Review by Mary Pride.  Reviewer is staff member Tricia Goyer.

      If you’re like me the thought of teaching Latin is a daunting task. Isn’t that just for university students and super-smart kids? The Quick Start Guide says the program is easy, organized, and thorough. Still, can the “most comprehensive Latin Text book to be produced using the Bible” really be that easy?

       The program was developed by homeschooling mothers and involves the Trivium approach. This is a three-step operation: 1) The grammar stage, where detailed information is learned and memorized, 2) The dialectic stage, where the information is thoughtfully considered in light of Scripture, and 3) the rhetoric stage, where the student displays what he or she has learned.

      Each yearly program contains four books: a textbook, unbound workbook packets, an activity book, and a teacher’s guide. The teacher’s guide and the textbook are both spiral-bound, but the teacher’s guide is twice as thick. (Vol. I: student book 102 pages, teacher’s book 208 pages.) This is because all the information from the textbook is in the teacher’s guide along with the study sheets, answers, and step-by-step teaching instruction. What I really appreciate about the teacher’s guide is the ease of use. It tells you exactly what you need to do for each lesson, and in what order. The Latin pronunciations on CD are also very helpful. I wouldn’t attempt to teach without them! With teacher’s guide and CD in hand, there will no need to second-guess yourself with your ability. In all, there are 15 lessons in Vol. I and 18 in Vol. II. Also, at the end of each teacher’s guide there are paradigms and vocabulary pages for quick reference.

      The textbook itself is very well put together. Illustrations and maps add interest to the otherwise standard typed pages. In the workbook packets there are study sheets, drill sheets and tests. They are double-sided sheets packaged in a nifty folder that also can hold the pronunciation CD. A separate activity book is forty pages and has “fun” assignments such as logic puzzles, word searches, and hidden pictures. (About two activities per week.) Finally, the overhead map transparences are also very well done if needed for classroom use. Otherwise, the same maps are in the student workbook.

      When first looking over the program it may seem like a lot of work, especially if you are not familiar with Latin (like me!). To begin, the student must set up a notebook and create flashcards. Then there is grammar to review before the Latin work even begins! But if you are dedicated to spend 30 minutes of preparation time per week, this program truly is organized and easy to follow. And one more thing I appreciate is the fact that along with learning the language, students also receive a lot of background information. In Chapter Two (Vol. I), the history of the Roman alphabet is explained. In Chapter Three, there is a brief history of Italy. And throughout the book, there are stories of the Roman family Fidelius. So if you’re looking for an intense, yet easy to use, program that teaches about language, as well as the words themselves, then this might be a good program to consider. After all, it is the “the most comprehensive Latin Text book to be produced using the Bible”.