Introduction - Back

Gratulationes! You are combining an ancient language with state of the art technology. What an exciting and hopefully fulfilling adventure this academic year will open for you. Some of you may be taking this course with intent to take the Catullus/Horace AP^® exam in May. It is very important that you stay on the schedule so you will be ready for this exam at the end of the second week of May. There are 160 required lessons. Do each lesson in proper sequence. Do not try to complete more than 2 lessons on a given day. If you fall behind, you can work on weekends or holidays to get back on task.

There is no text for this course. You will be creating your own text. I have links to the various poems and the web site provides notes, as well as activities, that will reinforce what you read. I ask that you WRITE each poem in a notebook. There will be a temptation to cut and paste, but in writing it out, there is greater likelihood that you will remember the poem should it appear on the exam.

Remember how you needed to flip back to a dictionary when you encountered a word you did not know? One of the sites where you will access the poems has the words 'glossed'. When you run your cursor over a word, a dictionary definition will appear and you never need to leave the text itself. I want you to keep a record of the words you need to 'look up'. One suggestion is to keep a table or spreadsheet with the words. You can then sort the lists occasionally, and see what words continue to appear. These are words to which you need to give more attention.

There are links to information about each poem, oral readings, and of course reinforcement activities. Print out or copy into your notebook this data, so it is at hand, should you want to review at some time when your network might be 'down'.

You will be submitting your work either on-line in an interactive format, via the KET message center, via e-mail, via snail mail or fax. Be certain to review all your work carefully. Reread the instructions to be certain you have included all the required data. Label all materials with your name, school name, AP^® Latin Literature, and the assignment day for a particular task. In this way, you will receive a much speedier response. Review the graded work to learn from any errors you may have made. Ask questions if you need further instruction.

If you have not yet done so, please visit the KET site (www.dl.ket.org). Click on the Latin Class Link at the top of the page, then choose AP^® Latin Lit. When you are ready to begin, you need to ask the adult supervisor, whom the school has assigned for this course, to contact KET at 1.800.333.9764 to request your password. Remember to keep this password private. Do not share it with other students. Once you have a password you are ready to begin the course. Each day connect to the KET AP^® Latin Literature agenda page, to see the assignment for the lesson(s) you need to complete. It is important to connect daily, to stay on task and complete the course within your school year.

When you call KET, you will talk with the magistra, Ann Denny. Ms. Denny and the Latin assistants, will help you with any questions you have about the program, the on-line activities, etc. Do not hesitate to ask for help.

Multas Gratias et Bonam Fortunam Tibi Agimus,

Ann Denny
adenny@ket.org

1.800.333.9764 (8:30-4:30 EST) Extension 7133 after 4:30 EST will connect you directly to my phone.

A thought with which to begin: Festina Lente
What does it mean to you and how does it apply to this class?

Incipiamus - Let's begin! - Back

• Read the Student Guide
  • bring form home for parents' signature and mail to KET
  • send picture and data for the Yearbook
• Ask your adult supervisor to contact KET for your ID and Password. (800.333.9764)
• Visit the KET AP^® Latin Literature web pages:
  • Today's Agenda - 'things to be done', the neuter nominative plural gerundive of agere.
  • Opera. I use this to refer to daily assignments that can either be classwork or homework.
• There are two places for timely announcements:
  • Related Links - links to pertinent materials that are not linked to grades.
  • Announcements - connect daily to see some breaking news, such as a new discovery, information about the National Latin Exam, or Hodie in Historia events, such as reminders of Vergil's birthday, the eruption of Vesuvius, etc.
• NAV BAR is on the left of the page. This is a navigation tool, where there is a plethora of information, that might be of use to classes other than Latin. Do explore this area.
• Login when you know your password. You will see a page with red balls. There will be one with the words Send Messages. Click on this and send a quick message, so we know you are connected. This is the manner in which you will submit any work that does not have a direct link from the scroll. You can format messages if you use html code, but in general, it is best to write your work in Word and paste it into the message box.

Daily Instruction Details

• Each day connect first to the web site to view the assignment, as well as whatever breaking news might be posted for you. The Internet is the flexible medium in this course, and it is here that any changes, suggestions, reminders, etc. will appear.
• Complete each assignment with diligence. There will be some redundancy, and this is the intention as reinforcement. Your goal is to become very familiar with each poem and its meter, grammar, vocabulary, and significance.
• Always access assignments from the Today's Agenda or Opera links on the scroll. This ensures that you are on the correct lesson for the assignment. If you access an assignment from the Activity groups under Login, and are not on the appropriate lesson for an assignment, you will not be able to access it.
• If an assignment does not open, there are three possibilities: you have already opened it and may not access it again (test or quiz); you may need to open it from the link on the scroll on the web site; it may need to be opened by KET, in which case contact KET.
• If you miss an assignment and notice its absence from the grade book, go to the lesson number assigned in the grade book. If you don't see the link on that page, try the previous lesson, since the grade book lessons focus on when an assignment is due, not when it was assigned. E.G. If the grade book number is 013A, go to Lectio XII to find the link. Unless it was a long term assignment, the link should be there.
• Use the message system found under student Login to send materials or ask questions. Stay in contact with the teacher or assistants, and ask questions whenever they occur.

Troubleshooting - should problems occur

• Can't find a document.
  • Go to the agenda page where the activity or document is posted and click on the page, not on the link. The computer then recognizes that you are on this lesson and will see the link when you now click on it. It will ask for a password. When entered, the activity or document should appear.
• A blue/green screen with a list of titles comes up when you click on a link.
  • The activity is probably not opened. Call KET; ask that the specific activity be opened.
• Another KET class comes up.
  • Restart the computer.
• Some activities have grades posted shortly after being submitted and others do not show up for a day or more.
  • Activities with matching or multiple-choice options have automatic grading. Answers requiring short written responses must be viewed by KET staff before a grade is posted.
• An activity has been submitted but no grade appears in the grade book.
  • Allow 24 hours; if submitted on a Friday, wait until Tuesday morning to check the grade book. If there is still no grade posted, contact KET. You also need to submit the LAST section of an activity for the grade to appear.
• Student gets logged out of an activity.
  • Submit an activity or section of an activity within 20 minutes of beginning to work on it. If there is more than a 20 minute lapse of activity (the computer does not recognize anything as having been submitted), the student will be asked to log in again, however, you should not lose data.
• Electrical storm, fire drill or something unforeseen interrupts students during a quiz or test.
  • Call KET to have the activity sent to you using an alternate method such as e-mail, message center, or fax.
  • However, should a student create an error by hitting the Enter key, Back button, Home button or open a quiz or test but decide not to complete it, he or she needs to call KET; the activity will be completed over the phone. Opera (Homework/Classwork) activities are always available to be retaken.

Important Telephone Numbers/Contact People at KET - Back

The Course

Rationale: Why a Latin Course - Back

You have mastered the basics of the Latin language. Your understanding of English grammar has improved, your English vocabulary has grown and your deductive reasoning skills have been honed. Some of you may have discovered ease in learning a modern language. What next?

As a young child you learned to ride a bike, probably in a driveway. Next you were allowed on sidewalks and eventually, roads permitting it, you were riding to work or school. Some may have entered races; some may participated in bike trips.

You are ready for the Latin bike trip...to open new doors and enjoy the language fully in its literature. Certainly you can read translations, some of which are indeed excellent. However, no translation can replace original text. The innuendo, tone and rhetoric, even the meaning of certain phrases, tend to be lost in translation. There is of course more literature written in Latin than one can study in one school year. This course is designed to allow students to peek through the keyhole into the world of the late Republic and early Empire. In May, students will also have an opportunity to participate in the Advanced Placement Test for Latin Literature, in particular, the test on Catullus and Horace.

Put on your helmets and start peddling. Rome is on the horizon.

Course Description - Back

AP^® Latin Literature from KET is designed with the Advanced Placement Latin Literature Catullus and Horace syllabus. Students begin with a segment from Cicero's Pro Archia to view one writer's thoughts of the importance of poetry. The remaining program concentrates on a close reading of the poetry of Catullus and Horace. Students study rhetorical style and poetic meter. They write critical literary and historical analyses of the literature, and explore cultural topics, which shed light on these works such as literary history and authorial biography. Preparation for the AP^® examination is stressed during the spring term, when students have the opportunity to review other Roman authors, such as Martial, Ovid, Caesar, and Cicero.

Students read authentic Latin texts, analyze them, translate many literally and discuss via essay format, the materials read. On-line quizzes and tests are used as assessment tools for the acquisition of vocabulary, grammar, rhetoric, scansion, and general comprehension. Students are encouraged to participate in the National Latin Exam given in March.

The course is totally dependent on the Internet and telephone contact with the Distance Learning teacher. The following sites will be used heavily:

• KET Internet Site
  • Lesson assignments
  • Explanations
  • Ungraded practice activities
  • Oral reading of the poems
  • All quizzes and tests
  • Forum discussions
• Perseus Internet Site
  • Horace and Catullus poems with direct dictionary links
• Vroma Internet Site
  • Discussions of the various topics with other students from KET. From year to year the places will vary. Some may be KET Distance Learning students in various states. Some may be in traditional classrooms whose teacher I know. Some may be students in a university class. The opportunities are so many.
• Various other sites as they appear in lesson assignments.

The Advanced Placement Exam is an option for the AP^® Latin Literature student. The grade received on the exam may be entered into a student transcript separately, in order that a university can determine whether credit is applicable.

Course Objectives - Back

During this course, AP^® Latin Literature students:

• read a minimum of 1500 lines of Latin Literature, with a concentration on poetry of Catullus and Horace.
• increase reading comprehension in Latin.
• build vocabulary and grammar skills.
• demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary and grammar skills.
• read, write literal translations, and answer questions about sight passages from Catullus and Horace as well as other Roman authors such as Martial, Ovid, Caesar, and Cicero.
• recognize and study rhetorical terminology.
• learn to scan poetry and recognize the usefulness of the various meters.
• build proficiency in understanding why poets used rhetoric and meter.
• write analyses and critical interpretations of the required Latin poems of Catullus and Horace, supported by specific references to stylistic and metrical techniques used by both authors.

Materials for AP^® Latin Literature - Back

Each student should have:

• The New College Latin & English Dictionary
  AMSCO School Publications Inc.
  315 Hudson Street
  New York, NY 10013
  Phone: (800) 969-8398 FAX: (212) 675-7010
  ISBN #0-87720-561-2, Order No. R617P, $12.50

Each classroom should have:

• Access to the Perseus Literature Internet site for Catullus and Horace poems.

Course Outline - Back

Assignments are detailed on the daily agenda that are posted on the Internet KET AP^® Latin Literature site.
The course encompasses:

Corpus of Grammar

1. Reinforcement of grammar

Vocabulary

1. Reinforcement of vocabulary
2. New vocabulary
3. Vocabulary lists designed for the AP Exam

Reading Skills

1. Poems of Catullus from the AP^® syllabus
2. Poems of Horace from the AP^® syllabus
3. Rhetoric
4. Scansion of poetry

Civilization

1. Late Republic and early Empire

Interactivity

1. Call KET Distance Learning teacher to discuss progress.
2. Download pertinent materials as assigned.
3. Listen to oral recordings on the Internet.
4. Share ideas and opinions with other AP^® Latin Literature students via:
   • the Forum on the KET Internet site
   • the VRoma MOO, Terentia's Villa
5. Play Roman Clue and perhaps develop other Latin language game ideas to use in the Vroma Moo.

Grading Policy - Back

Students have day by day assignments for 160 days. During the other days of class, they are expected to work on projects, research materials, or use the time as needed to reinforce their Latin. Time is also allowed for work with some of the ancillary Internet materials, the National Latin Exam, standardized tests, etc. Materials for subsequent days are posted should there be time in individual schedules. This is a self-paced class. Each may proceed at his/her pace but must cover the full agenda as well as do well in all tests, quizzes, daily work etc. to qualify for an A in the class from the school. The grades are determined by this formula:

TESTS (35%) and QUIZZES (30%):

There will be NINE tests during the course, excluding the AP^® exam. There is also a final exam that students MUST take if they do NOT take the AP^® exam. For students taking the AP^® exam, the final is optional. There are also numerous quizzes. The tests and quizzes cover a variety of topics including long and short written essays, sight translations, figures of speech, grammatical constructions, rhetorical devices, scansion, and reading comprehension. ALL tests are electronically closed, until the student contacts KET. The test will be "opened" for a period of an hour, and then closed again.

HOMEWORK (35%):

Homework/Classwork (all Opera) consists of vocabulary and grammar exercises and practice, prepared translations, sight translations, multiple choice questions, scansion, well developed essays AND short essays, culture and history.

You are expected to complete a lesson a day according to your school calendar. When you connect to the Internet you will be able to view the assignment, as well as any breaking news or announcements that might be posted for you. Access your assignments from the Today's Agenda or Opera links on the scroll. All assignments are submitted on-line and you will receive feedback and a grade in a timely manner. If you miss any questions, you can go back and try again with no penalty.

How Grades are entered into the electronic Grade Book:

• All homework, quizzes, and tests taken by computer have grades entered automatically. If a student feels that an answer can be correct, contact me and I will alter the grade if appropriate.
• Most extra credit work needs to be graded at KET and the grades will then be entered at KET as well.

Duties and Responsibilities of Students - Back

• Be interactive: Language learning is a two-way process, and you must involve yourself in the process to become skilled. Participate with me via phone and e-mail; participate with other AP^® Latin Literature students throughout the country via the Forum and the Vroma Moo.
• Make up missed work quickly when you are absent. If possible, have an Internet connection at home, to stay on task should you be absent for a length of time.
• Bring books, notebooks, notecards to class every day.
• Always do your homework with care and thoroughness. A few extra minutes can save a lot of time later. Homework reinforces a lesson and the grammar and vocabulary you are continuing to increase.
• Keep note cards of additional vocabulary; work with them regularly.
• Be positive and enthusiastic about your work.
• Call me if you don't understand or remember something. There is nothing too trivial. We all forget at times and need reassurance.
• Things to do RIGHT NOW:
  1. Complete the Student Photo and Information Form in the Student Guide and return it to your facilitator or mail it directly to: KET, Ann Denny, 600 Cooper Drive, Lexington, KY 40502. Include a wallet-sized photo and the parent or guardian permission.
  2. Send KET a copy of your school calendar, with beginning and ending dates and all holidays and end of grading period dates indicated.
  3. Get index cards, and a box in which to store them.
  4. Prepare a database to store words you will be researching.
  5. Prepare your binder for th material you will be reading and discussing.

How to Get Help

Your questions and problems are important to me. Here's how you can get help:

1. Call me for assistance during the day between 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m EST.
2. If calling the 1.800.333.9764 number after 4:30 p.m., enter extension 7133 for the teacher.
3. E-mail questions during evening or before 8 a.m.
4. Work with classmates to build from one another's expertise.
5. Check the Internet for extra explanations and exercises. There are many ungraded activities to help you reinforce your vocabulary and grammar skills. Use them often.

Virtual Yearbook - Back

With your agreement and consent, KET will feature your Latin class on the Internet. This helps to establish a sense of community in our virtual classroom. In order to accomplish this, we will need information about you, your students, school, and community that other members of the class might find interesting.

For this feature, the facilitator and the students should consider sending print material or photos of school realia (caps, picture of mascot, T-shirts, etc.), students participating in activities, community events, local geography, etc. The students might also consider recording a short interview about their school and community for potential use on the Internet.