Many works of literature depict a conflict between the old and the new: Old worlds, old ways, or old values clash with newer ones… Choose a work of fiction in which there is marked tension between the old and the new. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the tension between the old and the … Continue Reading
Christopher Gilbert’s free verse poem “Marking Time” proved to be a very accessible subject for an analytical essay on the 2026 operational portion of the AP Exam. Most responses were able to discuss the speaker’s reflections, even if they missed some of the deeper connections (i.e. the grief over the sister). Overall, there was a … Continue Reading
The end of the school year is like a flashbang: loud, disorienting, starts and ends suddenly. Between standardized testing, field trips, end of the year concerts, finalizing grades, finishing the year often equates to simply hanging on until the last day. Here are three things I do each year to provide closure at the end … Continue Reading
Thank you to our friend and fellow English teacher Brett Vogelsinger for sharing his poetry wisdom with us this week. You can learn more about him and his book Poetry Pauses (highly recommend) at the end of this post. Poetry calls us to pause and notice things differently, both the words on the page and … Continue Reading
The literary argument question on the AP Literature exam is the most open of the three essays which students (and teachers) can find to be both freeing and difficult. Answering the prompt requires students to both zoom in to specific scenes to answer the prompt then zoom out to larger thematic ideas based on the … Continue Reading
This past weekend I participated in a group of three dozen educators, researchers, curriculum and learning specialists, and digital program leaders to draft a framework for AI in the English classroom. To say that this was time well spent – for me personally and for the work NCTE is doing – is an understatement. I … Continue Reading
After sharing what Brian and I are thinking about going into 2026, we put out an all call for teachers in the MuchAdo community to share what’s on their mind. As usual, we are inspired and challenged to hear from you. Thanks to everyone who shared. Here are some of your responses: I agree with … Continue Reading
I quit tracking my books on GoodReads a couple of years ago because it became cumbersome and took joy out of my reading life. Instead, I’ve been compiling an end of the year reading list primarily recalled through pictures on my phone. I’m sure I’ve missed a few but this is most of what I … Continue Reading
Apologies for any redundancy from previous posts, but one of the most common worries, concerns, and fears of new teachers (I serve as my school’s lead new teacher mentor) and from participants in my summer Lit and Lang APSIs is managing essay grading: how can I grade all of these essays, provide feedback, and still … Continue Reading
NCTE: the English teacher’s Disneyworld. Truly. My non-teaching friends are always amazed that 8,000 teachers of English gather yearly to discuss practices, learn from each other, and be inspired, but this happens yearly the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. After sitting out last year, I was eager to return and was fortunate enough to have a … Continue Reading
