1. Teaching Latin when Kids don’t know English
Declension
Teaching Latin when Kids don’t know English

2. Why is there an instructional gap?
Latin Instruction has not changed greatly since Wheelock’s Latin was introduced in the 1950’s
The curriculum presupposes a level of student English competency that is no longer realistic

3. The basics of Latin declensions
Latin in an inflective language and therefore uses declensions
Decline : to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective )

4. Student Frustration
English speaking students may have profound difficulty with this concept, as English relies on word order and conjugation.
And to make matters worse: Textbooks define declensions in terms students will not understand

5. Example of a Declension Chart
Nominative
Subject
Genitive
dependant
Dative
Indirect Object
Accusative
Direct Object
Ablative
Prepositional Clause
Vocative
Speaking

6. What Words do you think 9th graders will understand?
Nominative
Subject
Genitive
dependant
Dative
Indirect Object
Accusative
Direct Object
Ablative
Prepositional Clause
Vocative
Speaking
These charts are worse than useless for many children who are completely overwhelmed by words they do not understand.

7. Don’t blame the Children
English Instruction has changed. Terms such as indirect object, subject, object, and preposition are not understood by most children that enter your classroom

8. How you can help
You must change your instructional materials to better fit your children’s understanding
For example I have modified the declension chart to make it easier to understand

9. A simplified declension chart
Nominative
The thing doing the action of the verb
Genitive
Ownership, like an ‘s in English
Dative
A thing that is receiving something, like “to”
Accusative
The thing that the verb is being done to
Ablative
With, of, etc.
Vocative
Speaking

10. Ways to Teach Declension Charts
Children often struggle with the first declension. They have two main difficulties:
1) What case should each word be?
2) What are the case endings?

11. English Samples, Scaffolding
I teach declension by first having the students work on English sentences. They must circle the verb and define the cases for the remaining words
The girl gives the rose to the master’s slave.
Nominative
Accusative
Gen
Dative

12. Why do I need to teach kids English if I am a Latin Teacher?
This allows children to focus on what they know. It prevents the “oh no this is LATIN !” fear from materializing.
I give a test just on English sentences to boost confidence and check for understanding. Do not assume a child knows the difference between a noun, verb, and adjective.

13. Case Endings
For case endings I pretend to be drunk and rambling “ a, ae, ae, am,a” Which is pronounced similar to the phrase “ I, I, Am, A”.
The plurals are easy to remember “ Ae, arum, is, as is.” Which becomes the drunkard phrase “ Aye, rum is as is.”

14. Summary
Students may not understand traditional English terms used to define declensions in Latin
You must modify your curriculum to allow for this gap in knowledge
Build up English Comprehension before forcing Latin translations