AP LATIN : VERGIL
OVERVIEW :
The AP Latin: Vergil course emphasizes a close reading and explication of Books
I, II, IV, VI, X, and XII, and a familiarity with the content of Books 1-12 of Vergil's
Aeneid. Students review Latin grammar and develop skills in reading classical Latin epic
poetry. Skills include the ability to translate, analyze, interpret, read aloud, and scan
dactylic hexameter verse. The course places a strong emphasis on the epic tradition in
western literature, the Trojan War, and the founding of Rome. This course aims to
complete the lines given and the goals set in the AP® Latin Course Description.
Students work to translate the prescribed lines in a variety of ways including
teacher instruction, group work, and regular translation homework assignments. Students
are also expected to read and discuss the content of the entire story throughout the year in
time for the AP exam. During the final quarter of the year, students work to complete and
discuss previous AP exams- both free-response and multiple choice sections- as a means
to prepare for the AP exam.
TEXTS:
Boyd, Barbara Weiden, Vergil’s Aeneid, Wauconda, Illinois;
Bolchazy-Carducci, 2001.
Fitzgerald, Robert, The Aeneid: Vergil, New York, Vintage
Classics, 1990.
Palma, Ronald B., AP Latin: Vergil and Literature, Piscataway,
NJ, Research and Education Association, 2007.
ABILITIES TESTED:
 to read and write a literal English translation of the required Latin from Vergil’s
Aeneid;
 to explicate specific words or phrases in context with a secure knowledge of Latin
grammar and syntax;
 to identify the social, historical, political, and cultural significance of Vergil's
Aeneid as a complete work, including an understanding of Vergil's life and the age of
Augustus; highlighted will be Vergil's role in Maecenas' literary circle and the
political implications of the Aeneid in Augustus' rise to power
to discuss elements of literature, mythology, and philosophy by comparing and
contrasting Vergil's world with our own world

to scan and to read aloud specified passages on a regular basis.
 to analyze and interpret the required Latin passages from the Aeneid;
 to identify and analyze characteristic or noteworthy features of the authors’
modes of expression, including their use of imagery, figures of speech, sound effects,
and metrical effects seen in specific passages;
 to write a well-developed essay that interprets the text and analyzes critical
statements about the text, including appropriate references to the use of stylistic and
metrical techniques used by Vergil;
 to read sight passages in Latin in preparation for the multiple choice section of the
AP exam;
 to discuss particular motifs or general themes with a knowledge of Roman history
and of epic poetry within the context of the Aeneid;

to acquire the Latin vocabulary essential for translating Vergil's Aeneid;
COURSE SYLLABUS:
Students meet for three 80 minute blocks for each six-day cycle. Each quarter consists of
approximately six cycles. The text is divided accordingly:
1st Quarter: Book I: lines 1-519
2nd Quarter: Book II: lines 1-56; 199-297; 469-566; 735-805
3rd Quarter: Book IV; lines 1-449; 642-705
4th Quarter: Book VI: lines 1-211; 450-476; 847-901: Book X: lines 420-509: Book XII:
lines 791-842; 887-952
Students must also have a solid knowledge of the content of the Aeneid - Books I-XII.
This course gives students opportunities to practice reading and translating as literally as
possible from Latin into English all of the required passages listed above. In addition, the
entire Aeneid is read in English.
GRADING:
- the grade for each quarter will be based on the following system:
20% Classroom Participation
- students are expected to be active members of the class in every
aspect. In addition to reading the required text, students will also
be asked to read and translate at sight twice per quarter.
30% Homework and Assignments
- while the majority of the assignments will be translation based,
students are asked to read beyond the Aeneid including
selections from Homer's Iliad and articles pertaining to the
Aeneid and the epic genre. Students will also write two essays
per quarter pertaining to the text and selected assigned readings.
50% Tests and Quizzes
- periodic vocabulary quizzes will test the acquisition of Vergilian
vocabulary while quarterly exams will assess an understanding
of the text in all aspects.
- there will be no final exam given to those students who take the AP exam -