This class is open to students in Forms 2A through 5. We will begin at the beginning and take a gentle approach with the text, sometimes pausing to firm up grammar concepts. Each of the three terms is 10 or 11 weeks long, the last week being reserved for exam and celebration. Classes are 30 minutes, and an additional 30 minute time slot should be allowed for assignments, as well as another 10 minute slot for repetition proverbia.
Scott & Jones Latin
Introductory Class
A Charlotte Mason Approach To Education
English Grammar
This class is open to students in Forms 2A and 3 (grades 5 through 7 or 8); however, if the student is older and has not had much English grammar, he or she should participate in this course. Mrs. Bucko uses the Meiklejohn text as well as Ms. Mason's First Grammar Lessons, incorporating the most important concepts from those two texts. She chooses sentences from the texts, as well as from literature, to teach students to parse and diagram, building a solid foundation of grammar knowledge. Diagramming provides a visual to the puzzle of grammar and helps bring liveliness to this analytical, often dry subject! We also parse poetry, which always shows up on the CMEC term-end exams. This class particularly supports students studying, or planning to study, the Scott & Jones Latin course. Each of the three terms is 9-10 weeks long. Classes are 30 minutes, and homework is assigned each week. It is recommended that students first work through part 1 of Charlotte Mason's First Grammar Lessons; however it is not necessary. Any grammar curriculum may be studied alongside this course, or the course could stand alone as the student's only grammar for the year.
"Mrs. Bucko's Latin class using the Scott & Jones text is a gift to our education efforts at home! The text is structured to build student's understanding in an engaging but effective way. The exercises are not boring, and provide the necessary practice to lay a solid foundation that Latin absolutely requires. Mrs. Bucko's gift of engaging the students in class, combined with her background as a grammar teacher, give the students a thorough understanding of not only Latin, but also of our own English language. In her English grammar class, the exercises in parsing and diagramming are the best!"
-Amy Arrowsmith, CMEC parent 2023
"After three years of unsuccessful attempts to implement Latin in our Charlotte Mason homeschool, I was ready to throw in the towel. Enter Magistra Bucko. She has facilitated our study of Latin with the use of the Scott & Jones text in an engaging manner, such that our learning is finally producing fruit! It has been exciting to learn alongside my sons as they make real headway at last." – Dawn Duran, CMEC parent, 2021
Latin, an inflected language, can seem at odds with English, especially for our young students. With Mrs. Bucko’s course in grammar-parsing, designed specifically to aid our understanding of Latin, the parts of speech and the jobs they perform become clear. For our family, taking this course was akin to hearing the story of Columbus and the Egg; a seemingly impossible task, once demonstrated, is in fact simple! If you find that your own grammar or Latin background is lacking or possibly you are in a very busy season of life (nursing a newborn or pregnant, and toddlers underfoot with many students to manage) and this subject keeps falling off the time-table, this is the course for you! ~Brittany Marta, CMEC parent 2024
"Mrs. Bucko's class has been the perfect fit for my Form 2A Upper student. We struggled as we began the school-year working through Ms. Mason's Grammar Book on our own. Even upon entering Mrs. Bucko's class halfway through the year, I have the confidence to know my child is getting thorough instruction. I know this first-hand, as I, too, have learned so much from our child's enrollment. The classes always begin and end on time. They are a perfect length, waste no time, and always have a peaceful and unhurried feel while at the same time the students are always growing in knowledge and building upon what has already been studied. I highly recommend Mrs. Bucko's Grammar Class, and we are looking forward to next year!"
-Amy Pardo, CMEC parent 2024