1 Latin IV/IB Latin Syllabus 2011-2012 • Blue Days, Period 2 • Room ...

2. “Genre Study”
AKA: Seen translation/commentary exam. Paper 2.
Subject Matter: Catullus, poems 1, 4, 10, 12, 14, 42, 46, 70, 75, 87, 96, and 109
AND
Horace, Odes Book 3, poems 1, 9, 15, and 29
AND
Virgil’s Aeneid Book 6, lines 154-476
Details: At the end of the year there will be a “seen” exam involving translation of and
commentary on some passages taken from the above selections of Catullus, Virgil, and
Horace. Since we know what will appear on the exam, the best preparation for us will be
to complete a careful and thorough reading of the selections above. Ultimately, we are
expected to be able to 1) translate the lines they have indicated and 2) answer more
advanced questions concerning Catullus’s, Virgil’s, and Horace’s style and concerning
the content of whatever passages they choose for the exam; therefore we will frequently
practice answering the kinds of questions they will ask in a simulated testing
environment. NOTE: Horace has never once appeared on the exam as the only author to
choose from. For the past many years, one has always been able to ignore Horace on the
exam and choose to do Catullus instead. We will therefore work on Catullus intensively
and will only cover Horace if we move through Catullus quickly enough and there is
extra time toward the end of the year.
Our Plan: 1) To finish a careful, thorough reading of Catullus, poems 1, 4, 10, 12, 14, 42,
46, 70, 75, 87, 96, and 109 and Virgil Aeneid 6: 154-476.
2) Practice frequently in a simulated testing environment.
3) Extra time will be spent preparing for the unlikely appearance of Horace as
a required author on the exam.
3. “Individual Study”
AKA: Project. Internal Assessment.
Type of Project: Research Dossier
Details: Students must complete an individual project. The project must be what is called
a “research dossier,” which is an annotated collection of 10-12 primary sources. The
topic must be related to classical language, history, or civilization and will be chosen by
the student at the beginning of the year. Each annotation, though short, should explain its
source and also tie all of the sources together into a coherent, meaningful whole.
Our Plan: To work on the projects and improve them continually to perfection throughout
the first half of the year. My goal is that projects will be totally complete around the
beginning of the second semester.
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