Latin Summer Reading

Summer Reading - Latin

The study of Latin at UHS places emphasis on the close reading and analysis of authentic literary texts in context, which requires grammatical accuracy, development of vocabulary skills, and - most importantly - practice reading and processing texts tailored to students’ skill levels. Because our program’s goal is to develop reading and analytical skills, summer reading provides students with a glimpse of our curriculum as well as an opportunity to engage with the language before school begins. These texts will be covered during the first few weeks of classes. We therefore recommend that you do these readings at least a week before school starts in the Fall, and we advise you to order your book(s) in June because they can sometimes take more than two weeks to be received. Where possible, links are provided for freely available versions of texts.

All texts below will be divided into sections; as you read each section/chapter, please do the following tasks:

Jot down words or phrases drawn from each section/chapter which, to you, capture the section’s essence.
Compose at least one question per section/chapter which is ideally open-ended (meaning not a strict ‘yes/no’ question) and may help jog your classmates memory and stimulate discussion; you are highly encouraged (but not required) to write your questions in Latin.

Compile your work into a single document that you can submit electronically the first day of class. This document will not be graded; it will be your first contribution to class discussion.

We expect this work to be your own, so we can get to know you and best support you from the start. Do not seek an English translation or any other help during this process, and don’t worry if you find that you are encountering difficulties - note them in the document you are preparing, which will help your instructor support you once classes begin.

Incoming Latin 1

No reading

For Students Entering Latin 2:

Ritchie’s Fābulae Facilēs, ed. Geoffrey Steadman
            - here is a link to a freely available pdf copy of this text; you may also purchase
            this text on Amazon if you would like a print copy
            - the first few pages include vocabulary which will not be glossed in the stories in
            a “Running Core Vocabulary” section; go over these words first before reading

            - the narrative begins on page 2, which retells the story of Perseus’ birth and
            events leading up to Perseus slaying Medusa, rescuing Andromeda, and fulfilling
            the oracle prophesying that he would bring destruction to king Polydectes

            - the Perseus story runs from sections 1-11, and you should read at least
            sections 1-5 (but please read more if you are comfortable doing so) → the goal
            here is for you to get back into the habit of reading Latin in an enjoyable way

For Students Entering Advanced Latin 1:

Cicero’s First Catilinarian Oration, ed. Geoffrey Steadman
            - here is a link to a freely available pdf copy of this text; you may also purchase
            this text on Amazon if you would like a print copy
            - the first few pages include vocabulary which will not be glossed in the stories in
            a “Running Core Vocabulary” section; go over these words first before reading

- also read the introductory pages, which cover Cicero’s life and the context of
this speech, before proceeding to the Latin text

            - the Latin text of this speech begins on page 2, and you should read at least
            sections 1-2 (but please read more if you are comfortable doing so) → the goal
            here is for you to get back into the habit of reading Latin in an enjoyable way

For Students Entering Advanced Latin 2:

Selections from Vergil’s Aeneid, ed. Geoffrey Steadman
            - here is a link to a freely available pdf copy of this text; you may also purchase
            this text on Amazon if you would like a print copy
            - the first few pages include vocabulary which will not be glossed in the stories in
            a “Running Core Vocabulary” section; go over these words first before reading

            - also read the introductory pages, which cover Vergil’s life and the context of
            this poem, before proceeding to the Latin text; you may optionally read the
            section on meter and oral reading, though you may skip this section if you want

            - the Latin text of this poem begins on page 2, and you should read at least
            up to line 50 in Book 1 (but please read more if you are comfortable doing so) →
            the goal here is for you to get back into the habit of reading Latin in an enjoyable
            way