Feeling Behind in Latin?
What should I do if I feel behind in Latin or feel unready to move on?
1.
Vocabulary - If you are/feel behind in vocabulary, then
that is NOT a big deal. Research says
that it is difficult to learn too many new things at one time. In other words, trying to learn a whole pile
of new words at one time won’t be effective.
Here are some suggestions for adjusting.
a.
You can always just focus on the new vocabulary
and not worry about what we have missed.
This semester we will have a focused vocabulary practice.
b.
Leitner system – If you are using the flashcard
box and the Leitner system, the number of flashcards behind the Number 1
(Daily) set, should not really be more than 20.
If it is, take the extras and put them in front of the #1. You can continue to make flashcards and just
stick them in front of the #1. Keep
practicing those flashcards DAILY – as you move more cards to #2, #3 or so on,
you can add more to #1 – Just don’t every let it be a HUGE stack – that will
slow you down.
c.
Try doing those new flashcards – 3 different
times a day for 5-10 minutes instead of sitting down and studying really hard
for 30minutes.
d.
If you use a digital format like Quizlet – make
sure that you have a way to study with spaced repetition. You don’t need to study the cards you already
know every day. I like importing the
Quizlet lists into Flashcards Deluxe because it uses spaced repetition (like
Leitner)
e.
Remember that sometimes it is easy to trick
yourself into thinking you “basically” know the Vocabulary. Flipping the card when you are studying alone
is easy to “cheat” yourself. Here are
some solutions to that.
i.
Make it more difficult (sometimes) by asking
someone else to quiz you.
ii.
Try writing the answer instead of saying it.
iii.
If using Quizlet, try one of the methods where
you have to choose an answer (like multiple choice or typing the answer)
f.
Try different formats for studying those
cards. One day use the Leitner box and
on another day try writing out as many of those words as you can, and another
use Quizlet. (You can use the Vocabulary
List you might be making or the Review lists in the Henle Book –
i.
Units 1-2 pgs 91-98
ii.
Units 3,4,5 pgs 217-224
iii.
Units 6-14 pgs 473-488
2.
Charts –Copying
charts is only useful if you engage your brain.
You need to constantly be “testing” yourself. Attempt to do your charts from memory. Once you know them, continue to create them
regularly so that you don’t forget.
a.
You should know (at least SOME) of these charts
in this order:
i.
Chart A – NOUNS
ii.
Chart S – Adjectives
iii.
Chart D- VERBS – T: Present System (all 3
tenses); V: Active, M: Indicative
iv.
Chart B- Pronouns
v.
Chart D – VERBS -T: Perfect System (all 3
tenses); V: Active, M: Indicative
b.
From Blue Book exams, you should know how you
are doing on these charts – We are quickly going to add some extra charts this
semester, so this is an important question.
i.
If you know all these charts fairly well, then
you should DAILY be working on the new one, and weekly be doing some or all of
these charts. (Meaning EVERY day, do a
NEW chart, and a Review Chart. Remember – if you know it – DO IT FROM MEMORY.
ii.
There are other ways than writing to review a
chart you know. Hand the chart to a
parent or sibling and ask them to randomly quiz you. For example, What is the 2nd
Conjugation, 3rd person singular imperfect (Active, Indicative)
ending?
iii.
If you don’t know one of these charts then,
don’t move ahead in chart copying!
Work on the chart you need to learn daily until you have it at least to
90%. I guarantee it will slow you down if you don’t!
iv.
Again – just remember to be faithful! Do it daily (or even 2-3 times per day) – you
could write it once, say it once, and have some quiz you all in one day and still
be reviewing the material.
v.
Also remember if there is just ½ of the chart
that you don’t’ know – you could just do the part you don’t know daily and the
part you do know – once a week. THINK
about what you actually have memorized – write it from memory 1st if
you aren’t sure.
3.
Translations/Exercises
– If you feel behind in Vocabulary and Charts you can still continue to stay
with the class in Exercises. You may not
be able to do as many in the proper time frame, but you can still PRACTICE
daily.
Think of this part like your ANALYTICAL TASK SHEETS IN ESSENTIALS. Daily practicing the skill will go a long
way!
Remember 2 things:
i.
Keep your glossary and your charts readily
available. Look up a word if you don’t
know it. Lay out the chart you need
RIGHT in front of you and reference it often.
Don’t GUESS at the ending. Look
it up. – The goal here is to learn how to translate and understand how we
handle different parts of speech and different jobs in a sentence.
ii.
Parse as much as you can using Question Confirmation
(that we learn in Essentials). If you
get stuck, DON’T sit there for 20 min.
Mark it with a pencil (or something you will recognize in class) and
move on! Bring it up in class and
ASK! Keep doing as much parsing as you
can. You will get faster ONLY if you practice.
You will get better ONLY if
you practice.
Remember, the key is to
i. Keep working – doing this everyday with diligence and attention to detail will take you a LONG way farther, than just putting it off because it causes you stress or trying to learn it all in one big long study session.
FESTINA LENTE - Make haste slowly
ii.
Faithfulness to the system we are teaching you
will help you master this material over time.
There are other ways – we are giving you the one with the most research
behind it. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO LEARN
– IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT A DIFFERENT WAY IS MORE HELPFUL TO YOU, THEN RUN IT BY A
PARENT AND/OR DIRECTOR FOR THEIR INPUT.
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