This lavishly-illustrated, full-color Latin course is suitable for intermediate students. It is not as challenging as some other high school courses, yet it is quite comprehensive—equivalent to two and a half years of Latin. It should work with bright fifth or sixth graders, junior high, and high school students. Rather than stories of Caesar's wars, the story of an upper class Roman family is carried through the series. Cultural tidbits also make the text interesting. You might want to get all the components: student's text or texts, teacher's guide, Language Activity Book, and accompanying Activity Book Teacher's Edition for each level. The newest 2009 edition adds an online, interactive textbook option.
The text assumes the teacher's familiarity with Latin but not to the extent of most other programs. The teacher's guide is easy to read and very helpful. It has translations of readings, answers to exercises, teaching instructions, plus explanations of cultural resource materials, unusual constructions, and new concepts. The Activity Book Teacher's Edition is essentially a student edition with answers. The student text contains both a Latin-English glossary and an English-Latin glossary.
Student texts are available in two different formats: paperback and hardcover. Paperback versions are divided into four student books: Level IA, IB, IIA, and IIB. IA and IB are equivalent to a high school Latin I course, so they should be spread out over two years for most younger students. IIA and IIB are equivalent to Latin II. The hardcover editions combine levels A and B for each level into only two books, I and II, and they add a level III that is equivalent to one semester of Latin III.
The same teacher's guides are used with either version, and they are contained in three books for the three years: I, II, and III*. There are four Language Activity Books, two each for the first two years, but none for the third. They are IA, IB, IIA, IIB. Separate teacher's guides for the activity books are required: IA, IB, IIA, and IIB*. Test masters are available for each of the first two levels.
Two other simple Latin readers, The Romans Speak for Themselves (2 volumes), can also be used for supplemental readings to accompany the cultural topics in Ecce Romani. Teacher handbooks are available for each volume. Both student and teacher books may be ordered on the website.
Pearson has very useful, free resources online that can be used along with Ecce Romani at www.phschool.com/atschool/ecce_romani/program_page.html. These include three or four different, interactive student exercises for each chapter of each text. Exercises are checked by the program, but they do not store and track student activity.
