Small tweaks often yield big gains. Here are five writing activities that put the work in students’ hands and help them improve their writing. 1 – Strong Verbs At some point during the second semester, I will ask students to take an essay and highlight every verb in the essay. Every. Single. Verb. This is … Continue Reading
We talk about the AP Lit exam on day 2 of class (day 1 is always some high-interest poetry activity). Here’s what I say: This class is all about the exam, and this class is not at all about the exam. We will live in this dichotomy all year. You will have the opportunity to … Continue Reading
One of the consistent issues that I have to combat throughout the year is that my students – in their close reading and analysis – keep tripping themselves up because they can’t “find any literary devices” in the passage or poem. They seem to think, as much as I try to break them from this … Continue Reading
Fences. The Importance of Being Earnest. A Doll House. A Raisin in the Sun. Trifles. Antigone. Short plays can pack a powerful punch. I love the possibilities and teaching points that plays provide. A play offers so many opportunities for interaction as students can read and act out scenes which easily leads to lessons about, … Continue Reading
Naomi Pate has been an inspiration to me since I started teaching in Atlanta; her enthusiasm and love for life is contagious. She teaches English and journalism at Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta, GA. She is also an ambassador for the Atlanta Track Club, so if you’re ever running a race in Atlanta, keep … Continue Reading
by Susan Barber and Matt Brisbin (repost from APLitHelp.com) This year, I have had to rethink my teaching. I moved from a suburban to urban school, left a 4×4 block where I had my AP students everyday all year and now teach on an A/B block only seeing my students every other day, and I have … Continue Reading
I am a huge proponent of choice reading, but sometimes the whole class novel is necessary. A common text allows us to think through character development, plot and structure, and thematic ideas over the course of a few hundred pages and a few weeks. This slow burn and thinking on one central work usually has … Continue Reading
Denise Trach teaches a variety of English classes at Carmel High School in Carmel, NY. Her work on mindfulness – with both students and teachers – is an inspiration to all. You can connect with her on Twitter, IG, or find out more about her on her personal blog. 1. Walk us through a great … Continue Reading
Susan’s note: This post is written by Adrian Nester who put some thoughts on paper after the pilot reading. I have added a few ideas which are in italics and a teaching point for each path. Before launching into this, I want this sophisticated point (haha) to guide your approach to Row C in the classroom: Do not … Continue Reading
When Brian posted Three Acronyms for Literary Analysis, I knew immediately that I would follow with Quick and Easy Ways into a Poem. This was by far one of the most popular posts on APLitHelp (#RIP) and with good reason. They’re quick, and they’re easy. Many students approach poetry reluctantly feeling inadequate to make sense … Continue Reading
