Ecce Romani
Price: Varies based on format
Number of books to complete series: Two (or four halves) to complete grammar, plus a third book of readings
Total price: 68.47 ($144 to buy hardcovers)
Reading Method
Teacher Name
Lydia Haile Fassett
How long did you use this Two years
book?
Katy Reddick
Independent School
Teacher Grades 6-10
Twelve years
5 years
At which levels/ages?
High School; used the red middle school
(IA), blue (IB), green (IIA),
and orange (IIB). Covered
most chapters.
7th, 8th grades
What are your favorite
things about it?
The story is memorable;
quoting from it seems to be
replacing "amo, amas,
amat" as a response when
people say "You're a Latin
teacher? I took Latin!" The
characters are close in age
to students, and so answer
questions about what a
Roman's life would have
been like.
Visually appealing, includes
English-Latin translation
and Latin-Latin reading
comp questions
each chapter begins with a
story, portable, light weight,
still has grammar elements,
visually attractive
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What are your least favorite things about it (Ecce
Romani)?
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you
supplement?
In the older editions, the vo- would like more of an on
cabulary isn't differentiated
line presence especially
between need-to-knows and with cultural resources
vocabulary for that chapter
only. Also, the plot sometimes wore on the kids a bit.
questionable Latinitas, it's
the "least bad" of Latin textbooks as far as second language acquisition is concerned, vocab is not
grouped thematically or according to schema theory,
never enough examples of
grammatical phenomena
(although it has more than
many other books), difficult
to integrate with spoken activities in class, little culture
taught in Vol. I (most in Vol.
II), guilty of presenting
women as docile and men
as active, and some chapters HORRIBLY boring (Ch.
15 "Vehicle Spotting" especially guilty of many of these
critiques)
Yes. I brought in more readings from other books, had
more exercises, and
brought in further cultural
information.
supplemented with real literature passages and
grammatical exercises and
examples that are relatable
for modern American 12year-olds
I supplement by teaching
grammar in advance of the
text. All cultural information
is supplementary.
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Red Jenney
Number of books to complete series: One
Total price: Difficult to find ($77 used on Amazon)
Reading Method/Grammar Method: Has readings, more focus on grammar.
Name
Ruth Breindel
How long did you use this 28 years
book?
Lydia Haile Fassett
Katy Reddick
Two years
1
At which levels/ages?
Latin 1 and the first half of
Seventh grade and high
Latin 2 (mostly younger high school Latin II.
school students, although
the middle school also used
it)
middle and high school
years
What are your favorite
things about it?
I like the grammar approach, and the stories are
very good!
Clear grammar explanations.
great grammar and I loved
the illustrations. During my
first trip to Rome I felt like I
was seeing familiar friends!
What are your least favorite things about it?
Not enough practice from
Latin to English; I would reorder some of the grammar.
Stories are disjointed.
stories feel like an afterthought. Doesn't encourage
Latin literacy.
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you
supplement?
Yes. I take stories from
Yes, with Looking at Latin
other books and redo them
charts and explanations.
with the vocabulary I use. I
also give them charts for the
grammar - declensions and
conjugations.
Yes! Grammar, more vocabulary practice!
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Minimus
Price: $16, $14
Number of books to complete series: Two (but does not cover all of Latin)
Total price: ~$30
Reading method/Grammar/Other: Reading
Name
Lydia
How long did you use this Currently using it in first
book?
year at a new school.
Elliott
Katy Reddick
3 years
2 years
At which levels/ages?
Fourth and fifth gradesClassics/exploratory class.
6th survey
6th grade during an afterschool club
What are your favorite
things about it?
Amusing cartoons, easy to
follow story.
clear grammatical examples, uses REAL ROMANS
and objects from their daily
life, very cute pictures, age
appropriate
cartoons are great, material
in manageable chunks,
great tidbits of culture
What are your least favorite things about it?
Tends to do things slowly.
more practice and comprehensible input. unclear what
end author imagines for
students - grammar-trans?
conversational?
more practice necessary,
ideas for games for review,
grammar definitely feels exploratory
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you
supplement?
I used it as a special activity, not a main textbook.
just with games and practice to reenforce
yes, flashcards, vocab
games, etc.
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Oxford
Price: ~$20-30 each book
Number of books to complete series: Two
Total price: ~$40-60
Reading method/Grammar/Other: (one teacher calls it reading, another grammar)
Teacher Name
Elliott Goodman
Thomas J. Howell
1 year (as teacher, 2 as student)
12 years
6th grade
Grades 9 through 12
What are your favorite things about it?
plethora of culture info, uses
REAL ROMANS to tell a compelling story, a good amount of comprehensible input and clear
grammatical examples, easy to
incorporate daily life and culture in
curriculum, teaches perfect and
imperfect simultaneously
story is engaging; focus on
Empire period (rare in textbooks); lots of ancillary materials; some unusual but clever
ordering of concepts
What are your least
favorite things about
it?
this is not Latin but rather English
written with Latin words, doesn't
provide adequate practice or opportunities for student production
of language - it's all translation all
the time
not much political history included;
word order is artificially strict; hard to
move at the suggested pace if you
actually want to do all the readings;
no English --> Latin dictionary makes
composition exercises more difficult.
Did you need to
supplement? If so,
how did you supplement?
drills drills drills and authentic
Latin texts (Hyginus redux)
Sure, but who doesn't supplement their texts?
How long did you
use this book?
At which levels/
ages?
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Cambridge
Price: ~$17-40 each book
Number of books to complete series: Three
Total price: ~$90
Reading method/Grammar/Other: Reading
Teacher Name: Katy Reddick
How long did you use this book? 4 years
At which levels/ages? 8th grade
What are your favorite things about it? great culture, great website resources, great worksheets.
What are your least favorite things about it? grammar goes far, far too slowly
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you supplement? more grammar practice!
Latin for the New Millennium
Price:!~$70
Number of books to complete series:! Two (plus a third with authors)
Total price: ~$140!
Reading method/Grammar/Other:!
Could be used flexibly.
Teacher notes:!
Name: !
Lydia Haile Fassett
How long did you use this book?!
Two years
At which levels/ages?! High school Latin I and II
What are your favorite things about it?!
I like how the stories are adapted from actual Latin and move forward in
time. The distinction between vocabulary to know and vocabulary for the stories is nice. The tone of the book is very appealing.
What are your least favorite things about it?!The cost is high. The second half of the second book, after grammar is
over, wasn't as interesting, so I switched to Millionaire's Dinner Party.
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you supplement?! Very little. I sometimes brought in old handouts or stories from other books, but could have done well without them.
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Wheelock
Total price: $15
Reading method/Grammar/Other: Grammar
Teacher notes:
Name: Lydia Haile Fassett
How long did you use this book? For one year for college students, currently using it.
At which levels/ages? College students for Latin 101-102 (next class was simple authors); currently for eighth graders
for a fast review and moving forward.
What are your favorite things about it? Good for a motivated adult self-teacher.
What are your least favorite things about it? It needs readings and is very dry.
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you supplement? 38 Stories and stories from other books as well.
Latin via Ovid
Price:!~$25
Number of books to complete series:! One
Total price:! $25
Reading method/Grammar/Other:!
Mixture.
Teacher notes:!
Name:!
Lydia Haile Fassett
How long did you use this book?!
Tutored from it for two years, currently teaching from it.
At which levels/ages?! Tutoring was a high school student, current students are 6th and 7th grades in Latin I.
What are your favorite things about it?!
The stories are myths, so the students are familiar enough with the plots
to move forward more quickly and confidently.
What are your least favorite things about it?!The vocabulary lists are extremely long and don't differentiate between
essential and supplementary vocabulary. I've made my own list for each chapter.
Did you need to supplement? If so, how did you supplement?! For culture, yes. I also made lists of mandatory vocabulary and reading vocabulary.
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Purple Jenney
Price:!~$75
Number of books to complete series:! One
Total price:! ~$75
Reading method/Grammar/Other:!
Gramamr
Teacher notes:!
Name: !
Lydia Haile Fassett
How long did you use this book?!
One year
At which levels/ages?! High school- Latin I and II.
What are your favorite things about it?!
It is the shape of a book and so fits on a bookshelf.
What are your least favorite things about it?!The stories are too long and difficult, the vocabulary doesn't work well with
the stories, and the grammar is presented opaquely.
Did you need to supplement?! Yes.
If so, how did you supplement?!Changing books.
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