Ascanius Course

Pre-orders for the Ascanius Course are now available. 

Ascanius Course: Elementary Latin Curriculum

Self-Paced Course: Year One (Grades 3-5)

Course Description

Want your elementary student to get started with Latin? The Ascanius Course contains everything your student needs to get started reading and speaking the language of the West. Through interactive digital exercises, animated stories, print workbooks and storybooks, and video lessons created by the Latin experts at the Ancient Language Institute, your student will encounter Latin vocabulary and grammar the way it is meant to be encountered: through meaningful and compelling communication. Perfect for homeschoolers or any young student who wants to start studying Latin without enrolling in an ALI course. The Ascanius Course is the first course in ALI’s self-paced progression of Latin for Kids courses. Following completion of the Ascanius Course, students can move into the Aeneas Course.

Course Objectives

  • Read extensive Latin prose narratives with ease and enjoyment
  • Acquire a command of 200+ common Latin vocabulary words
  • Learn to accurately recognize and correctly produce the following:
    • The six cases of Latin nouns in the first and second declensions
    • The present indicative active of the Latin verb in the 3rd person
  • Understand the syntax of the simple sentence in Latin
  • Encounter basic historical, philological, artistic, and cultural facts about the ancient Romans and their world

Cost

$350 plus shipping

What Does Ascanius Include?

Picta Dicta Latin Primer, Vol. 1

This digital & print platform is the backbone of the Ascanius curriculum. It introduces students to vocabulary and grammar concepts in the context of engaging stories, with lots of pictures and audio. You will receive a 12-month license to the digital platform, the hard-copy Student Workbook, as well as the hard-copy Quiz Pack and Homeschooling Guide. 

Introduction to Philology Video Series

Every lesson in Ascanius includes a video introducing students to the field of philology, a term that literally means “the love of words.” These videos dive into the ancient world, since that is the world the Romans described with their language: Latin. These videos feature Dr. Colin Gorrie, PhD, the Dean of the ALI Latin for Kids Program and a Latin and Old English Fellow at ALI. These videos are exclusive to the ALI Latin for Kids program – you can’t find them anywhere else. But check out Lesson 1 on YouTube, uploaded as a sneak peek.

Puer et Monstrum hard-copy book + Digital Vocabulary Builder

Once your student completes Lessons 1 – 15, he will be ready to read his first Latin book: Puer et Monstrum, the story of a boy who discovers a monsters hiding in his room. Your purchase of Ascanius Year 1 includes a hard-copy of the book, as well as a 12-month license to the associated Digital Vocabulary Builder, an online platform that introduces your student to all the vocabulary he will need to read Puer et Monstrum with ease and enjoyment. 

Fabellae Simplices hard-copy book + Digital Vocabulary Builder

Once your student completes Lesson 30, he will be ready to read another Latin book: Fabellae Simplices, a set of simple Latin stories written by ALI Fellow Joseph Roberts. Your purchase of Aeneas Year 1 includes a hard-copy of the book, as well as a 12-month license to the associated Digital Vocabulary Builder, an online platform that introduces your student to all the vocabulary he will need to read Fabellae Simplices with ease and enjoyment. 

Audio Recitation of Puer et Monstrum and Fabellae Simplices

The most valuable activity in language learning is hearing the language. In these audio recitations, the world-renowned Luke Ranieri reads the entirety of Puer et Monstrum and the entirety of Fabellae Simplices, so your student can listen along as he reads and studies the book. You will receive 12-month access to these recordings. These audio recitations are exclusive to ALI Latin for Kids students – you can’t find them anywhere else. But check out the Puer et Monstrum Chapter 1 recitation on SoundCloud, which we’ve uploaded as a sneak peek. 

Latin-Immersion Video Lessons for Puer et Monstrum and Fabellae Simplices

Dr. Gorrie is joined by ALI President Jonathan Roberts in these full-immersion Latin video lessons, walking through every page of Puer et Monstrum and of Fabellae Simplices. Your student will follow along as Dr. Gorrie asks Roberts questions and explains tricky passages in simple Latin – and tries to make sure Roberts doesn’t fall asleep like the puer does in the book! You will receive 12-month access to these video lessons. These video lessons are exclusive to ALI Latin for Kids students – you can’t find them anywhere else. 

Detailed Course Syllabus

From years of teaching Latin to kids of all ages, we have settled on a challenging yet realistic progression through the Ascanius curricular materials. In the detailed course syllabus included in the Ascanius package, we will lay out a recommended path through all of the above tools. The syllabus offers, however, quite a bit of flexibility to students and families. While it outlines a 36-week course schedule, your software licenses last a full year (52 weeks), so you will be able to work more leisurely if you desire.

What You Need to Know

  1. Pre-orders for the Ascanius Course are open.
    1. The Ascanius materials will be sent to pre-ordering customers at the beginning of September, and then intermittently as post-September orders roll in.
  2. Ascanius is the first course in our elementary Latin progression. Following Ascanius, students can continue into the Aeneas Course.
  3. Signing up with ALI is risk-free. We want to make sure you’re completely satisfied. If you don’t love the Ascanius Course, we’ll give you a full refund within 30 days. No refunds are available after 30 days.

Ascanius Course

Order the Ascanius Course and introduce your 3rd-5th grader to the Latin language.

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