Finally, for those high school kids who need a foreign language credit – what’s a homeschool mom to do? We struggled not only in the younger years with foreign language, but unfortunately in the high school years as well. So many programs are written for a classroom experience. The videos are not always well done. The written assignments are confusing. And when a parent can’t help with pronunciation, the teenager can be flustered as well!
After muddling through other foreign language courses with our two oldest, we decided to try Visual Latin from Compass Classroom with our 10th grader and it has been a huge success!
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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
Visual Latin Review
Visual Latin 1 and Visual Latin 2 are each 30 lessons long. Each one counts for a credit on the homeschool high school transcript. We used Visual Latin 1.
There are four main components of Visual Latin from Compass Classroom.
- Lesson videos – Each lesson includes 3 videos which cover Grammar, Sentences, and Reading.
- Online study aids – You get access to online Quizlet vocabulary flashcards and weekly quizzes so you know your student is on track.
- Teacher’s Guide – This includes a Scope & Sequence for your elementary and middle school students as well as a Scope & Sequence that is right for your high schoolers.
- Student Workbook – PDF worksheets are free with purchase or you can purchase physical book separately. This includes all the worksheets, readings, and quizzes your student will need in the course.
Since our son was using this for high school credit, we also purchased the textbook Lingua Latina Pars I on Amazon, which he used for extra reading assignments about half-way through the Visual Latin 1 course.
Who Should Take Visual Latin?
All homeschool families will benefit from this course. While it is geared toward ages 10+, it is especially helpful for those of us who need some kind of foreign language requirement in the high school years and find it difficult to teach our students a modern spoken language. This was our exact situation in our homeschool!
So, you might use this for your upper elementary students. But it is the perfect course for your high school teens and will count toward one Foreign Language credit.
Is Visual Latin Boring?
One great benefit of using Visual Latin with your middle or high schoolers is that it is not a dry and boring Latin course! That may be a well-deserved stereotype of Latin studies, but it does not apply to Visual Latin. Your kids will likely enjoy learning Latin, mostly because the teacher is excellent.
Building Fluency in Latin
Another excellent characteristic of Visual Latin is that it builds fluency.
Fluency in a foreign language either requires immersion, such as living in a culture that speaks that language, or by reading extensively in the new language. Visual Latin aims to use the second approach of extensive reading to lead your kids to mastery of Latin. They provide many free Latin texts for your kids to use while in this class. Or, your high schooler will be reading from the textbook Lingua Latina Pars I to build that fluency.
By the tenth week of this course, your student will be reading an all-Latin book. The frequent reviews and quizzes provide great assessments so I always know how my student is doing. And best of all, your student will put his Latin knowledge to work by gaining increased understanding as he listens to the Latin Bible each week.
Sample Week in Visual Latin
We printed out this sample week’s schedule and referred to it over and over until we became familiar with the flow of a typical week.
It takes a bit of time to organize your materials, especially if you opt for the digital student workbook. But once that is in place, your high schooler will be able to move through each week’s tasks mostly independently.
They also have Facebook pages where you can ask questions online if your student gets stuck. The Visual Latin blog and Visual Latin Chalkboard also includes answers to many questions you and your student may have. So, yes, there is support available.
Benefits of Using Visual Latin in Your Homeschool
There are many reasons we really liked this course, but I’ll give you the top three benefits that come to my mind.
First, the teacher is fabulous. Dwane Thomas has been teaching Latin for over 15 years. He has a great sense of humor and make learning Latin enjoyable. You know that a teacher can make or break a course. And for something that could be dry, like Latin, you really need a great teacher. You’ll find that in Dwane Thomas!
My high school boys are hard to please when it comes to online teachers, but Visual Latin gets two thumbs up from my teen.
Second, your high schooler can work independently without much help from you. This is pretty important for homeschool moms, especially if you’re outsourcing the foreign language teaching because you are not fluent in the language yourself!
The course includes short video lessons, so your student is likely to be able to master the material without being overwhelmed. If they get stuck, they are encouraged to watch the lesson again for clarity. This usually works.
Visual Latin includes worksheets for students’ learning, review, and assessment. Plus, every lesson includes reading or listening to Latin translations of the simplified Vulgate Bible.
The course is easy to follow and clearly geared toward an independent homeschool high schooler.
Finally, it was important that our foreign language course would give me an objective grade for the homeschool high school transcript. We’ve used online foreign language apps before to help us try to learn a language, but there wasn’t a great way to give a fair grade on the transcript for that learning. With Visual Latin, there are regular assessments that fairly show how my student is doing.
Costs & How to Buy
You have a few options for each component of the course.
For the student and teacher materials, you can choose digital or physical products The digital option is free with purchase of the lessons, but of course, you will need to print these out yourself.
Families also have some options for the lessons. You can purchase DVDs for $105, digital download and streaming for $105, or this course is included in the premium membership along with 50 other courses for just $39/month. You can try it free for one week.
Go ahead and try four Visual Latin lessons for FREE to see how you and your student like the course before you buy.
Did you know that Homeschool Planet offers made-for-you lesson plans for Visual Latin? You can check them out by clicking the button below.
Find lesson plans available for this product at Homeschool Planet. Sign up for a 30-day FREE trial.
Final Thoughts About Visual Latin from Compass Classroom
This will now be our go-to high school foreign language course. And learning Latin will be a springboard for future foreign language study and it will help their English skills as well. It’s a total win-win!
If you’ve been struggling like us with finding a great homeschool foreign language solution, I think you’ll love Visual Latin. It really does take the pressure off of you as the homeschool mom.
The best part of homeschooling is watching your role as the homeschool mom change through the years as your children gain more independence and take more responsibility for their own learning. This is where Visual Latin and other courses from Compass Classroom come in. They really work beautifully for giving your teens a great education while also allowing you to outsource the teaching and planning.
