Classical Legacy Press

Classical Legacy Press  was founded by Norman and Katharine Birkett to “further the revival of Christian classical education,” providing materials that can be successfully used by parents/teachers who did not receive a classical education themselves.

Classical Legacy Press offers products for Latin and Logic, two of the three subjects of the trivium (Rhetoric being the third).   These products include The Great Latin Adventure (Levels 1 and 2), and Logic I: Tools for Thinking.

The Great Latin Adventure is intended for students in grades 4-6, although it can be started with some 3rd graders, and may be appropriate for 7th or even 8th graders.  No Latin background is required for either the student or the teacher.

Each level of the program consists of a teacher’s manual and a student book.  A pronunciation CD is included.  And there is nothing else to buy, except for 3-ring binders to put the loose-leaf books into.

The program is designed to be used three days a week, with each level taking roughly a school year to complete.  For older students, Katharine gives suggestions as to how to pick up the pace.

Some of the features of this program that are sure to be appreciated are:

• detailed, step-by-step grammar lessons
• abundant exercises and translation sentences, using lively vocabulary
• complete vocabulary and chapter quizzes
• master chapter plan with lesson planning help
• teaching notes for each chapter
• complete answer keys that mirror the student pages
• God-honoring, family-friendly content*

*The last point means that mythology and the Roman deities are not included, leaving you as the teacher free to add these topics when (or if) you want to, instead of their inclusion being determined by your language program.  It also means that there is Christian content, primarily in the derivative work (derivatives are English words that come from — are derived from — Latin) and also in the translation sentences.

The program uses classical pronunciation, though it could be taught using ecclesiastical pronunciation with a little adaptation.  This program is not intended to be self-teaching.

Classical Legacy Press has a FAQ page  for the Latin program, and many samples available as well.  While at their website, you can also check out Logic I: Tools for Thinking and read more about the company and their products.

Some crew members received Level I and some received both Level I and Level II.  Check out their take on The Great Latin Adventure at the links below.