Build on English Word Formation with the Glory of Classical Latin!
My personal interest in Classical Latin grew directly out of my years of teaching English morphology – roots, prefixes and suffixes. If you have studied the Latin roots and affixes, you already have a basic knowledge of Latin vocabulary. As it happens, as my personal interest was developing, so was the interest of my Roots and Affixes students. In 2019, I launched my first Introduction to Latin course and added more advanced Latin courses as my students progressed.
Yes, at first glance, the Latin language – especially Latin grammar – can seem complex and overwhelming. However, when approached in small, fun steps, my students make quick progress. The key to learning any language is emphasis on speaking and repetition – both of which for the foundation of my Latin teaching approach. As the students’ skills and confidence grow, I put more emphasis on reading comprehension and composition.
Beginner, Advanced Beginner and Early Intermediate Levels
I offer small group courses for middle-grades beginners through the early intermediate level via Outschool. We use the Latin for Children series (2nd edition, Classical Academic Press) to study vocabulary, gramma, and syntax and build reading comprehension and translation abilities. Across three academic years of study, learners gain a working vocabulary of about 2500 basewords. They learn all six verb tenses in the Active Voice (Present, Imperfect, Future, Perfect, Pluperfect, Future Perfect) and all five noun declensions, as well as prepositions, personal pronouns, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, interrogative structures, and many adjective and adverbial forms. I believe it’s important to pull Latin out of the ancient world and into the modern one to help make it relevant, so I include conversational Latin by practicing Latin terms for the details of modern life.
Intermediate and Advanced Latin Levels
For those students wishing to continue their Latin studies into the intermediate and advanced levels, I offer individualized, one-on-one tutoring. The intermediate and advanced levels typically concentrate on the full richness of the Latin verbal system – the Passive Voice and the Subjunctive – with a focus on examples and readings based on slightly adapted or unadapted originals from Latin authors. I tutor using any of the curricular resources the student requires or prefers, including Henle Latin, Cambridge Latin, Oxford Latin, Orberg’s Lingua Latina, Wheelock’s Latin, and the Cullen/Taylor Latin to GCS.
The National Latin Exam
In addition to feedback from me on in-class performance and regular quizzes, I encourage my Latin students to take the National Latin Exam. The exam is offered at seven levels and is designed as an opportunity for students to receive reinforcement and recognition for their accomplishments in the classroom. (In 2023, almost 99,000 students took one of the NLEs.) The exams are offered every winter between late February and mid-March. I offer extra NLE prep reviews for my students as the exam dates approach. Many of my students have great success on the NLE, with more than half receiving Silver or Gold Medal results (Magna cum Laude and Summa cum Laude starting with the 2024 exam cycle).
My Outschool Profile and Course Listings
https://outschool.com/teachers/Dr-Karen-Wieland
Fees and Availability
To discuss fees and availability, please reach out via this Contact page.