Latin is difficult for many readers because the meanings of its sentences do not rely on word order. In other words, Latin sentences may place the subject at the beginning of a sentence, the predicate at the end of the sentence, and various modifying words anywhere in the sentence, without regard to whether or not an adjective is next to the noun it modifies. It will benefit your students to form a pattern when translating. Whether your system is to translate the subject, then the verb the subject is performing, and then identify modifying words, or to start by translating the verb and working backwards from there, a systematic pattern will reduce confusion amongst your students.
Especially if you are running an Advanced Placement (AP) class or teach in a college-preparatory program, it is crucial that your students are well-rounded. This includes proficiency not just in basic grammar, but in scanning poetry, sight-reading, literal translation, and interpretation and analysis of the actual content of the text. When translating a text, you should be sure to emphasize all of these concepts, especially the ones in which your students are underperforming. If you struggle with any of these concepts yourself, consider improving your own knowledge with supplemental reading from a local public or university library.
Since reading Latin can be a strange or alien process to many students, especially in regard to how English is read and taught, students will need a lot of practice before translating Latin becomes routine and second nature. Thus, it is important to ensure your lesson plan includes a rigorous amount of reading, to give your students a strong foundation in the material before they can analyze the literature. As a rule of thumb, make sure the class has a solid grip on the literal meaning of the poem or prose in question before analyzing its meaning or aesthetic qualities.
Since many schools with AP Latin programs only have enough students for one section, the College Board advises teachers to place juniors and seniors in the same class, and alternate the Latin Literature (poetry) and Virgil programs from year-to-year. If your school has enough budding Latin scholars for two sections, the Board recommends offering a variety of classes based on the works of different authors (Horace, Ovid and Cicero, for example) in addition to Catullus (who is the "base" of most AP curricula). The board also stresses that Latin teacher do not merely "teach for the test," but also make sure students are exposed to the beauty, meaning, and historical significance of the literature.