Oxford Latin Course, Part I

OLC is not commonly adopted in the US, but I think that it has some very important advantages over its competitors in the inductive-grammar method market that should be considered. (If you want a traditional grammar-method book for a class of accelerated gifted students, maybe look elsewhere. That's a whole different animal.)1. The use of Horace as a main character is an inspired alternative to Caecilius. The trouble with Caecilius has always been that he has to die so soon, which cuts CLC largely free of primary sources. The large body of autobiographical data in Horace's poetry allows for a continuing story which can be connected to primary sources in translation at early reading levels. Also, since most students will go on to read Augustan literature before Flavian literature, it's very useful to have a late Republic-era main story. (Plus Ecce characters have no primary source basis whatsoever.)2. Culture chapters are, on the whole, more sophisticated than in the competition.3. The inclusion of some English-to-Latin helps cut down on the misuse of the inductive grammar method (i.e. turning "inductive grammar" into "no grammar").4. Since it's a single volume, rather than the two volumes that would make up a high school level Latin 1 in CLC (you need the red book AND the blue if you're teaching 9th grade or above!), it's easier to get your school/district to agree to buy you enough materials.5. Syntax is more varied, even in early chapters, than most competitors; students are less likely to be shocked by sentences which start with something that's not the nominative.NB: Be aware that this book makes the idiosyncratic decision to delay teaching tenses other than the present. While I think this is a very clever way to keep the workload manageable for mixed-ability classes due to the use of the historical present in Latin, if you/your district/your parents care about the National Latin exam, it's an issue. I personally hate the NLE so I don't care. Oh, and while most of the Latin is very well written, the "phi, phae, pho, phum" pun in the Polyphemus story is a little cringe-inducing. . .

Having read some very critical reviews of this series, I wanted to say I have found it engaging and pretty well done. For my students, perhaps an overwhelming reason to choose it was the price, which compares very favorably with the $60 to $80 many conventional Latin texts cost.I agree with some critics it would be better if there were more supplementary materials and, for many teachers who were educated more traditionally, not introducing all the principal parts of verbs at once is an adjustment. However, I do feel there are many things to commend this series, including the heavy emphasis on reading for comprehension instead of just rote learning. It certainly introduces a lot of vocabulary in a short time and gives a context for it.All in all, my home school students have done well with this text.

I used the first edition for a Latin course I taught 8+ years ago. I found and purchased this at a local State University (ASU) book store and could not believe this was intended for a college level course. I used it for group of HS level homeschoolers.I recently purchased the 2nd edition to teach Latin to my 12 and 9 year old sons. We've made it through 7 Lessons and although they are challenged to keep it all straight (declensions, conjugations, case, gender, number, agreement, ...) , they are succeeding. If they were older I'd probably use Wheelock where you get real Latin jewels in the "sententiae antinquae".I'm a little disappointed in the 2nd Edition format. The grammar/exercises have been removed from the mainline content (reading passages, historical highlights) and placed in the back of the book. And there is no indication which execises should be given prior to content. So, if you are doing this on your own, you may want to first read the "cartoon" at the start of each chapter/lesson and then do all the grammar/exercises followed by the mainline content. I'm tyring to interleave the exercises with content to make it more fun.Lastly, the Latin profanity in Lesson 6 is completely inappropriate.

My daughter had to purchase this book for a 7th grade Latin class. Overall I like the book. I only wish that it gave more explanation as to the mechanics of Latin. Having said that though I think it is definitely a credible book and good for those who are learning Latin.

I have learned a half dozen languages and used many different books to do so...this one is by far the most irritating! The book does not give very clear explanations for the cases & grammar in Latin and I was halfway through chapter 5 when I realized that the majority of my questions could be answered at the back of the book, where all the grammar excersises are. This book isn't terrible, just confusing. It has strangely drawn cartoons (like Sunday comic strips) to help you understand the dialogue, and some excellent history stories about what life was probably like in ancient Rome. If you really want to learn Latin, though, I am told that Wheelock's is a much better book. I recommend taking a chance with that book instead of this one.

My 6th grade son has not started using this in school yet, but the color illustrations and variety of formats is very attractive. I like that it is centered around the life of a real person.

This is what I need to teach at a new school this fall. Frankly I am not that fond of the Oxford Latin Course, but the present curriculum utilizes this text. I don't quite understand why the authors put the grammatical explanations and exercises in the back of the book. The artwork is also rather amateurish, with the characters resembling cartoon figures rather than typical Romans. To colleagues I would be more inclined to recommend Ecce Romani Series or the Cambridge Latin Course. Curate ut valeatis!

It looks easier than its old version. Better organisation of content. Good to have it for Latin learning with English. It can be used by learners have English as second language.

Very clear and easy to understand. Wish I could find a Lartin teacher in Derby. Many thanks, Maria

VERY PLEASED WITH MY PURCHASE.

great item