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Lower Merion School District

Off-Canvas

Latin

Latin 1 / Latin 1 H

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: No prior study of Latin or no more than 1 year of experience in Middle School Latin.
  • Course Number: 05030302
  • Course Number H: 05030403

This course introduces students to Latin and is intended for students who have never studied Latin or had no more than one year of middle school Latin study. Students learn about Roman life, Roman history, and Roman mythology. By learning Latin, students improve their English vocabulary, as Latin is the root of much of the English language. The primary goal of this course is to read and understand elementary Latin. Students learn through pronunciation and grammar drills, syntax exercises, pair or small group work, utilization of various technologies, projects, and games. This course prepares students to enter Latin 2.

Latin 2

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: 2 years of Middle School Latin or Latin 1/1H.
  • Course Number: 05030802

This course is a continuation of Middle School Latin or Latin 1/1H. Students continue to expand their Latin vocabulary and, through the study of derivatives, expand their English vocabulary as well. Students learn increasingly sophisticated grammar. Cultural studies include mythology, daily life, Roman history, and other topics. The course also includes a cultural component. Students learn through pronunciation and grammar drills, syntax exercises, pair or small group work, utilization of various technologies, projects, and games. This course prepares students to enter Latin 3.

 

Latin 2 H

  1. Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  2. Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
  3. Prerequisite: Successful completion of 2 years of Middle School Latin or Latin 1H and teacher recommendation.
  4. Course Number: 05030903

This course is a continuation of two years of Middle School Latin or Latin 1H. Latin 2H includes a comprehensive review of the principles and fundamentals of the first year course and the beginning of an advanced study of Latin grammar. Students continue to expand their Latin vocabulary and, through the study of derivatives, expand their English vocabulary as well. Students apply this knowledge as they strengthen their translation skills. Students read selections from a number of Roman prose authors. Cultural studies will include mythology, daily life, Roman history, and other topics. The course also includes the celebrations of Roman festivals. Students learn through pronunciation and grammar drills, syntax exercises, pair or small group work, utilization of various technologies, projects, and games. This course prepares students to enter Latin 3H.

Latin 3

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 10, 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 2 and teacher recommendation
  • Course Number: 05031102

This course is a continuation of Latin 2. Students continue to expand their Latin vocabulary and, through the study of derivatives, expand their English vocabulary as well. Students learn increasingly complex grammatical structures. Cultural studies build on previous studies about mythology, daily life, and Roman history. Students learn through pronunciation and grammar drills, syntax exercises, pair or small group work, utilization of various technologies, projects and games.

Latin 3 H

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 2H and teacher recommendation
  • Course Number: 05031203

This rigorous course is a continuation of Latin 2H. The course begins with a thorough review of the Latin grammar covered in Latin 2H and the study of the remaining key grammatical structures, including the subjunctive mood and its uses and gerunds & gerundives. The students will read original Latin for the first time through a variety of authors and genres. The students will strive for accurate and contextually appropriate translations, while displaying knowledge of the grammar constructions that constitute the passage. This course prepares students to enter Latin 4H.

Latin 4 H

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 10, 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 3H and teacher recommendation
  • Course Number: 05031403

This rigorous course constitutes the first half of the AP Latin syllabus. In this course, students read selections from the letters of Pliny the Younger and conclude with a poetry unit learning about hexameter and figures of speech, while translating poetry from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Class work focuses on accurate translation informed by knowledge of grammar and syntax, figures of speech, scansion, mythology, and the world of ancient Rome. Students also have extensive practice in sight-reading Latin texts and in writing analytical essays about literature. This course prepares students for AP Latin or Advanced Latin Literature.

AP Latin H

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 4H and teacher recommendation
  • Course Number: 05031704

The AP syllabus features readings from Vergil’s Aeneid, considered one of the greatest poems in western literature. Students continue to develop skills in translation and literary analysis. They learn more about the nuances of the Latin hexameter verse form and the way Vergil employs it along with figures of speech to heighten or adumbrate the meaning of the text. Students work on translations in class and further refine their ability to produce accurate, literary translations. Students also have extensive practice in sight-reading Latin texts and in writing analytical essays about the literature. The course also includes participation in the National Latin Exam. After the successful completion of this course, students will be prepared to take the Advanced Placement Examination.

Advanced Latin Literature H

  • Length/credit: 1 year - 1.0 credit
  • Grade(s): 11, 12
  • Prerequisite: Successful completion of AP Latin, or with teacher recommendation.
  • Course Number: 05031803

This course includes selected readings from a variety of authors, selected from the prose of authors such as Cicero and Livy and the poetry of Catullus, Horace, Ovid, and Vergil. Students will explore the themes of love, friendship, betrayal, and the underlying motif of carpe diem through the literature. Students will continue to refine their translation and literary analysis skills, in addition to increasing their facility in scansion and syntactical understanding. Students have extensive practice in sight reading Latin texts and in writing analytical essays and reflections about the literature.