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Improved Test Scores Fuel Resurgence in Study of Latin

(ARA) — No one studies Latin anymore because it’s a “dead” language, right? Wrong.

After plummeting enrollment in the late 1960s, U.S. high schools are seeing a resurgence in the study of Latin, with enrollment in some schools doubling since 1980. Even elementary and middle schools now offer Latin.

What has prompted this renaissance? The growing awareness that Latin provides a foundation for improved English skills, supports learning other modern languages, and offers a framework for understanding the Greco-Roman roots of Western culture.

Another reason for the resurgence is a shift in how Latin is taught. Students who once spent all their class time memorizing the ablative case and the subjunctive mood are now also learning about the daily lives of ancient Romans and interpreting classic texts. This makes learning Latin more enjoyable and allows students to apply “ancient wisdom” to their 21st-century lives.

But perhaps most compelling is the large body of research showing that studying Latin improves problem-solving ability, vocabulary, and college entrance exam scores. For example, one study showed that sixth-graders who studied Latin 30 minutes a day for five months advanced nine months in their math problem-solving skills. Another group of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders who studied Latin 15–20 minutes a day for a year scored a full year higher on standardized vocabulary tests than peers who did not. High school students who study Latin consistently score higher on the verbal portion of the SAT than students who study other foreign languages.

One tried-and-true resource at the foundation of this Latin renaissance is the classic Latin course Artes Latinae from Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. Successfully used by more than 200,000 students for more than 30 years in schools and in homeschool settings, Artes Latinae is a programmed, self-teaching course available in traditional textbooks and tapes or in a new CD-ROM edition.

Artes Latinae is the only self-teaching program that fulfills the foreign language requirement for college. It accommodates multiple levels of students—from age 9 through adult—each learning at their own pace, even in the same classroom. It also supports independent study. The traditional edition includes textbooks, audio cassettes, teacher’s manuals, graded readers, cultural filmstrips, test booklets, and reference notebooks.

The CD-ROM version, based on the original edition, offers the speed and convenience of computer learning, plus the flexibility of three pronunciations: American Scholastic, Continental Ecclesiastical, and Restored Classical. It also includes graded reader supplements to build vocabulary and oral proficiency.

Another tool to make learning Latin fun is the CD-ROM Words of Wisdom from the Ancients: 1000 Latin Proverbs, also from Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. Containing over 1,000 sententiae (aphorisms) from classical, medieval, and Renaissance sources, the program provides detailed, searchable explanations for each sentence. Users can click on a word to see its gender, number, meaning, derivatives, and pronunciation—then compare their own recorded pronunciation with an expert’s. Word puzzles and vocabulary games in three skill levels reinforce learning.

Artes Latinae has been described as “a life-saver” (Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and “the single most important contribution in the area of Latin pedagogy of the 20th century” (Dr. Rudolph Masciantonio, School District of Philadelphia).

To learn more about Artes Latinae and the benefits of learning Latin—including studies, articles, and teacher observations—visit www.bolchazy.com/al or call Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers at (800) 392-6453. To download a demo of Artes Latinae, visit www.arteslatinae.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com, e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com