AP Latin IV
Instructor: Mr. Maginnis
Email Address:
Dear Resident Parents & Families: I wanted to share with you a bit of what I will share at the “Back to School” night session at Prep. Below, you will find my course goals and grading structure, as well as my encouragement to your sons. I have added a few comments as well that I think might help you understand and appreciate my aims. Thank you, and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Course Goals:
My ultimate goal is for you to enjoy and appreciate the works that we are reading in this course. My hope is that, at the end of this year, you are prepared for a college-level Latin course and that you would like to take one. {What I most want students to get from this class is the make the transition from looking at Latin as a translation exercise, to looking at Latin as a literary analysis exercise. We are reading Literature – it may be another language, but we should still treat it as literature.}
We will do a few things to reach that goal:
● We will translate and review together a substantial amount of Latin.
● We will practice sight translation and translation skills.
● We will read in English and examine as literature both of the authors - Caesar & Vergil - that we read in the original Latin.
● We will read research articles while analyzing major literary themes.
● We will work collaboratively to build a strong learning culture in our class.
I will do everything I can in pursuit of these goals and in preparation for May’s AP exam. In turn, all I ask of you is your best effort. I want 100% effort, 100% of the time, and I want your work to be done with integrity and attention. For thousands of years, people have been translating the works of Vergil and Caesar; for hundreds of years, they have been recording those translations in books, and for about 20 years they have been putting them on the internet. Realize that these translations are a crutch, and they are the proverbial finger in the dam – they may save you right now, but they are not a long term solution. The mark of a good man, and a good Jesuit student, is in his integrity and honesty. I expect nothing less from you.
Grading Structure:
1. Tests (40%) – We will have tests every C day, (almost) without exception. The format for those tests will be announced before they are given. Generally, they will cover the material we translated during that cycle, as well as a portion of prior material. We may replace some tests with AP practice essays which would then be graded as a test; stay tuned.
2. Quizzes (40%) – We will have, generally, about 2-3 quizzes per cycle. These quizzes will be of two main sorts:
a. We will have quizzes on the recently translated material. You will be expected to reproduce a translation and parse any forms therein. These quizzes will be announced the day before they are given.
b. We will have quizzes which replicate sections of the AP test. These could be multiple choice, free response, short answer, or essay questions. These could be on the required Vergil and Caesar material, but they could also be on passages and authors which you must translate on sight. The AP test will do the same, and we must be prepared.
3. Projects (20%) – The goal of AP courses in general is to provide you a college-level learning experience. I believe that the ability to work collaboratively, critique peer work and receive peer criticism, and research a topic or theme are important abilities. As such. each quarter, you will have a project to complete:
a. In the first quarter, you will “jigsaw” our English reading of the Aeneid.
b. In the second quarter, you will write two annotated bibliographies around the major themes of the course as they relate to Vergil.
c. In the third quarter, you will “jigsaw” our English reading of Caesar’s Commentarii.
d. In the fourth quarter, you will write one annotated bibliography around the major themes of the course as they relate to Caesar.
{These projects are new this year, and are an intentional effort to prepare students for the type of work an introductory college Latin course might ask for. Combining research skills, presentation construction and delivery, and collaboration, these should help your sons build crucial skills in preparation for college.}
We are going to attempt to move as fast as we can without short-changing the material. We may not always have time in class for much review. I am always available to help you out, and you need only ask. I am not a mind reader – if you are confused and need help with a section, you must come find me and ask for help. If I sense that we are all struggling with a certain section, I will set up a group tutoring session after school. Please, please, do not hesitate to ask me for help.