Latin V AP/Honors Vergil Syllabus
Mr. Whelton
whelton@norwellschools.org
(781) 659-8808 ext. 4104
Late Nights:Tues. and by appointment
The mission statement of Norwell High School is to provide an engaging, supportive
environment where students strive for excellence, practice respect and contribute to
society.
INTEGRITY, LEARNING, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY
Course:
The AP/Honors Vergil course follows the curriculum set by the College Board. During
the first three terms of the year students will translate and analyze the Latin passages
designated by the AP curriculum as well as read the entire Aeneid in English. During
term four students will engage in intense preparation and review for the AP Vergil
examination. The course enhances the student’s ability to literally translate Latin into
English, read Latin at sight, and introduces and develops the skills necessary for the
formal analysis of Latin poetry. Honors students will be responsible for translating less
of the Aeneid into English, but otherwise will be expected to meet the requirements of the
AP curriculum. During term four honors students will review for their final exam which
will be a modified version of the College Board’s AP exam format.
Students will focus on the following NHS student expectations for learning:
Norwell High School graduates will be:
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Effective Readers
Reflective Problem Solvers
Clear and accurate writers and speakers
Materials Needed/Required Daily:
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1, 3-ring binder, with note paper
A pen
The Textbooks:
Boyd, Barbara, ed. Vergil’s Aeneid Selections from Books 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, and 12. Second
edition. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy – Carducci, 2004.
Vergil. The Aeneid of Vergil. Translated by Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam
Books, 1971.
Grading System
 Homework/Quizzes/Essays
25%
 Tests
75%
Homework will consist mostly of translation assignments.
Quizzes will be short translations of passages previously translated, multiple- choice
sight quizzes and fill-in-the-blank quizzes on the portions of the Aeneid read in English.
Essays-see below.
Tests will be on approximately 100-125 lines of the Aeneid for AP Students and 80-100
lines for honors students. On every test ALL students are expected to literally translate,
scan, and write essays drawn from past AP exam questions or questions written in the AP
style format.*
*At the end of term II there will be a mid-term examination for which AP students are
responsible for all of the Latin required by the AP Syllabus from books I, II, and IV and
all of the material read in English from books I-V. Honors students will be responsible
for translating fewer lines of Latin, but they WILL BE responsible for all of books I-V
read in English.
N.B.
All Assignments are due at the BEGINNING of CLASS. Late homework is NOT
accepted. An essay turned in one day late will eligible for half-credit. No credit
will be given for essays turned in more than one day late. A student who is absent
on the day of a quiz or a test is expected to take that quiz or test on the DAY THAT
S/HE RETURNS TO SCHOOL unless a prior arrangement has been made with the
teacher.
Course Requirements and Procedures
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Students are to literally translate all of the Latin required by the AP syllabus into
English (see translation schedule below). Translation assignments will be given
for homework at the start of each class and will be checked the following day.
Students will share their translations with the class on a daily basis and should be
prepared to read the Latin aloud. All portions of the Aeneid not translated are to
be read in English.
As part of the homework assignments students are required to take notes on the
historical, cultural and political information presented in the Boyd text.
Additional historical, cultural, political, and mythological facts and material will
be presented in class by the teacher. Students are expected to take notes on this
information and to incorporate it in both their take-home essays and the essays
they write for in-class tests where appropriate. Students are also expected to use
this information to inform their interpretation and class discussions of the Aeneid.
Students will write analytical and interpretive essays of the Aeneid. Essay
questions will be drawn from past AP exams or written in an AP style format.
Essays are to be typed, double spaced, and 2-3 pages in length. Essays will be
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assigned every two weeks and students will have 2-3 days to complete the
assignments. At the beginning of the course students will be instructed on how to
write essays in accordance with AP requirements. Students will be taught to
quote liberally from the beginning, middle and end of the Latin passage under
consideration-providing both the Latin and an English translation- and to discuss
Vergil’s use of figures of speech and metrical techniques. The figures of speech
required by the AP syllabus will be taught at the beginning of the course and
students are to use them in their essays throughout the course. Dactylic
hexameter and metrical effects will also be taught at the beginning of the course
and students are expected to discuss metrical effects in their essays where
appropriate. Essays on the portions of the Aeneid read in English will be assigned
at the completion of individual books and when the entire Aeneid has been
completed. When essays have been graded and returned to students the class will
discuss and analyze the essays in order to deepen understanding of the passage
and to improve the students’ essay writing skills.
Students are required to read Latin sight passages. At the beginning of class on
Fridays students will take a 10-15 question, multiple- choice, sight quiz on a Latin
passage. Passages will be drawn from Caesar, Catullus, Cicero, Horace, Livy,
Ovid, Pliny, Propertius, Tibullus, and Vergil.
Course Expectations:
 Students will bring all necessary/required materials EVERY DAY.
Failure to do so will result in a homework grade of ZERO for the day.
 It is the student’s responsibility to obtain assignments, handouts, and notes for any
day/s he/she has been absent.
 Students will arrive in class before the bell.
 There will be no food or drinks in the classroom. Water is the only exception.
 RESPECT will be shown towards all members of the classroom community at all
times.
 SUCCESS-YOU will attain it through diligent work and study.
Organization and Time Management
It is vital to each student’s success that s/he makes time to complete assignments and to
review previously completed translations on a class by class basis. To facilitate this it is
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that each student maintain a spiral or three-ring
notebook organized in the following manner: The right hand piece of paper for English
translation with two lines skipped in between to allow for corrections; The left hand piece
of paper left blank for notes on grammar, poetic techniques, culture, politics and
historical/mythological allusions that will be given in class.
Notes on grammar, poetic techniques,
culture, politics and historical/mythological
allusions
English translation of Latin_____________
English translation of Latin
Translation and Reading of the Aeneid in English Schedule
September
Book I, lines 1-199
Total lines: 199
Read: Entirety of book I in English
October
Book I, lines 200-519
Total lines: 319
November
Book II, lines 1-56, 199-297, 469-566, 735-805
Total lines: 321
Read: Entirety of books II and III in English
December
Book IV, lines 1-218
Total lines: 218
January
Book IV, lines 219-449, 642-705
Total lines: 294
Read: Entirety of Books IV and V in English
February
Book VI, lines 1-211, 450-76, 849-901
Total lines: 290
Read: Entirety of Book VI in English
March
Book X, lines 420-509, Book XII, lines 791-842
Total lines: 142
Read: Entirety of Books VII-XI in English
April
Book XII, lines 887-952
Total lines: 66
Read Entirety of Book XII in English
Total Lines to be Read in Latin: 1,856
Begin review for AP Exam
May
Continue Review
AP EXAM
Friday, May 14th, 2010 (last AP exam given)