The BigBook of LivelyLatin!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ear!

 Finally, a comprehensive, user-friendly, cost-affordable Latin curriculum that makes the ancient language come alive, engages students, and doesn't require purchasing additional supplemental material!

• Is the prospect of teaching or learning Latin intimidating?
• Is your student bored or disengaged from studying Latin?
• Are you frustrated with having to purchase additional supplemental materials to either support Latin learning, practice skills, or learn related Roman history?
• Do you want a step-by-step comprehensive curriculum that is easy to apply and kids love?
• Are you looking for a quality, cost-effective Latin curriculum?

If so, take a look at the BigBook of LivelyLatin! And just for doing so, I have a free gift for you

Dear Fellow Learners,

LivelyLatin is intended to be just that, lively, rich with great ideas, clear instruction, integrated history, and fun exercises that will keep your learners interested and engaged and makes Latin come alive! Moreover, it is effective. You can count on experiencing the unique satisfaction and accomplishment that comes with knowing that your students are truly growing and learning, not only with respect to the acquisition of Latin, but in their understanding of English grammar and vocabulary, and in their knowledge of Roman history.

Meet the Magistra ( Teacher in Latin)

Let me introduce myself. My name is Catherine Drown. I'm passionate about learning, especially learning Latin, ancient history and the classics. I've home-schooled for 15 years. However, I also have experience teaching in a variety of settings, which include public and private schools, a charter school, freelance teaching, and tutorials. I have a BA in education with specializations in Latin, French and Social Studies and have pursued graduate studies in French and Latin. I hold CA teaching certificates in Latin, French and Social Studies.

I currently live in San Marcos, CA with my ever-encouraging husband, 4 children (ages 12-17), and a boxer puppy named Cyrus. Our family passions include baseball, Shakespeare, baseball, history, art, music, and baseball (It's very historical you know, and we're researching whether the Romans played it 2,000 years ago!)

I invite you to read on in order to discover:

• Why I wrote the BigBook?
• What is in the BigBook?
• How can the BigBook can help your student grow and learn?

Why I Wrote the BigBook

When I started teaching Latin to homeschoolers about 10 years ago, I tried a few different Latin curricula which were already well established in the homeschool market. While each of these did a fair job of teaching the language, I found myself having to supplement the lessons with exercises of my own to ensure that students had enough practice to master each new skill before moving onto the next skill. None of the Latin programs I used provided enough practice of this kind that kept the interest of the students. So as I was writing all the supplemental exercises, I began to think about what else I would change if I could create my ideal Latin curriculum:

1. I knew I wanted to incorporate more derivative study than most programs had so that students could see how Latin pervades the English language and so they could use their Latin knowledge to become more articulate and attentive to meaning in their own language.
2. I wanted history study built right into the course with follow-up activities to impress the great stories of Roman history study built right into the course with follow-up activities to impress the great stories of Roman history upon students' memories. I wanted maps, timelines, projects, review exercises, and links on the internet where curious kids could find out even more on Roman topics.
3. I wanted materials that incorporated the traditional methods of teaching Latin (reciting chants, parsing, translation) with exercises that appealed to kids because they are varied, able to be taken in small or large chunks, and not always writing-intensive but always thought-intensive. I also wanted an online component here where kids could go to play games with their new vocabulary and be a part of a community of Latin scholars , share their work and even their “aha” moments when they realize on their own that an English word comes from a Latin word they've been studying.
4. I wanted a program that was easy for kids and their parents to use. In homeschooling four of my own, as much as I'd like to, I know that I do not have the time to sit down and tutor one-on-one with each child for each subject. What I can do is spend 5 minutes making sure my student understands a concept and then let him or her work independently for 20-30 minutes while I oversee him as well as my other children. So I wanted a curriculum which was easy to understand for students and parents and allowed students to work independently much of the time, if need be, but still had good ideas for work to do together when Mom or Dad has time. And of course, it had to assume no prior knowledge of Latin.
5. I wanted everything—the grammar, the history, derivative work, etc. --to be together in one place so that we didn't have to go on a frantic search of the shelves, under the coffee table, on the deck for different books and papers when it came time to do Latin. And I wanted all the components in one text so I didn't always feel like if I purchased just one more addition, our Latin study would all finally come together. And the economic concerns of homeschooling 4 children made me sure that all this in one program had to be affordable.

So, I began writing my own program and testing it on my students and my own kids. After 3 ½ years, The BigBook of Lively Latin is complete! It's meant for kids roughly 3 rd -6 th grade, depending on the student's ability and interest level, and takes 20-30 minutes 3 times a week.  It's very flexible, however, and so can be taken in shorter or longer chunks tailored to the needs of the day.

We just love it and thank you very much for creating it. It is a fun and easy way for a child to learn Latin. My eldest always likes to read ahead to the history portions. Now I just need to wait until my younger 3 (6,5 and almost 4) are ready to learn Latin and I will get to do the whole thing again! (this time I will know a bit more though, which is the best part of Lively Latin. It is not necessary to know Latin first.). And I am learning English grammar (which I obviously missed in my PS education) too!  Stacey

Read on for free gift!

What's in the BigBook?

Written over the course of 3 ½ years, and as a result of my 12 years of experience teaching Latin to young people, The BigBook of LivelyLatin, Volume I  is my dream curriculum, with everything I wanted for a thorough, fun approach to learning Latin. It's meant for kids roughly 3 rd -6 th grade, depending on the student's ability and interest level.

Here's what it includes:

• A thorough, systematic approach to learning the Latin language with concepts and skills broken down into manageable kid-friendly chunks that build one upon another;
• PLENTY of varied exercises to practice each new skill: matching, true-false, fill in the blank, chanting, drawing pictures to illustrate meaning, puzzles, games, finding opposites, translation of simple stories, as well as writing exercises;
• Latin and English grammar instruction and diagramming (If you start out when it's simple, it's actually fun --really!);
• Latin vocabulary flashcards provided in the Big Book ; no need to purchase them separately as with most programs;
• Grammatical terms flashcards so students can get those definitions down!
• English derivative lessons for every set of vocabulary;
• Online links for Latin games to practice vocabulary and derivatives;
• Pronunciation help or on audio CD; there's a choice of the classical or ecclesiastical pronunciation, depending on what your family prefers;
• Roman history built right into the book. I've re-edited the classic Famous Men of Rome, breaking it down into manageable chunks, and added activities after each section. In parts of Roman history where Famous Men is not so strong, like in the telling of the Second Punic War and the threat of the great Hannibal, I've edited excerpts of Mary Macgregor's out-of-print The Story of Rome to fill in the gap and grip kids with a vivid narrative of this critical time in world history (which accounts for why we're not studying Carthaginian instead of Latin!).
• Maps, timeline, and suggested projects to go with the history readings;
• A one-of-a kind flip book for kids to create which illustrates in a graphic, concrete way how the Roman Republic was organized –the model the American founders looked to in forming our own government; a kid's learning tool, yes, but make sure they save it to use as a reference in college!
• A pop-up map kids put together to show the layout of the ancient city of Rome with her seven hills, the Tiber River, and famous landmarks;
• Materials for kids to write and illustrate their own History of Rome, Volume I: 753-146 BC, throughout the year;
• Instructions on how to make a paper-mache Roman helmet, in case you need a good messy project;
• Battle plan re-enactments for the 4 major battles of the Second Punic War truly to appreciate the genius of Hannibal and his eventual Roman conqueror, Scipio Africanus; 
• Exercises in which students are forced to think about the character of famous Romans and how their virtues or vices impacted their individual lives as well as the state of Rome ;
• The opportunity for kids to email me pictures of their outstanding projects and have them posted on the www.livelylatin.com website;
• Instructions on how to pronounce and choose a Latin name to use for the year;
• A family tree of languages illustrating the development of our western languages and where Latin, English, and all the others fit in along with an explanation of the mysterious French Connection (also known as Part of the Reason Why English Spelling Gives Us SO Many Headaches! );
• A timeline of languages kids fill in to show what an ancient and long-lived language Latin is compared to its children, Spanish, French, Italian, and its niece, English;
• Mythology cards of the gods and goddesses to play games while learning; use my game instructions or make up your own;
• Mythology chart of the major Greek and Roman gods and goddesses that students fill out and which can be used as a reference in the future. Kids love having this info all in one place;
• A bookmark with handy at-a-glance Latin chants and reference information: noun and verb endings, grammar definitions, diagramming basics, and important dates in Roman history; a great way to mark your study spot and have vital info at your fingertips!

Read on for free gift!

How the BigBook can Help You:

• It's cost effective - instead of buying 2,3,4 books – you get it all and more in the 400-page, jam-packed BigBook !
• It's lively – fun, interesting and engaging – kids love it! They'll be motivated to continue Latin study, rather than dread it.
• It's integrated and comprehensive – it delivers all the benefits of Latin through grammar, root words, history, art, geography, and plenty of practice exercises.
• Latin grows and improves thinking skills, all academic studies, and SAT scores.
• I'm always available via email!

BigBook of LivelyLatin Purchase Options

• Online version $55.00
  • includes online audio + answer key; you download and print the lessons at home as needed; includes online vocabulary games and features.
    
• 2 CD Set $79
  • includes audio + answer key, and all online components; but you have the option of not having to be online to print the BigBook
    
• Hard Copy + CD $125
  • includes audio + answer key on CD, all online components; 3-ring binder, 5 dividers, 400 hole-punched pages, printed on high quality paper.
    

Thank you for taking the time to read about the BigBook of LivelyLatin . If you have any questions please feel free to look around on my site, www.livelylatin.com and read my FAQ section or email me at magistra753bc@cox.net

Carpe Diem!

Sincerely,

Magistra Catherine Drown

P. S. Here's the link to enroll for your free, 6-part mini-course, An Introduction to the Latin Language. Print out the PDFs, watch the videos, and listen to the audio files to set the stage for your study of Latin.