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AP Latin IV Independent Study
2014-15 Syllabus
Salve, and welcome to AP Latin IV. You have your work cut out for you this year. The AP Latin test is
extremely challenging, and the texts you must finish before taking it are lengthy. The subject matter, however,
consists of texts that have withstood two thousand years of study and scrutiny and are still regarded as some of
the most important and finely written things that have ever existed. The work will be great, but the rewards,
academically and personally, will be outstanding.
Assignments:
Formative Assessments
As this is an independent study course, my opportunities to instruct you will be few, so you will have a
constant stream of formative assessments to give you feedback and put you on the right course.
Literal Translation: Your main assignment most weeks will be a section of Latin text. You should
annotate that section throughout the week and make whatever notes will help you remember what it
says. Every Friday, I will release a piece of the week’s reading on a Google form, which you will
literally translate within ten minutes for a grade. You can use handwritten notes and your annotated text
for this, but not a dictionary. This will not be an amount of text that you could reasonably translate in
the time given if you had not read it and made notes before—i.e. you must read throughout the week in
order to score well on the weekly literal translation. Any week without Latin text will not have a literal
translation grade on Friday.
Comprehension Questions: Each week of reading will be accompanied by a set of comprehension
questions requiring simple answers that demonstrate understanding of the text and of the cultural and
historical context of the writing. For Vergil, these questions will include lines of dactylic hexameter
that you will be required to scan. Comprehension questions will be turned in and graded every Friday
with the translation notebook.
Vocabulary Quizzes: Every Wednesday, you will receive a vocabulary quiz based on the passages
from the previous week. The quiz will consist of a block of text taken from the reading with ten
underlined words, of which you will choose five to define and parse. If the prior school week contained
no Latin reading, no Vocabulary Quiz will be given.
Discussion Questions: Every English reading will be followed by a set of discussion questions,
focusing on thematic and contextual concerns. These will be graded more on thoughtfulness than on
content at the beginning, and will be returned with feedback that should guide you to better responses
on the AP Test. These will also represent your district-required reading grade.
Sight Passages: A brief sight passage will be given at least once a month. The passage will come from
a non-syllabus text—either an excerpt from Vergil or Caesar not covered in the course, or from another
author such as Livy or Catullus—and will be followed by short answer or multiple choice questions.
Oral Assessments: At least weekly, you will be asked to record yourself reading a piece of your
reading for the week in Latin and to submit it to me electronically. You may record these during the
school day or at home.
Summative Assessments
Tests: The schedule for tests is given on the agenda. Tests will usually occur at major breaks in the
Latin works, except where district policy necessitates otherwise. Tests will include two Latin
passages—one from the readings being tested, one unseen from a non-Caesar-or-Vergil source.
Questions will cover vocabulary, translation, comprehension, grammar, literary devices, and scansion
(for Vergil). Specific lists of terminology and poetic devices will be provided at the beginning of the
year; the tests will require you to use this terminology fluently.
Thematic Timed Writes: Timed writes will be given at least once a month in which you have one
class period to write an essay about the themes of the works being studied. Prompts will include
English text at first, but will transition to using Latin text only.
Author Projects: For both Caesar and Vergil you will complete a long-term project dealing with the
author’s biography and the context in which he wrote. A copy of the assignment sheet is on the Google
Drive with the rest of your assignments. The projects are due in the last week of the first and second 9
weeks respectively. Start early!
Grade Breakdown:
English Discussion Questions: 15%
Formative Assessments: 40%
Summative Assessments: 45%
Required Latin Readings
Vergil, Aeneid
Book 1: Lines 1-209, 418-440, 494-578
Book 2: Lines 40-56, 201-249, 268-297, 559-620
Book 4: Lines 160-218, 259-361, 659-705
Book 6: Lines 295-332, 384-425, 450-476, 847-899
Caesar, Gallic War
Book 1: Chapters 1-7
Book 4: Chapters 24-35 and the first sentence of Chapter 36
(Eodem die legati . . . venerunt.)
Book 5: Chapters 24-48
Book 6: Chapters 13-20
Required English Readings
Vergil, Aeneid
Books 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12
Caesar, Gallic War
Books 1, 4, 5, 6, 7
The readings in English are meant to strengthen your understanding of the work as a whole and provide
the proper context for Latin readings. Some of your responses on the AP Latin Exam must show an
understanding of themes that will not be possible to attain using only the Latin readings. Accordingly,
you will be held responsible through discussion questions and quizzes for your English readings. It is
recommended that you read online summaries of all skipped books to keep up with the thread of the
narrative.
Secondary Source Readings
Gilliver, Kate: Caesar’s Gallic War (Essential Histories)
Required: Introduction (7-9); Background to War (11-17); Gauls, Britons and Germans + Gallic Flair
and Roman Discipline (23-29); 55 BC Publicity stunts + 54 BC Back to Britain (43-50); Caesar’s
Centurions (66-68); Religious and Social Change + Rome (75-79)
The rest of the book is recommended reading. It’s brisk and easy to read (with lots of pictures),
and it gives you the full story so that you can appreciate Caesar’s subtle style of propaganda in
his own account.
Schedule
The 2015 AP Latin Test will be in the afternoon session on Friday, May 15. The following is a rough week-byweek schedule, subject to change, of what you will be responsible for.
BG= De Bello Gallico
VA= Vergil’s Aeneid
Gilliver=Secondary Source Gallic Wars
1st 9 weeks
Week 1: Gilliver 7-9, 11-17, BG English Book 1
Week 2: BG Latin 1.1-4
Week 3: Gilliver 23-29, BG Latin 1.4-7
Week 4: Book 1 Test, BG English Book 4, Gilliver 43-50
Week 5: BG Latin 4.24-36
Week 6: BG English Book 5, Gilliver 66-68, 75-79, Latin 5.24-30
Week 7: BG Latin 5.31-40
Week 8: 9 Weeks Test, Caesar project due
2nd 9 weeks
Week 9: BG Latin 5.40-48
Week 10: Timed Write, BG English Books 6 & 7
Week 11: BG Latin 6.13-20
Week 12: Caesar analysis, Timed Write, Comprehensive Caesar Test
Week 13: VA English Book 1
Week 14: VA Latin 1.1-33, Scanning Dactylic Hexameter
Week 15: VA Latin 1.34-101
Week 16: Semester Exam, Vergil project due
3rd 9 weeks
Week 17: VA Latin 1.102-169
Week 18: VA Latin 1.170-209, 418-440
Week 19: VA Latin 1.494-578
Week 20: Book 1 Test, VA English Book 2
Week 21: VA Latin 2.40-56, 201-249
Week 22: First Half of Book 2 Test
Week 23: VA Latin 2.268-297, 559-570
Week 24: VA Latin 2.571-620
Week 25: 9 Weeks Test, VA English Book 4
You are always encouraged to work ahead
whenever possible.
Please communicate with me if you are
having trouble completing assignments on
schedule or you do not understand what you
are reading! You may ask in class if it won’t
interrupt what the Latin 3’s are doing;
otherwise, use email.
4th 9 weeks
Week 26: VA Latin 4.160-218
Week 27: VA Latin 4.259-330
Week 28: VA Latin 4.331-361, 659-705
Week 29: Book 4 Test, VA English Books 6, 8 & 12
Week 30: VA Latin 6.295-332, 384-425
Week 31: VA Latin 6.450-476, 847-899
Week 32: Practice AP Exam (multiple days)
Week 33: Study
Week 34: AP TEST WEEK
Weeks 35-37: Final Project (major grade + final exam grade if necessary)