Multi-tasking tips
I have been studying Henle Latin for several months now, plodding along. I am really very pleased with my progress, considering my other obligations. I have six dc, am mildly active in my community, and am picking up the violin as well. What I need is additional ways to tie study into my regular life. In our house we have an enforced afternoon rest, and that is when I sit at the table and study. I hung a corkboard in my laundry room, and posted a card with the cue words for the review chants, and cards for the prayers and such that MP has us learn. I also did as Fr. Henle suggests and wrote up a quiz for each of his lessons as I was studying it. I put these quizzes in page protectors, hooked them with a ring-thingy, and hung them on a cup hook by my dryer. This allows me to do a lot of the review during the mindless task of folding laundry. It works very well for me.
My question is: How can I best review the vocab? I haven't figured out how to hold and turn flashcards while doing anything else. I am the person who wipes off the counters and the stove after meals, and I can use this time for mental work. I want to use it to practice vocab, but I don't know how to make it work. What I'd really like is to be able to have to come up with the word and the case, but without the unfair advantage of having just decided what case and noun I was going to ask myself. Any ideas for ways I can do this while my hands are busy and can't flip flashcards?
I do have access to a tape player in my kitchen, but haven't yet figured out the specifics of what I would want to record.
Any suggestions are welcome!
If you have an iPod or
If you have an iPod or personal cd player you could record your vocabulary words and/or the translation. For example: you could say "to praise" and then have a ten second pause or something (for you to say your vocabulary word) and then say "laudo." In other words, make your own studying cd that you can listen to and recite and then listen to see if your answer was correct.
Lara Nabours AND Mama to
Cally 12
Daniel 9
Katyah 6
"non scholae sed vitae discimus"
Would chanting work?
My solution seems too easy and obvious for your problem, so please tell me if this doesn't work for you.
You said:
"How can I best review the vocab? I haven't figured out how to hold and turn flashcards while doing anything else. I am the person who wipes off the counters and the stove after meals, and I can use this time for mental work. I want to use it to practice vocab, but I don't know how to make it work. What I'd really like is to be able to have to come up with the word and the case, but without the unfair advantage of having just decided what case and noun I was going to ask myself. Any ideas for ways I can do this while my hands are busy and can't flip flashcards?"
I am just starting, and I am only on the first declension. When I have a spare moment, I recite Exercise 1 in Henle aloud. For example, I would chant the declensions for each noun in the vocabulary in the order it was listed. So, first I would start with terra, then porta, then Maria, and so on, until I am done, like this:
"terra, terrae, terrae, terram, terrÄ, terrae, terrÄrum, terrÄ«s, terrÄs, terrÄ«s"
"porta, portae, portae, portam, portÄ, portae, portÄrum, portÄ«s, portÄs, portÄ«s"
"Marīa, Marīae...."
If you want translations, you can recite the English after you review the word, like this:
"terra, terrae, terrae, terram, terrÄ, terrae, terrÄrum, terrÄ«s, terrÄs, terrÄ«s"
"the land, of the land, to or for the land, the land, by/with/from the land...."
Or, you can recite them like this:
"terra, the land; terrae, of the land..."
If you want something more random, you can always mix up the vocabulary words. Recite them in backwards order. Or you can recite the plural first and then the singular. Or you can recite the entire list of the declensions backwards. You could even decide in advance what order in which you are reciting them: On Mondays, you can recite them in textbook order, on Tuesdays, you recite the declensions backwards, and so on.
I hope that helps!
Morgan
Latin Centered Self-Education