Latin for the New Millenium

I never thought at my age and experience (62 years old and 41 years teaching) I would have the chance to try out a new Latin text, let alone a great one. It used to be that students only started reading Latin authors in the original after at least a year and a half of study. With LNM, they start on day one.

I am particularly happy with the LNM series, and I am thrilled to be actually finishing the books this year (as opposed to [another textbook] that was in use at my school last year). The students seem to like the series very much, and the ongoing conversations with Christina, Marcus, Maria, and Helena are a hit. I am looking forward to checking the Legamus series of readers; they sound like an excellent transition to a translation-intensive level.
Bridget Bartholomew
St. Maria Goretti High School
Hagerstown, MD

We have used LNM for this year's Latin Elective Course. Because it is a Junior/Senior elective for students in French or Spanish III or IV or for those who need a third year credit but do not want more advanced modern languages, we have gone slowly and thoroughly through the first half of Latin I, and we expect to finish the year with Chapter 12. The five Juniors are determined to continue and finish the book with me even if they have to do it during their free period next year.

All the students agree with me that the book is 'student-friendly' and a pleasure. Interestingly, they have been more interested in the grammar and vocabulary than in the historical material, but they are absorbing a good amount of it as well. Their strongest skill is translation Latin to English and the weakest is English to Latin, but I feel good about the amount they have learned and have enjoyed learning. Their suggestion for any second edition is to have more translation exercises from English to Latin.

The text is clear, well-paced, and beautiful in its presentation.

Your on-line help has been a major asset.
Ann Bradley
Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart
Houston, TX

This is the series I've been awaiting for 38 years. I am excited about Latin for the New Millennium, Level 2 because it does what no other text I've used does—it gives abundant practice materials on advanced grammatical concepts. In addition to that, the readings are innovative and copious. My students especially like the conversational sections at the end of each chapter, and are captivated by the illustrations that are at once appealing and instructive.
Kevin Finnigan
Skaneateles High School
Skaneateles, NY

We are using LNM with success. I put in a plug for LNM in a paper I gave recently at the Association for Core Texts and Courses in New Brunswick, NJ, about an assignment that is separate from LNM, but I mentioned the textbook as one that provides clear information about sources and adapted texts from Latin authors.

It really is a good textbook. We use Level 1 in Latin 101 and 102. I absolutely love LNM! The students are able to translate and retain the language better than with another text I used previously.
Elza C. Tiner
Lynchburg College
Lynchburg, VA

I appreciate the exercises and the readings especially and the book contains much of what I as a veteran teacher tell my students. I will retire very soon and this text and its support materials will allow a younger . . . teacher to provide students with an in-depth Latin education.
Suzanne Sheahan
World Languages Coordinator/Latin Teacher
Wamogo Regional High School
Litchfield, CT

It all looks very impressive. I wish I had been taught Latin this way.
Francis C. Oakley, PhD
President Emeritus
Edward Dorr Griffin Professor of the History of Ideas
Williams College
Williamstown, MA

I am very pleased with Latin for the New Millennium and have already recommended it to colleagues. Hands down it is the best textbook for beginning students that I have seen yet.
Ann Myers
York College
York, PA

It has been so much fun to teach my students with Latin for the New Millennium Level 2. The basics are all there—uses of the subjunctive, comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, irregular verbs, extensive vocabulary, etc.—BUT what really sets this book apart is the way Dr. Minkova and Dr. Tunberg have walked the students through the centuries beyond the Roman Empire. The students follow Latin's survival through the Middle Ages and then its influence on the Renaissance and beyond to the Age of Exploration and Discovery. How exciting to not just tell students that the Latin language has impacted western culture but to be able to let them read and understand for themselves how this really happened! The selections from authors such as Bede, Petrarch, Valla, and others, and the background information at the beginning of each chapter lead the students through the preservation and progression of the language over a thousand year time period. My students especially had a lot of fun with the medieval pubs and the Carmina Burana! The chapter readings and the class discussions these initiated have helped the students in both their world history and U.S. history courses and also in their art and music classes. LNM 2 is a visually engaging book with beautiful artwork and photography. The online support for the teacher is exceptional and I especially like the workbook for reinforcement for the students. This is certainly not your mother's second year Latin book!
Teresa Boody
Oak Mountain High School
Birmingham, AL

I used your New Millennium Latin I text and workbook for tutorial purposes. Both were outstanding and I definitely would recommend this to other teachers of Latin.
Vito M. Volino, Jr.
Northridge Preparatory School
Niles, IL

I am enjoying the textbook very much—it is very appealing visually, the grammar explained in a friendly fashion, and the exercises are varied but to the point.
Darca Tkach
Campion College at the University of Regina
Regina, SK, Canada

I think it is the best intro Latin book to appear in decades.
Gerald Malsbary 
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, NC

I have been frustrated with Ecce (and Wheelock, Cambridge, Henle, etc.) because I have yet to find a curriculum that does the reading-based model well without sacrificing careful grammar study. In addition, there are few that incorporate Roman culture via the readings. I think that I have found this with LNM. As a novice, I am grateful for your work on this project.
Brett J. Martin
Cair Paravel Latin School
Topeka, KS

I think that the book provides something that no book has before; a wonderful meld of a grammar based and reading textbook. I thank you for that!
Laura Fallon
Newark High School
Newark, DE

[Latin for the New Millennium] is the best secondary textbook that I have ever used. Having used everything from Jenney to Ecce to Latin for Americans to Cambridge, I really appreciate using Latin for the New Millennium for a few reasons. First, it is clear in terms of terminology. Grammatical terms, sometimes troublesome for students new to Latin, are explained thoroughly and used copiously. Additionally, authentic Latin is referenced from the earliest stages of Latin. Students meet authors and have a good overview of the changes in Rome, in literature, politics, and society. Finally, I think it is the best preparation for the AP while still attending to conversation and oral Latin. Not only am I confident that I can finish the 1st year text in a year, but I am also confident that my students will have a better understanding of the Romans as well as their language and our own. Having the built-in support in the online resource center is also valuable and something that I would like to see us use and develop as we mature in the series. From a teaching standpoint, it is so helpful to have not only the resource center but also all of the ancillaries. With Latin for the New Millennium there is no need for teachers to re-invent the wheel each and every year. Support (Pedagogical, technological, and ancillary) is built into the series and into to system as a whole to allow teachers to use, borrow, and adapt what they need in terms of worksheets, explanations, vocabulary lists, and study guides.

My Latin I students feel that they have an advantage not only in the classroom but also in their extracurricular competitions because of this text and even reference points (especially about Cicero and Caesar so far) from the Latin text in their History and English classrooms.

My students and I really enjoy the readings at the beginning of each chapter ranging from the first book's Classical canon of authors to medieval, Renaissance, and post-Renaissance authors in the second book.

There are so many resources online and in the teacher's manual that it made reading these authors a lot easier than I expected. We also look forward to the final "conversation" at the end of each chapter, which showcases four modern Latin students talking about their routines, likes and dislikes, and the merits of Latin . . . all in Latin, naturally. By seeing modern terms and conversations, my students said that it felt like they could now communicate as do their modern language peers, and they enjoy acting out the scenarios and naming the items in their modern world.

From a teaching standpoint, there are so many different activities and suggestions for activities, I never felt at a loss when I needed to differentiate instruction or when I would incorporate more complex communication activities. It is very simple to align the text with a variety of curricula and the ACTFL Language Standards as well. Especially in LNM Level 2, I have found that the sequencing and pacing is extremely conducive to preparing students to read authentic Latin literature as Latin III pre-AP students.

Another important element to text selection for me was how well my students would fare in their extracurricular contests. LNM helped my students perform well on the National Latin Exam and in other state and national JCL contests; both textbooks in the series, along with LNM's historical and mythological ancillaries, are challenging and informative, but equally fun and inviting. From meaningful exercises to captivating photos and helpful learning (and teaching!) tips, the Latin for the New Millennium series has it all.
Sherry Jankowski
The Meadows School
Las Vegas, NV

I am loving the Latin II readings. They are so interesting. I have been very intrigued by many of them. I really didn't remember much about Heloise, so I went and did some research on her. I also bought a book that has two biographies of Charlemagne, one by Notker the Stammerer, the other by Einhard. My students are enjoying the dialogues between Marcus, Maria, and Helena. I'm not so sure how they feel about Charlemagne. However, since I like them, I'm happy.
Linda Kennedy
Bishop McGuinness High School
Kernersville, NC