We’ve all seen the gifs and memes of teachers running out the door on the last day of school and trust me – I’ll be leading the way! But before I do, I am building in some time for reflection while the year is still fresh in my mind. (I recognize we’re all at different … Continue Reading
Happy National Poetry Month! One of the single most transformational things that has happened in my classroom over the last decade is working with poetry collections instead of picking and choosing poems to read. Whether reading a collection as a whole class or students exploring them on their own (as in our poetry blogging assignment), … Continue Reading
This post written by Matt Brisbin originally appeared on APLitHelp.com and has been updated for this repost. “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – Albert Einstein I want to tell you about an idea that has the potential to completely … Continue Reading
When Gina Kortuem asked if I would be interested in a crosspost about summer work, I immediately answered yes because my summer work has slowly morphed over the last few years. I was not at all surprised when I read Gina’s post Why I Ditched Summer Reading to see that she and I have been … Continue Reading
A couple of weeks ago I outed myself as having an UnInstagrammable classroom by posting these pictures in the FB group and received c the response. Like minded souls followed up with pictures and comments of solidarity from their classrooms with stacks and piles of who even knows what all. Shout out to the few … Continue Reading
Last week I overheard a conversation from a group of students that went something like this: Student 1: I really think I should apply to College X as a backup school but don’t have time to write or revise my essay to the school’s prompt, so I guess I won’t. Student 2: Well if it’s … Continue Reading
I’m finally finding my way back to reading after the pandemic disrupted my reading rhythms and ability to concentrate, but I’m far more relaxed about tracking and pushing myself to read more. Now I’m more concerned with reading what I want, when I want, and not feeling guilty if I’m not setting “reading records.” So … Continue Reading
This post by Adrian Nester originally appeared on APLitHelp.com in March of 2019. I’ve added some additional resources at the end. When I received my copy of Terrance Hayes’ book American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassin I decided that I wanted to freshen up my sonnet unit to look beyond the traditional sonnets. … Continue Reading
Here’s a quick lesson I’ve put together for Halloween that will serve two purposes. First, we’ve been pushing ourselves the last three weeks digging into our choice novels and need something a little out of the routine and fun. (All work and no play make Mrs. Barber and AP Lit students a dull crowd). Second, … Continue Reading
Indigenous People Literature by Susan Barber Happy Indigenous People Day! I wanted to highlight some texts by indigenous authors that I use in class. There are so many other works that could be on this list, but here’s a start if you’re looking to add indigenous voices to your curriculum. There, There by Tommy Orange “If you … Continue Reading
