Curriculum Overview
Elementa offers schools and homeschool families the opportunity to incorporate Latin into literacy instruction in the classroom. The curriculum is flexible as a supplement to current English classes or as an independent and robust Latin program building the foundations for exploring both modern and ancient world languages.
Elementa teaches the basics of Latin grammar and vocabulary in a way that provides students with the tools to improve their mastery of English and Spanish–and other languages! An equally crucial goal of the curriculum is to expose students to Roman culture and mythology and inspire their curiosity for the ancient world at large.
Through beautiful print textbooks and workbooks, students explore the basics of the Latin language with interactive and engaging lessons and classroom activities that include Latin vocabulary and grammar as well as Roman history and mythology. In addition, teachers have access to a rich and immersive online media experience, including professionally produced videos, animations, presentations, and audio recordings.
Elementa Foundations for Latin Textbook
A student textbook emphasizing the basics of Latin grammar and vocabulary in such a way that provides students with tools to improve their language skills. An equally crucial goal of the textbook is to expose students to Roman culture, inspiring their curiosity for the ancient world. ($30 paperback; $40 hardback)
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Elementa Foundations for Latin Workbook
A consumable workbook for students, with extra space for notes, blanks for student responses, and additional interactive exercises. ($20)
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Elementa II: Next Steps in Latin Textbook
Elementa II: Next Steps in Latin is the sequel to the first book in the series, Elementa I: Foundations for Latin. While the first book focuses on derivatives from Latin roots, parts of speech as the basic building blocks in a language, and Roman mythology, this sequel progresses with lessons focused on more intermediate Latin grammar and historical figures in Roman history. ($30 paperback; $40 hardback)
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Support For Teachers
Elementa was written for teachers, by teachers, with the goal that any teacher, whether or not they are trained in Latin, can use the curriculum in their classroom. Daily support for instruction with Elementa includes the print Teacher’s Manual, the Elementa Teacher’s Materials kit, and additional digital resources designed to seamlessly complement the print textbooks.
The Paideia Institute is also happy to provide pedagogical training seminars for teachers or homeschool parents seeking additional guidance on the Elementa curriculum, foreign language instruction, and introducing Latin to younger learners. Training sessions are designed on a case-by-case basis to meet the specific needs of every teacher, student group, and learning environment. If you are interested in scheduling a teacher training seminar, you can get in touch with us at [email protected].
Elementa Teacher's Manual
The Teacher’s Manual contains 150+ entirely scripted lessons, instructions for creative games, and conversational activities. Whether it’s your first year teaching or your 25th, the Teacher’s Manual is designed to save teachers time and increase efficiency through pre-designed lessons and activities. For example, every lesson has a bell-ringer and exit question, suggested activities, and even strategies for how to adjust for different class sizes or material availability. The theme of the teacher’s manual is flexibility. Lesson plans are organized in a “choose your own adventure” itinerary. If you teach Latin just once per week, you can rely on the 34 core lesson plans. But if your Latin classes meet more frequently, you can expand with relevant content using any of the 136 extension lesson plans! ($75)
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Elementa Teacher's Materials
A collection of Materials to accompany the Teacher’s Manual lessons. The Materials include pre-made cards and visuals for engaging activities, student handouts, interactive worksheets, graphic organizers, and assessments. ($90)
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Elementa Supplemental Digital Resources for the Print Curriculum
The supplemental digital resources include optional audio-visual presentations to accompany each of the 150+ core and extension lessons outlined in the Elementa Teacher’s Manual. Presentations include slides for each incipit and exit question (saving you time from writing these on the board each day), visuals, and bullet points for presenting lesson content. In addition, short 3-5 minute videos present mythological and historical narratives with a fun, animated cast of characters. Here's an example: an animated retelling of the myth of Atalanta, in Latin! ($200/year subscription)
What Teachers Are Saying
"Implementing Elementa into my classroom has engrossed my students into learning Latin through a new lens. This curriculum is jam-packed with engaging, fun activities for middle school students. It is nice to have something that helps my students become efficient in their grammatical studies in both Latin and English. It is a refreshing teaching experience and Elementa has beautifully woven a way to enhance the Latin learning experience for younger, curious students."
- Joseph Starnes, Washington Latin Public School
I LOVE Elementa! I used it as a guide for a sixth-grade Introduction to Latin course. It worked so well with my teaching style! And I used some of the activities when I taught a section of Intro French!
- Chelsea Brewer, Christ Church Episcopal School
