Wait a minute… if you hand out a study guide and ask students to find the answers in the textbook, that doesn’t count as close reading? That is what some of my high school teachers did. They had stacks of ’em. Finish one ditto and they would whip out another. Classwork and homework simply became … Continue Reading
Brian and I a starting a series of posts called “Ask Us Anything” where we promise to be honest in our answers and hopefully as encouraging as well. If you have a question you’d like for us to answer, feel free to ask! Can you model how you plan a unit? — Kathy F. Susan: … Continue Reading
My first Pearl Jam concert was on 9-11-98 at Madison Square Garden. While the concert was unforgettable, its date was… until it wasn’t. That night Eddie and the boys played 26 songs, with two encores, and brought back “Breath,” a song they had retired years ago. It all ended with “Alive,” and Eddie throwing his … Continue Reading
In response to Brian’s post a couple of week’s ago on writing commentary, I invited Melissa Smith to share her method of giving feedback. Her feedback is quick and individualized. Thanks, Melissa! I’ll be following up in a couple of weeks with how I handle feedback and revision. I have 100 students in 4 sections … Continue Reading
I spent time working with teachers this summer, some of whom had 40-50 students in each class and over 200 students on their rosters. Others wanted advice on what to teach because everything they loved was now banned by their state. Some lost their free periods to cover classes because subs were nowhere to be … Continue Reading
I’m going to tell you why I think comments on essays are a bad idea… but first a quick story. About five years ago, my Sunday nights were spent at a mostly-empty Starbucks. For hours I would read and comment on all the papers and pages I accumulated over the week. By Monday afternoon, many … Continue Reading
Teaching is hard. Teaching in 2023 is particularly challenging. As I’ve met teachers across the country (actually the world) this summer, the concerns teachers have seem to be far more pressing than previous years. Here are some of the most common things I heard throughout the summer:
This year, I found myself on the sample selection team for the digital FRQ3, and while no responses (to my knowledge) referenced Sheryl Crow’s hit, the vast majority of students found this prompt about reinvention very accessible: In many works of literature, characters choose to reinvent themselves for significant reasons. They may wish to separate … Continue Reading
For the 2022 reading, College Board asked me to read for AP Seminar, and I happily accepted because I didn’t want to miss out on the ~*experience*~ of an AP reading. While it certainly broadened my horizons on the work that goes into AP Seminar, I was much more excited when I got my invitation … Continue Reading
This year, I had the opportunity to read for Question 3, the Open-Ended Question. I was excited with the assignment since I had never formally read for this essay at any of the readings, but I was also a bit concerned about the accuracy of my performance because of the sheer variety of responses I … Continue Reading
