AP® Latin

All-Gender Course; Prerequisite - Successful completion of at least three years of high school Latin;  Full-year course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
AP® Latin students meet the challenge of reading and analyzing passages of Caesar's Gallic Wars and Vergil's Aeneid. The course emphasizes reading and understanding the works of these two authors, as well as diving into the historical context of both works. Students also look at literary devices and discuss how each author uses Latin and to what effect. Students practice these analytical skills not only on the proscribed passages, but also on sight passages from various authors with weekly assignments. Students compare the writings of Vergil and Caesar to modern authors and use class discussions to explore the effect these authors have on our world today. Students prepare translations and essays under time constraints similar to those on the AP® Latin Exam. Additionally, students peer edit essays to help strengthen their writing and analysis skills. All students enrolled in this course are thoroughly prepared to take the AP® Latin Exam in the spring.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY

"I’ve definitely learned time management and how to take my mistakes and use them to better myself and fix the issues I’m having. This is helpful for me to focus on long-term goals."

"I absolutely love Dr. Jordan! I think she’s a phenomenal teacher. She’s very accommodating to anything I need, if I have issues. She’s always interested in helping me, which is very nice, to have a teacher who’s dedicated to anything I need."

"Dr. Jordan is an excellent teacher. She definitely exceeded my previous expectations for language teachers. She really tries to make sure that I understand what I am learning and she is pretty forgiving. She is one of the most intense and dedicated teachers I have had so far, but I am glad that she is one of my teachers." 

WHAT STUDENTS DO
Learning is an active process at One Schoolhouse. Students design, create and apply. And, they engage with classmates and connect with their teachers through discussions, video conferences, and projects. Specifically, in this class students will:
  • Set goals that drive their learning. Students reflect regularly on their growth, and meet on video chat with their online teacher to review progress towards their goals.
  • Have choice in how they learn new content and practice new skills. Students are given agency to determine the best ways for them to learn.
  • Apply what they are learning to the real world. Learning is meaningful and connects to concepts outside the classroom.
  • Practice constructive engagement in a diverse and changing world. Students interact with classmates from across the country and around the world.
  • Gain academic maturity. Online learning takes greater discipline and independence than a traditional face-to-face classroom. Teachers support students to build this skill.
MEET A TEACHER FOR THIS COURSE
SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES
Examples of signature activities and projects for this course are:
  • Interactive classes: The literal translations required on the AP exam have specific requirements. In the twice-weekly, optional interactive classes, we work together as a group to develop the required skills. These sessions also focus on the themes of the text in question. The collaborative work gives students an opportunity to connect with their teacher and their peers.
  • Cultural activities: When we translate Book V of Caesar's De Bello Gallico, students have an opportunity to produce a creative writing piece in which they demonstrate understanding of and empathy for the plight of the Roman soldiers faced with incompetent leadership.​
​OUR RESEARCH-BASED APPROACH TO TEACHING LANGUAGES ONLINE
One Schoolhouse designs competency-based courses with the student-teacher relationship as the cornerstone of our personalized pedagogy.  While students excel in our language AP courses, for many years we did not offer full sequence language courses because there was little research to support the efficacy of online language learning at the early levels.  The research shows that fewer than 1% of Americans are proficient in the language they studied in traditional classrooms. Not wanting this outcome for One Schoolhouse students, our goal is to inspire deep learning so we strive to ensure that the online learning experience increases the effectiveness of second language acquisition. In recent years, we have honed our approaches to delivering the four language competencies – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – in the online space, and have therefore endeavored to build out our Chinese, French, and Latin sequences.  The limitations of other online language programs are mitigated by the centrality of the student-teacher relationship, including interactive sessions where students speak, listen, and translate with their peers and teacher, at One Schoolhouse.  J.C. Narcy-Combes’s research on second language learning online shows that, “meaningful interaction will trigger learning processes,” which we know to be true anecdotally, and that, with intentional design, students can be taught to learn language effectively online.  Carrier et. al. have more recently shown that educational technologies and online learning are rapidly transforming second language acquisition, and that intentional practice can create a highly effective digital experience.  Because One Schoolhouse students have pathway options where they can practice in the target language at their own pace, get feedback from their teacher, interact with peers from around the country, and demonstrate their mastery through both traditional assessments and creative projects, students have the full complement of research-based learning activities in their online courses that you would expect to find in any independent school language program.  Additionally, our language teachers have advanced degrees from American universities, are trained in both their language and the best pedagogical practices for delivering language online, teach in independent schools around the US, and are AP readers. 
COURSE APPROVAL
This course is approved by the College Board and the NCAA. 

One Schoolhouse is fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025; we are an approved online publisher for the University of California. ​
Victoria Jordan
she/her/hers
Language Teacher
BS University of Pittsburgh
MA University of Virginia
MAT Boston College University
​PhD Boston College University