Prima Latina

Prima Latina is an introductory Latin course from Memoria Press for grades 1-4. The publisher lists Leigh Lowe as its author and says it was written to transition directly into Latina Christiana, the publisher's next Latin course.

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

At a glance

Method	Introductory Latin taught with English grammar for young students; Memoria Press describes its educational philosophy as classical Christian education
Worldview	Christian. The publisher's workbook page describes an early study of Christian Latin, and its pronunciation audio includes four prayers and four songs. The publisher names no denomination on the pages we read. Our directory category, Christian · Ecumenical, is Every Homeschool's classification, not the publisher's term
Grades	Grades 1-4; the publisher's Latin timeline places Prima Latina at grade 2, and its FAQ recommends starting with it for students in third grade or younger unless the parent has a strong background in Latin, and says families who want a gentle approach may consider it for students as old as fifth grade
Formats	The Complete Set includes the Student Workbook, Teacher Manual, streaming instructional videos, streaming pronunciation audio, and digital flashcards in the Memoria Press App; DVDs, a CD, and physical flashcards are optional add-ons. The Basic Set includes the Student Workbook, Teacher Manual, and streaming pronunciation audio
Cost tier	Budget for the Basic Set at $41.12; the Complete Set at $104.68 is just above the $100 line of Every Homeschool's budget tier (retrieved October 2026)
Parent intensity	3 (Every Homeschool rating). The publisher describes the video lessons as a self-instructive format
ESA-common	Not stated on the publisher's pages
Accredited	Not stated on the publisher's pages
Established	The publisher's pages do not state a first-publication year for Prima Latina; the current Student Workbook is the Second Edition, copyright 2011
Website	memoriapress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	In our assessment, it teaches English parts of speech and Latin grammar together rather than vocabulary alone; the publisher's FAQ says it is not just a list of vocabulary words and ties into Latina Christiana
Ease of teaching	4	The publisher says the course is designed for students and teachers with no Latin background; the Complete Set includes video lessons by the author and the Teacher Guide holds answers and unit tests
Content quality	4	In our assessment, the lesson structure is consistent: grammar, five vocabulary words with derivatives, a Latin phrase, and a line of a prayer in every lesson
Flexibility	3	Written to transition directly into Latina Christiana; the publisher says pacing follows the student
Value for money	5	Basic Set $41.12 and Complete Set $104.68 for a course the publisher designs for one year (retrieved October 2026); see the cost section
Worldview scope	3	Every lesson includes a line of a prayer, and the course is described as an early study of Christian Latin; a family that wants Latin without Christian content would be adapting the course
Visual/design	3	The publisher describes an easy-to-read, 2-color format; in our assessment, functional rather than decorative
Support resources	4	Streaming video, audio, and digital flashcards in the Complete Set, plus separately sold lesson plans, copybook, and practice sheets

Who the publisher is

Memoria Press describes itself as a family-run publishing company that produces classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. Its About page says it has developed a K-12 classical curriculum at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky, where its programs are written and field-tested.

The publisher's Complete Set page lists Leigh Lowe as the author of Prima Latina. Its instructional video page describes her as a writer and curriculum developer for Memoria Press and one of the founding instructors at Highlands Latin School, where she taught Latin, classical studies, and composition to students in the primary program. The publisher says Prima Latina came after Latina Christiana: parents asked for something to use with young elementary children, and Memoria Press created an introductory course in the same student-friendly format.

On faith, Memoria Press says its educational philosophy is best described as classical Christian education, and its FAQ says faith references are explicit in some materials and implicit in others. The Prima Latina workbook page says the course is for parents and teachers who want to start students on an early study of Christian Latin. The pronunciation audio covers the lessons plus four prayers (Sanctus, Doxology, Table Blessing, and Pater Noster) and four Lingua Angelica songs (Dona Nobis Pacem, Christus Vincit, Adeste Fideles, and Resonet in Laudibus). The publisher's classical pronunciation page says its Latin programs are geared toward ecclesiastical pronunciation, which it names as its preference, and it sells a separate classical-pronunciation streaming audio for Prima Latina at $10.00 (retrieved October 2026).

The core pedagogy

The publisher describes 25 lessons plus 5 review lessons. Each lesson has a grammar lesson suited to primary grades, five vocabulary words with English derivatives, a practical Latin phrase, and one line of a prayer that is learned in full over five lessons. The publisher says students review and take a test, with a key, every five lessons. The workbook's sample table of contents shows lessons on the alphabet, verbs, nouns, derivatives, numbers, proper nouns, prepositions, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, constellations, the verb to be, the future tense, question words, the first declension, and the first conjugation, with a review lesson after each group of five.

Memoria Press says the course teaches the English grammar foundation while introducing basic Latin grammar and that it will essentially replace an English grammar course. A publisher article on choosing a Latin program says Prima Latina covers the parts of speech and has no translation exercises, because the publisher considers a young child not yet developmentally ready for the abstract skills translation requires. The Latin scope and sequence in the publisher's Simply Classical Quick Reference Guide lists, for Prima Latina, about 125 Latin vocabulary words, first-declension noun endings, first-conjugation present and future tense endings, and the present tense of sum and possum. The workbook page says the course teaches half of the vocabulary in Latina Christiana, and the FAQ calls it a subset of that vocabulary.

Signature mechanics: (1) English grammar taught alongside Latin, per the publisher's workbook page, which says the goal is to teach and reinforce the basic parts of speech while introducing Latin. (2) A prayer line, a Latin phrase, and derivatives in every lesson, as listed on the Complete Set page. (3) Video instruction by the author: the streaming videos feature Leigh Lowe, and the publisher says lessons run about 20 minutes each. (4) A review and test every five lessons, per the Complete Set page.

A day in the life

Memoria Press does not publish a day-by-day schedule on the Prima Latina product pages we read, so this section sticks to what the publisher describes. A publisher article says the course takes about twenty minutes a day and describes it as an English language lesson, five Latin vocabulary words, derivatives, and a line of an ancient hymn or prayer to memorize each week. The Student Workbook contains both the instruction and the exercises for the student. The Teacher Guide is the student book with answers keyed, plus unit tests. The Complete Set page lists video lessons of about 20 minutes each, and the publisher's track list shows individual lesson videos running from about 13 to about 25 minutes. The publisher's FAQ says the course is designed for one year and that families should progress at the student's pace: older students often finish in a semester, and younger ones may take up to two years. The publisher also sells lesson plans for the course separately.

What they do exceptionally well

English grammar and Latin in one course. In our assessment, pairing the parts of speech with Latin vocabulary, sayings, and prayers is the course's main strength. The publisher says it was written to transition directly into Latina Christiana so that students can complete a whole Latin sequence without missing concepts or vocabulary.

Author-led video lessons. The Complete Set includes streaming videos by Leigh Lowe, which the publisher describes as a self-instructive format with on-screen notes, diagrams, and examples. In our assessment, this suits a parent who has not studied Latin, and the publisher says the course is designed for teachers with no Latin background.

Low cost for one course year. The Basic Set is $41.12 and the Complete Set is $104.68 on the publisher's pages (retrieved October 2026). In our assessment, the Basic Set is in the budget tier and the Complete Set is just above the $100 line of that tier.

What they do poorly

Built to lead into one publisher's sequence. The publisher says Prima Latina was written to transition directly into Latina Christiana and that its vocabulary is a subset of Latina Christiana's. In our assessment, a family that plans to change Latin publishers after one year should compare grammar terms and vocabulary with the next program before buying.

No translation practice. The publisher's article says the course has no translation exercises. Families who want students to translate sentences from the first year will not find that in this course as the publisher describes it.

Default pronunciation is the publisher's preference. The publisher says its Latin programs are geared toward ecclesiastical pronunciation, its stated preference. A family that wants classical pronunciation would buy the separate classical pronunciation audio for $10.00 (retrieved October 2026).

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Prima Latina if: you want an introductory Latin course the publisher designed for students and teachers with no Latin background; you plan to continue into Memoria Press's Latina Christiana; your child is in the publisher's grade 1-4 range; you want a prayer, a Latin phrase, and derivatives in every lesson; you are comfortable with ecclesiastical pronunciation as the default.

• Skip Prima Latina if: your child is older and ready to start Latina Christiana directly (the publisher's FAQ says families who want a gentle approach may consider Prima Latina for students as old as fifth grade, and its article says an older student can skip it); you want translation exercises from the first year; you want classical pronunciation as the default; you want a Latin course without prayers and hymns, since each lesson includes a prayer line; you intend to switch publishers after one year.

Cost honest assessment

Current prices on the publisher's pages (retrieved October 2026): the Prima Latina Basic Set is $41.12 and the Complete Set is $104.68. On the Complete Set page, the streaming instructional videos are $50.55, the streaming pronunciation audio is $9.19, the digital flashcards are $12.04, and the Student Workbook and Teacher Guide are $16.45 each. The Basic Set page shows the Student Workbook and Teacher Guide at $16.07 each and the streaming pronunciation audio at $8.98.

As of October 2026, the Complete Set page also offers add-ons: DVDs ($10.00), a pronunciation CD ($5.00 as an add-on; the CD's own page lists $10.00), and physical flashcards (145 cards, $5.00 as an add-on; the flashcards' own page lists them at $18.10). Sold separately, the publisher lists the Copybook at $16.80, the Practice Sheets at $6.20, and the Lesson Plans at $11.00. Sale prices change, so check the current price before ordering.

ESA eligibility notes

The Prima Latina pages that Every Homeschool read in October 2026 do not mention state education savings account programs or marketplaces, and the publisher's support page does not list them either. Families using state education funds should check their program's approved-vendor list and confirm with Memoria Press customer service before ordering.

Alternatives

• Song School Latin Book 1 (Classical Academic Press): the publisher describes a yearlong course for students in grades 1-2, with 30 songs and chants and 31 weekly lessons, and offers pronunciation guides for both classical and ecclesiastical Latin. In our assessment, a family would compare it with Prima Latina when it wants a song-based introduction for first and second graders; Prima Latina is listed for grades 1-4 and teaches English grammar alongside Latin.
• Latin for Children Primer A (Classical Academic Press): the publisher describes a yearlong course for students in grades 4-7 that teaches vocabulary and grammar with songs and chants as memory aids, with guidance for classical and ecclesiastical pronunciation. In our assessment, a family with an older beginner would compare its scope with Prima Latina's on each publisher's pages before choosing.