Latina Christiana

Latina Christiana is Memoria Press's beginning Latin course, built around a Student Workbook of 25 lessons plus 5 review lessons and a separate Teacher Manual. The publisher lists it for grades 3 through 6 and says it was specifically written for a teacher with no background in Latin.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Classical and subject-specialist (Every Homeschool classification); the publisher says the exercises teach grammar in incremental steps through simple translation
Worldview	Christian; Memoria Press describes its products as developed from the perspective of a Christian worldview and its curriculum as classical Christian. Every Homeschool classifies it as Christian · Ecumenical, a term the publisher does not use
Grades	Grades 3-6 on the product page; the publisher's Latin sequence page suggests Grades 3-4, its placement article says third through fifth grades, and Memoria Academy lists its live class for Grades 3-5
Formats	Print Student Workbook and Teacher Manual, streaming instructional videos, streaming pronunciation audio, and digital flashcards in the Memoria Press App; DVDs, a pronunciation CD, and physical flashcards are optional add-ons
Cost tier	Budget (Every Homeschool classification); the Basic Set is $48.30 and the Complete Set is $104.88, retrieved October 2026
Parent intensity	3 (Every Homeschool rating; the Complete Set page says the course was written for a teacher with no background in Latin)
ESA-common	Not verified
Accredited	Not applicable: a curriculum product, not a school. Memoria Academy, which teaches live Latina Christiana classes, states that it is accredited by the Classical Latin School Association
Established	Not stated for the program; the Fourth Edition Student Workbook shows a 2015 copyright date.
Website	memoriapress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	In our assessment, systematic grammar and vocabulary work with simple translation, at an elementary level
Ease of teaching	4	The Teacher Manual holds the answers, quizzes, tests, and weekly lesson plans; the videos average 15 minutes per lesson
Content quality	5	In our assessment, compact lessons with a clear repeated structure: a grammar form, ten vocabulary words, derivatives, and a Latin saying
Flexibility	4	Sold as a Basic Set or Complete Set; Memoria Academy's live class asks students for 30 minutes per day; the Complete Set page says the publisher recommends First Form Latin next
Value for money	5	Basic Set $48.30; Complete Set $104.88, retrieved October 2026
Worldview scope	3	The publisher's FAQ describes its whole curriculum as Christian; the Complete Set page lists Latin sayings about Christian or classical heritage, and the course audio covers prayers and songs
Visual/design	3	In our assessment, a plain page: the Student Workbook is a 105-page saddle-stitched book that serves as both text and workbook
Support resources	4	Teacher Manual, streaming videos, streaming pronunciation audio, and digital flashcards in the Complete Set

Who the publisher is

Memoria Press's About page describes it as a publishing company that produces classical Christian education materials for home and private schools, and states that it was founded by Cheryl Lowe. The page says the company has developed a K-12 classical curriculum at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky, where it says its programs are written and field-tested, and it lists Highlands Latin School and Memoria Academy among the institutions it calls the Memoria Press Family. The page names Cheryl Lowe as the author of Latina Christiana, Lingua Angelica, the Latin Forms Series, and The Greek Alphabet, among other programs, and the Student Workbook and Teacher Manual pages list her as the author of the Fourth Edition. The publisher's home page says more than half a million homeschoolers have used its curriculum since its founding and that its materials are used in over 650 schools.

The Complete Set page credits the streaming instructional videos to Jessica Watson, and the video page says she teaches at Highlands Latin School.

Memoria Press says its products are developed from the perspective of a Christian worldview and calls itself a Christian company on its home page. Its FAQ answers yes to whether the entire curriculum is Christian, says some materials contain explicit references to the faith and to Scripture and others are implicit, and says the publisher has released a separate line of products for educators in public settings. The pages we read state no denominational affiliation. For this course, the product page lists Latin sayings that teach Christian or classical heritage in each lesson, and the pronunciation audio covers prayers and songs including Benedic Domine (Table Blessing), Pater Noster (the Lord's Prayer), Adeste Fideles, and Dona Nobis Pacem.

The publisher says its Latin programs are geared toward ecclesiastical pronunciation, which it calls its preference, and that it sells classical pronunciation audio separately. Its FAQ says a family may use any pronunciation, refers to the pronunciation guide in the book as the Christian Pronunciation Guide, says the CD and DVDs use Christian Pronunciation, and says songs and prayers should always use it.

The core pedagogy

The Student Workbook is both the text and the workbook. Each of its 25 lessons has a grammar form, ten vocabulary words with English derivatives, and a Latin saying, and five review lessons are included. The Student Workbook page lists the grammar coverage as first and second declension nouns, first and second conjugation verbs, first and second declension adjectives, the irregular verb to be, and first and second person pronouns. The same page says the exercises reinforce memory work and teach grammar in incremental steps through simple translation. The publisher's placement article says the course teaches ten vocabulary words each week and a new grammar form every couple of weeks, and that simple subject-and-verb sentences are translated while direct and indirect objects are avoided.

The publisher's Teacher Manual page says the manual contains a complete copy of the Student Book with overlaid answers, detailed weekly lesson plans, comprehensive teaching instructions, a grammar overview, a recitation schedule, background information on Latin sayings and Roman history, and tests, quizzes, and keys.

Mechanics the publisher describes: (1) A single student book. The publisher's Student Workbook page says the workbook is both the text and the workbook, and the Basic Set and Complete Set pages list no separate textbook. (2) Streaming instructional videos. The Complete Set page says the videos run 5.5 hours, average 15 minutes per lesson, and include on-screen notes, illustrations, and diagrams. The videos are sold as a lifetime membership and require internet access. (3) Digital flashcards. The Complete Set includes flashcards for vocabulary with derivatives, Latin sayings, and conjugations and declensions, used in the Memoria Press App. (4) An optional history component. The page describes an optional history component taken from Chapters 1-13 of Famous Men of Rome, with drill questions and a history test included; the reading selections are not included.

A day in the life

The publisher does not state a daily time, a number of days per week, or a weekly total for Latina Christiana at home, so this review does not estimate them. Memoria Academy's live class page says students need to devote 30 minutes per day to the class. For home use, the publisher's materials describe the following:

• The Teacher Manual supplies detailed weekly lesson plans and a recitation schedule.
• The placement article describes a weekly rhythm of ten vocabulary words with derivatives and a new grammar form every couple of weeks.
• The streaming videos cover each new grammar lesson, recitation and review, vocabulary practice, and the explanation of derivatives.
• For a third grader who has started Latina Christiana without a strong grasp of English grammar, the publisher's FAQ says Prima Latina is designed for that student and that the family will be well served to switch if it is not too far into Latina Christiana and has the time. A family that stays with Latina Christiana is told to move forward with the memorization of vocabulary, sayings, and prayers and fill in grammar understanding as those concepts come up, covering the book once for memorization and basics and again for grammar and understanding.

What they do exceptionally well

A narrow scope. The Student Workbook is a 25-lesson book with five review lessons, and the publisher's description lists grammar, vocabulary, derivatives, sayings, songs, and prayers. In our assessment, a family that wants a short, focused first Latin course will find that scope clear.

Teacher materials written for a non-Latin teacher. The publisher's Complete Set page says the course was specifically written for a teacher with no background in Latin, and the Teacher Manual contains all the answers to the Student Book along with the quizzes and tests and their key.

A low-cost core. The Basic Set, which holds the Student Workbook, Teacher Manual, and streaming pronunciation audio, is $48.30 (list price $51.65). In our assessment, that is a modest cost for the print core of the course.

A stated next step. The Complete Set page says students who have completed Latina Christiana are ready for the First Form Latin Series and that the publisher recommends moving directly from Latina Christiana to First Form.

What they do poorly

Grade guidance varies across the publisher's pages. The product page says Grades 3-6, the Latin sequence page suggests Grades 3-4, the placement article says third through fifth grades, and Memoria Academy lists its live class for Grades 3-5. Families should check the range on the page they are buying from.

Roman history and culture are mostly optional. The publisher offers an optional history component from Famous Men of Rome and says the Teacher Manual includes background information on Latin sayings and Roman history. The Complete Set page suggests the Famous Men of Rome Set for a more in-depth study, so a family that wants more of that content will buy it separately.

Plain presentation. In our assessment, the workbook is a plain, text-driven book. Families who prefer a design with more illustration may find it austere.

Ecclesiastical pronunciation is the default. The publisher's classical pronunciation page says its Latin programs are geared toward ecclesiastical pronunciation, and its FAQ says the CD and DVDs use Christian Pronunciation. A family that prefers classical pronunciation can use the downloadable Classical Pronunciation Guide listed on the Student Workbook page and the classical pronunciation audio the publisher sells separately.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Latina Christiana if: you want a parent-taught beginning Latin course with a Teacher Manual written for a teacher with no Latin; your child is in the grades the publisher lists and reads well; you are comfortable with a publisher that describes its whole curriculum as Christian, including Latin sayings about Christian or classical heritage, prayers, and songs; you plan to continue to First Form Latin.

• Skip Latina Christiana if: you want a conversational or immersion approach, since the publisher describes a grammar-based course with simple translation; you want a Latin course with no religious content; your child is not yet reading well, since the publisher's FAQ says not to start Latin until a student can read well, usually around second grade; your child is in third grade or younger and you have no strong Latin background, since the FAQ recommends Prima Latina in that case.

Cost honest assessment

All prices below are the publisher's, retrieved October 2026.

• The Basic Set is $48.30 (list price $51.65) and includes the Student Workbook, Teacher Manual, and streaming pronunciation audio.
• The Complete Set is $104.88 (list price $121.95) and adds the streaming instructional videos and the digital flashcards.
• Sold separately, the Student Workbook is $19.00 and the Teacher Manual is $22.65. The Complete Set page shows lower component prices inside the set, for example $16.34 for the Student Workbook.
• The streaming videos list at $55.00 as a lifetime membership, the streaming pronunciation audio at $10.00, and the digital flashcards at $15.30. DVDs, a pronunciation CD, and physical flashcards are paid add-ons.
• Memoria Academy's 2026-27 class list gives $545 for the live Latina Christiana class (Grades 3-5).

For the longer Latin sequence, the publisher's current prices for Prima Latina ($41.12 Basic Set), Latina Christiana ($48.30 Basic Set), First through Third Form ($77.11 Basic Set each), and Fourth Form with Henle I ($110.92 Basic Set) add up to $431.67, and the Complete Sets add up to $791.47 (our arithmetic from the publisher's Latin catalog).

ESA eligibility notes

Whether any state ESA marketplace lists Memoria Press products or Memoria Academy tuition was not confirmed for this review. The publisher's pages that we read do not state which ESA programs accept its products. Families should confirm with their program administrator that the specific items they plan to buy are eligible and whether the program applies restrictions to religious curriculum.

Alternatives

• Prima Latina, Memoria Press's introductory Latin course; the publisher lists it for Grades 1-4 and, in its placement article, says it can be started in second grade with a fluent reader.
• Song School Latin, a family would compare it if they want a different publisher's Latin course, which the publisher describes as a yearlong course for students in grades 1-2; the publisher states its own prices on its site.
• Latin for Children (Classical Academic Press), a family would compare it if they want a different publisher's Latin series, which the publisher offers as Primers A, B, and C; the publisher states its own grade range and prices on its site.