first declension of nouns is covered, but nominative, accusative, and ablative cases are taught. There are several "Just for Fun" translation sections and two longer passages to translate at the end of the book.
The teacher's manual for Matin Latin I is a true joy to the home schooling parent with no Latin background. The teacher's manual is a copy of the student's book with additional boxes in which instructions, hints, and learning aids such as songs are detailed. Answers to exercises are on the same page in smaller print.
Matin Latin II begins with a review of when and why to use the different cases in Latin. Study of nouns (second and third declensions), adjectives, and verbs (perfect, pluperfect, future perfect and irregular) is expanded. Adverbs and conjunctions are among four hundred new vocabulary words of all types introduced in Matin Latin II. The author recommends Psalms in Latin for memorization, and translations from the Latin Vulgate and Roman history/culture are throughout the book. Students are encouraged to think of English derivatives for the Latin vocabulary presented. There are twenty-six lessons and optional units on numbers, stories, seasons and weather, and animals.
The teacher's manual for Matin Latin II is written in the same format as the TM for Matin Latin I. A helpful appendix on paradigm summaries (all those different word endings!) and Latin vocabulary is included in both the TM and the student book. A supplemental worksheet package is planned. Flashcards and a pronunciation tape are available for Matin Latin II.
The author recommends Latin Grammar I and II (also published by Canon Press) after the completion of Matin Latin II. After the Latin Grammar series, the student should be able to read the classics in Latin. See HomeschoolChristian.com's review of Latin Grammar.
Recommendation: Matin Latin is simple to implement and requires little preparation for the teacher. If you are just getting started with grammar studies with a younger child or have an older child who is weak in grammar, I would recommend Matin Latin as part of your reinforcement activities. I would recommend some sort of grammar reference book if the parent is not strong in grammar. While Matin Latin I has fewer vocabulary words than some of its competitors, a concerned mom could easily add words from a Latin dictionary. Matin Latin is fun and easy and should be something that your child will look forward to each day.
As you select a Latin program, you should consider what your goals are compared with the strategy of the program. Matin Latin's strategy is to be give the student the tools to translate selected sentences and passages before the end of the course. This strategy offers a great boost in confidence to the young student and sets him or her on the track for translating more difficult works as Latin study continues.
Our experience: We used Matin Latin 1 in our home this year with our 10-year-old. We ended up doing two lessons per week (the English grammar lesson and its corresponding Latin lesson). We use a rigorous grammar program so maintaining the one lesson per week schedule proved to move too slowly for him. Daily work with the chants and vocabulary must be completed in order to retain the lessons. Our son did not care for the classical pronunciation, but that can be easily modified. The pictorial flashcards did not work for us. The lack of preparation required on my part was very helpful with our busy schedule.
HomeschoolChristian.com resources related to this review:
Latin Curricula Comparison Chart to help select an introductory or intensive program.
HomeschoolChristian.com's Classic Languages Resource Section
Interview with Karen Craig
Review of Latin Grammar
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