Comparing the dated textbook (1988), Traditio: An Introduction to the Latin Language and Its Influence by Patricia A. Johnston, to the more recent Disce! An Introductory Latin Course by Kenneth F. Kitchell, Jr. and Thomas J. Sienkewicz, one can obviously see how different the two are.
Traditio is like many other traditional Latin textbooks based purely on grammatical and translation instruction. The book has few pictures, including (and limited to) the cover and a small map. This particular textbook does not talk about culture in historical sense or literary. Each chapter starts with a basic grammar overview of the whole chapter and is then broken down into specific parts. Although an interesting development of the textbook is that the beginning goes into great detail on phonological aspects of the Latin language. Yet typical of any classically written Latin textbook, the first chapter focuses entirely on the verbal system, including not just the present but also other tenses, and states the first two conjugations. Another interesting aspect of this textbook would be that on instruction, a student exhausts a grandiose amount of learning on verbs before chapter 6.
This textbook is an ironically classic example of the common route many Latin teachers take on instruction in the classroom. When looking at the classical language learning standards, the only standards this textbook covers are 1.1 and 1.2. The other four goals, aside from communication, are not at all present in the textbook. These other four goals being culture, connections, comparison, and communities.
The second textbook, Disce!, is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and similar to Traditio, and puts just as much emphasis on phonological instruction. Yet in addition to the written phonological instruction, this particular textbook has an audio component. This feature is important for students to get an idea as to what a Roman accent may have sounded like. With this in mind, students are delving that much further into the Latin culture. This textbook also spends the first chapter explaining the alphabet and two different families one may have seen in Ancient Rome. Disce! breaks up the verbal system even further by focusing purely on one person from one tense in a single chapter. This instruction allows students to fully understand each person in a conjugation and its purpose.
In accordance to the classical standards, Disce! can easily be used to address all five goals. This could be done with little supplemented lessons for goals on communication, culture, connections, and comparisons. This textbook puts a lot of emphasis on the culture, going as far as teaching the students through two pseudo-Roman families.
Between the two textbooks, I would prefer to use Disce! over Traditio due to how much less supplementing I would have to do, in regards to the standards. As well as encouraging my students to have a well-rounded understanding of the Latin language. The visual aspects of the textbook also makes for a more interesting learning experience.
Ms. Smith 
Val–
Disce was written after the publication of the standards in 1997, and at least one of the authors was on the committee that adapted the ACTFL standards to Latin and Greek teaching. Therefore, it is not surprising that Disce addresses the standards more explicitly and intentionally, while Traditio lives up to its name. Disce is definitely a more appealing textbook in many ways, even though it is published by a tentacle of the Pearson octopus. That said, you might want to keep Traditio on your bookshelf, however, for its material on Latin phonology. I have sometimes found useful charts or cultural material even in textbooks that otherwise stank.
I was also struck by your comment that Disce would require less supplementing–you rightly recognize that no textbook is perfect or addresses every facet of Latin that you might want to show your students. Neither Disce or Traditio, as I recall, has very much on Christian Latin, while Wheelock does feature a few verses from the Vulgate and a short reading from Bishop Isidore of Seville (630 AD).
I am considering writing a Latin textbook that will address the standards, but also integrate enough material on early Christianity to fit with the mission of SPU or of a Classical Christian school.
Thanks, Owen Ewald
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In addition to my earlier statement on Latin Textbooks, these two specifically, I have come across further reading on textbooks in general and the “legalities” so to speak. American textbooks are dry and confusing for many subjects recorded within the enormous “back breakers” and Latin is one subject that falls victim to the big publishing houses and writers. After looking through many different textbooks on my subject matter, Disce, Traditio, Wheelock, Ecce Romani, etc. I have a pretty good idea what sort of textbooks I would want to use in my classroom and in which ones I would need to supplement. Any textbook I use will be supplemented with other readings, projects, art, music and other aspects of culture. Some of these textbooks when opened make me want to cry with the lack of color and pictures! Yet others make me cringe with how focused they are in their chapter divisions. No textbook is perfect, for any subject. American textbooks are written and handed out to the public as if they are the law in your classroom, not you as the teacher. This is wrong. We know our subjects, sometimes better than the writers and the definitely the publishers. I will definitely not be teaching out of a textbook, it is only one other resource in my room, a great one, but not the end all be all of my instruction.
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