I’m teaching Greek and Latin to secondary school kids.
I’ve decided to teach them both languages in parallel starting from Homer (following basically Pharr’s method) with XVIth/XIXth century Latin translations (Didotiana basically) and a French one (i’d do or from a printed edition).
Now, i’m about to start the learning with the 5th grade pupils (first year of Greek and Latin) and i was thinking that instead of learning the declension traditionally starting with D.2 then D.1 then D.3 (etc. for the Latin ones), i’d focus on each cases at the same time, ie looking for nominatives of all declensions then accusative, genitive, etc.
I’m afraid that the kids would be able to identify the forms whenever they come across one in the texts but that they will be completely lost when they have to learn them declension by declension (and that would be particularly dreadful in perspective of translating from French to Greek or Latin).
My question is :
Did any of you ever try to go through the texts following this kind of method ? Was it efficient or does it completely confuse the kids rightaway ?
I have no idea about kids, but I hated that method as an adult. I got so confused. It was like memorizing a million things when a half dozen declensions would have been sufficient.
On second thought, it might be even easier for kids to learn by declension. They are used to memorizing stuff.
Thanks for your answer Rad.
I guess that if it could completely confuse an adult it’ll be worse for kids
I’ll stick to the traditionnal way of learning (unless someone here knows of another method which works fine).
Yet, there’s a problem we have here (but i think it’ll be pretty much the same all around the world) the effort needed in learning has become quite unbearable for teenagers. They agree to learn stuff as long as it doesn’t require much work from them (tricky isnt it ).
I’m then in “need” of some way to make them learn without “feeling” the effort.
I’m quite blocked by the schedule, i have 2 hours per week with the 5th grade kids (~12/13 y.o.) and 3 hours with the 4th (~13/14 y.o.) and 3rd (~14/15 y.o.) grade ones and i’ve got to give them both latin and greek stemas . I dont have enough time to make rephrasing exercises ad libitum nor to have them recitate their declensions all at once for minutes, nor can give them a test each week (otherwise i wouldnt do anything in literature, history, civilisation and geography of Ancient World).
I now use flash cards and because I don’t like carrying a very big package of cards in the underground, I have on one card 13 verbs of the same voice-mood-tense-number. After having learned them the traditional way, it is a good exercise.
What do you call “flash cards” ?
I’ve never heard of that yet it sounds like a pretty handy and fun way to learn.
I sometime use, for practising, the “Ave Discipule” for learning the latin declensions and verbs. The problem is that we don’t have enough computers at school to have all pupils work on one for each.
. I dont have enough time to make rephrasing exercises ad libitum nor to have them recitate their declensions all at once for minutes, nor can give them a test each week (otherwise i wouldnt do anything in literature, history, civilisation and geography of Ancient World).
