Vocabulary and Readings for the Revised Advanced Placement Latin Syllabus
Bret Mulligan (Haverford College)
This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the core and non-core vocabulary used in the revised Advanced Placement (AP) Latin syllabus, aiming to empower instructors to enhance textual accessibility and vocabulary acquisition for their students. Through analyzing the new core and non-core vocabularies, experimenting with innovative core reading sequences, and exploring best-fit readings for the choice sections of the syllabus, this study offers practical suggestions to optimize vocabulary learning and so comprehension across the new AP curriculum.
The revised AP Latin syllabus presents both challenges and opportunities for students and educators. With selections from Pliny’s Epistles replacing Caesar as the core prose reading, the lexical universe of the AP syllabus will shift, requiring the acquisition of different words. Additionally, the inclusion of choice readings in the new syllabus offers opportunities for cultural exploration beyond the core texts. Selecting readings aligned with the lexical content of the core texts can deepen students’ understanding of Latin literature and language while reinforcing their lexical repertoire, facilitating the alignment of the AP experience with the Standards for Classical Language Learning (Luongo & Sheridan Moss 2021).
By examining the vocabulary requirements across the revised syllabus, this paper identifies key areas for focused vocabulary development. It explores default and novel sequences of required readings, demonstrating how reading sequences can strategically introduce and reinforce core vocabulary. Finally, the paper surveys a selection of choice texts to see which are most lexically accessible for students familiar with the core (and non-core) vocabulary in the required texts (Schmitt et al 2011).
Drawing on recent research on Latin readability (Gruber-Miller & Mulligan 2022) and innovative digital humanities tools, this paper offers practical recommendations for instructors seeking to optimize vocabulary acquisition and facilitate student reading in their AP Latin classroom (Borawski 2019). This data-informed approach promises to enhance the overall learning experience and outcomes for AP Latin students.
Bibliography
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Gruber-Miller, J. and B. Mulligan. 2022. “Latin Vocabulary Knowledge and the Readability of Latin Texts: A Preliminary Study” New England Classical Journal 49.1.
Luongo, Jennifer, and Jennifer Sheridan Moss. 2021. “Aligning an AP Latin Course to the Standards for Classical Language Learning.” The Classical Outlook 96.2 (2021): 52–59.
Potter, Franklin H. 1940. “The Teaching of Vocabulary.” The Classical Journal 36.3: 143–54.
Schmitt, Norbert, Xiangying Jiang, and William Grabe. 2011. “The Percentage of Words Known in a Text and Reading Comprehension.” The Modern Language Journal 95.1: 26–43.