We’re one of two months into the school year (depending on where you live), and the ideas from this summer’s APSI (if you were able to attend one) are jumbled together, the enthusiasm of a new year has melted into a stack of essays, and reality has set in for new AP English teachers (and let’s be real, for veteran teachers as well). Kristy Seidel, Brian Sztabnik, and I (Susan Barber) decided to join forces to encourage new teachers of the course and hopefully make their (and all of our) lives a little easier. Here are our top five things we would tell new AP® Lang and AP® Lit teachers (and a couple of honorable mentions). This is a lengthy post so grab a cup of coffee and settle in . . .

1 – Rely on the CED 

Rely on the CED. Seriously. The CED is underrated yet answers so many questions. Want to know the “secrets”?- they are in there. Do the kids have to know . . . (fill in the blank)? The CED will tell you. What kind of essay questions will be asked on the exam? The CED will tell you. It’s important to understand exactly what the CED is and isn’t. The CED is not a prescribed curriculum but rather a resource as stated in the Lit CED p. 16: “This publication is not a curriculum. Teachers create their own curricula by selecting and sequencing the texts and tasks that will enable students to develop the knowledge and skills outlined in this document…The objective of this publication is to provide teachers with clarity regarding the content and skills students should learn in order to qualify for college credit and placement. The AP Program recognizes that the real craft is in the skill with which teachers develop and deliver instruction.” This framework takes the pressure off what skills you should teach while giving the freedom for you to choose the texts you want to use. This is especially beneficial for new teachers because you can teach texts you already know and love which is a huge time saver. How do I use the CED? I follow the skill progression using the Essential Knowledge as areas of focus for mini-lessons which help students get their footing in the text and the Enduring Understandings to point us to bigger picture ideas. My favorite part of the CED are the questions near the back (pp. 97 – 111 in the Lang CED and pp. 123 – 137 in the Lit CED). These questions which are aligned and organized by skill are huge time savers and often become the basis of our classroom discussions since they can be applied to any text. 

CED terms AP® Lit; AP® Lit CED; AP® Lang CED

2- AP® Classroom Can Help 

With so many options, so many features, and so many places to click, AP® Classroom can be intimidating and overwhelming to a new teacher. Where does one begin? What is the right approach with AP® Classroom? How does one know if they are using it too much or too little? These are all questions that lead to despair with a platform as robust as AP® Classroom. Fret not. Here are three manageable ways to incorporate its feature within your classroom, benefitting you and your students:

• The skills within the nine units each have a short, 7-12 minute video provided by an AP English Literature/Language instructor. Some teachers assign these videos as homework, some use them as bell ringers, some watch them independent of their students. These videos are meant to reinforce your teaching. So many teachers have told me they love them because a highly-respected AP teacher is basically saying the same thing as them, which validates their methods. You can find AP Lang Daily Guided Viewing notes are here from Kristy and Lit AP Daily Notes from Gina Kortuem and Susan which include the graphics to use in your classroom.
• AP® Classroom provides three, full-length released exams. That means your students can practice 165 multiple choice questions and gain comfort annotating the readings and typing their way through nine prior free-response questions. The rubric is already built into the platform, which streamlines the scoring process. To access the exams go to COURSE GUIDE ——-> PRACTICE EXAMS ——> PRACTICE EXAM 1, 2, or 3.
• In addition to the AP videos, each of the nine units on AP® Classroom have a progress check – 15-20 multiple-choice questions and a separate free-response component – available for you to assign. These checks are aligned to the skills of the unit and enable you to assess how well students have mastered the material. Experience has taught me that it is best for students to complete these checks in class under my supervision rather than at home for homework. That’s because answers are easily and widely available online.  

3 – Master the Rubrics 

If you look at the data, roughly 9/10 students get the thesis point on all three essays… and it is only one point. So, the assumption is that it is an easy point to get and does not matter much because it is not a significant portion of a student’s overall score. While that is correct to some extent, the thesis point is the point from which all other points derive. To score well on evidence and commentary, students need to develop a line of reason, whose point of origin begins in the thesis and flows into the body paragraphs. Body paragraphs are scored based on evidence, commentary, and literary elements. So many students confront each of these separately and on their own terms, leading to plodding and predictable formulaic paragraphs. A more nuanced understanding of the rubric looks at these three entities working in cohesion, supporting and enhancing each other, all in pursuit of a common goal – a line of reasoning.  The point here is don’t just look at the rubric as a point system, look for the nuanced ways in which you and your students can master the rubric to maximize scores. 

4 – There’s no one right way to teach the class 

The boon of social media is we have instant access to see how other teachers are teaching classes; the curse of social media is we have instant access to see how other teachers are teaching classes. In our ability to share ideas, resources, and questions through social channels, we also open ourselves up to the trap of comparison. Consider the only thing the CEDs have to say about instructional approaches:

LANG – 

“The College Board does not prescribe specific texts for an AP® English Language and Composition course. That said, several guidelines are useful in determining the appropriateness of texts used in this course. These guidelines include the following: 

• Texts that represent a clear rhetorical situation (e.g., topical nonfiction) 
• Texts that speak to one another through a variety of genres 
• Texts that could be read in an introductory composition class in college 
• Texts that require teacher direction for students to discern meaning
• Texts that rate as upper high school level on a Lexile chart

 Neither does the College Board prescribe an amount of reading for an AP® English Language and Composition course. Several questions, however, are useful in assessing the volume of reading students should be assigned in this course: 

• Are students reading challenging texts every day? 
• Do students employ rereading as an interpretive strategy? 
• Do students gain sufficient practice to develop skills in reading purposefully and rhetorically? 
• Do students write on a regular basis about what others have written? 
• Do the selected readings provoke responses from multiple perspectives and thus generate public discussion? 
• Are students given the opportunity to immerse themselves in substantive texts—ones that require several days or weeks to read—as well as texts that can be read and reread within a single class period? 
• Are students spending at least eight hours per week (both inside and outside of class) engaged in their reading and writing? Is there a clear connection between their reading and writing? 
•  Are students reading texts that require teacher involvement or scaffolding, or can the texts be read independently? (CED, p. 91)

LIT –

“The AP® English Literature and Composition course framework was designed with instructional flexibility in mind; there are nine units organized in a logical, scaffolded sequence. The table [see below] illustrates four different ways AP® English Literature and Composition teachers organize their course, but these are not the only four possibilities.” (Lit CED p. 120) 

The bottom line: teach the class the way that makes the most sense to you. Organize by time periods – that works. Start with rhetorical analysis – by all means. Learn what you can from others but ultimately trust yourself to know what your students need, when they need it, and fully embrace that the fingerprint of each class looks different. 

5 – Good modeling

I spend a lot of time in the first semester with close reading passages on the board and I am doing think alouds. Students need to see and hear what good thinking looks like. They need models. It is all about asking questions:

• Why is this word here? 
• What is it implying? 
• Does this image exist in isolation or does it connect to something else prior? 
• It feels like the tone is shifting here – what was it before and what has it become?

Initially, I am asking questions like this and answering a few myself, calling on students occasionally to join in on the fun. As we progress, I gradually relinquish the cognitive load and put more of the onus on the students. This process is foundational to my class. Students need models made visible. They need repeated exposure to the critical questions of a text. Once they see it repeatedly, they can start doing it themselves.  Once they do it, they become more confident readers and writers. Once they become more confident readers and writers, they reach a level of autonomy they never thought they could achieve. 

5 – This class is all about the exam; this class is not at all about the exam 

I take preparing for the exam seriously. I tell my students on the second day that if they are not prepared for the exam by May, I have not done my job and commit to showing up and teaching the course in a way that every day moves them closer to exam proficiency. This is not a glorified book club (wouldn’t that be fun) but a class with an end goal of exam proficiency. I then ask students to commit to doing their part each day by showing up and engaging in our daily work centered on the course skills. 

However, this class is so much bigger than an exam. If the only purpose of this class was test prep, my soul would be empty. This class is so much bigger than an exam. What an opportunity we have to teach in the humanities during “these unprecedented times” (when will we stop using this phrase). We are in desperate need to learn how to dissect language, media, and rhetoric in order to have an understanding of what is happening in the world around us. We are all longing for someone to put into words how we are feeling and are desperately looking for stories that draw us in to shared human experiences and challenge us to rethink societal norms. Through Lang and Lit we learn about the world and our place in the world. We learn more about who we are and consider the perspectives of others. We learn how to question and consider. We learn empathy. And we learn all of these things while growing as close readers, critical thinkers, and analytical writers – skills that we will rely on throughout life. Yes, this class is so much bigger than a three hour exam. 

When the class is bigger than one exam, the exam becomes more of a celebration rather than a high stakes test. In the words of Carlos Escobar:

“We cannot stress enough the value of you: the value of your words, the value of your interpretation. That’s what we want to hear. This is a very empowering process. The AP English Literature [Language] exam is an opportunity for you to tell the world what you know, what you see, and what you think. And we just can’t wait until you test, so we can delve into the brain of yours and we can grow and thank you for it. This AP exam is giving you an opportunity to make an argument, to tell us: ‘Teacher/professor/Mr./Ms./Dr. So-and-So, it doesn’t matter that I’m only 16, 17, 18 years old. I’ve read this text, and I have something to say.’ And then, you have the evidence to back that up.”     

Honorable mentions . . . .

Less is more (Kristy)

Less is more: the teacher groups, the mentors, the advice, the PD can be overwhelming. The rabbit hole can be more of a time suck than productive. Many of the activities are shared as a result of practice and experience. That means that even if the activity is engaging, it may not deliver on its potential if you as the teacher aren’t quite yet equipped to use it. It is important to remember that the teachers you see posting and giving advice are products of working with specific students, with specific community norms and standards, as well as perhaps district or state mandates. The English community is so very supportive and giving, but the sheer amount of advice and options can be like drinking water from a fire hose, so…

Keep it simple. 

Read, talk, then write. That’s it. 

Pick ONE skill (kind of like the Panera “you pick two” scheme) and get good at it. Get your kids good at it. For me, that’s tone to start the year. We focus on learning new vocabulary to describe tone and watching multimedia to identify different tones.  (Pro tip, this America Ferrara speech  from Barbie is perfect to pair with this Nike ad. ) We listen to cover songs to determine tone shifts. We talk about all of these, then we write about them. Then do that again, and again if needed. 

Relationship Building (Kristy)

Relationship building early in the year is my biggest teacher life hack… and exam hack. 

Time spent talking about seemingly non academic things is not only time well spent but I would argue, IS academic. It informs your planning and allows you to tailor content and lessons in a more intentional way. These conversations are also springboards for the kind of background knowledge and connections AP Lang students in particular will need on the Q3, argument, essay. Students learn to trust your mentorship and innately feel that you have their best interests at heart. Don’t waive rigor for relationships, but allow the relationship to prop up the rigor. I can feel when it’s been a few weeks of “all gas, no brakes” and the students are always shocked to hear me recognize that and adjust accordingly so that we can all  come up for air. Then, we are more ready to dive back in with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Lifeboat activity: I am a music junkie and my kids know this. I play music everyday as they come into class, and often during worktimes. It sparks lots of conversations, but also, at the end of the first quarter, we take a day and play music bingo in class. By that point, it is much needed by all of us! 

Don’t grade everything (Susan)

On August 4th of this year I excitedly showed up for the first day of school, but in the back of my mind I could not escape the reality that I would be scoring 166 essays each time we wrote. The easiest way to lose focus in an AP English class is to get buried in grading. Teachers feel an obligation to provide feedback on everything, the papers pile up, and assignments keep rolling in. 

I probably address more questions about grading than anything other topic because we are all wanting to give students our best while also maintaining some sense of work/life balance. The reality is I could spend every week night and all weekend grading; there’s never an end to the work. My grading practices come from my core values about grading

• Copious amounts of feedback are not necessary. Brian and I have extensively spoken and written about this. For more on this, check out Brian’s post titled Comments Are a Bad Idea. 
• Students need to take more ownership of their writing and not just rely on teachers for feedback. Here are some ideas on how to do that.
• Students get better at writing by writing more. Feedback of course can help improve skills but the way to grow the writing muscle is to write – and write a lot. 

Classroom grading routines look different for each of us: we have different demographics, school expectations, and personal philosophies. Here’s how grading looks for me (6 AP Lit classes, 160 students):

• I write row by row numbers according to the rubric on the top of each essay along with one glow and one grow comment.  This first round of essays that I just returned had a few comments such as “summary not analysis” or “analyze at the word/phrase level” etc throughout mostly on lower scoring responses. 
• I return essays within a week. I have found that if papers are out for a month (or longer) students have already moved on and forgotten about the assignment and have a hard
• I continually remind myself that numbers that align with the rubric is feedback. Students can look at the row by row number then refer to the rubric and that provides feedback. 
• I rely on self-assessment and revision for students to think about their own writing and not just depend on me for feedback. You can learn more about specific activities I do in this post: Post Writing Activities: What to Do After the Essays Are Returned
• Most formative assignments are scored without a rubric and for completion. I think of this as rewarding students for putting in the work to exercise their writing muscle. Students receive a score of 100 (completed as assigned), 85 (somewhat completed), or 70 (attempted). These are quick laying of eyes on an assignment to put in my required one grade per week for 160 students (which is still a heavy lift). I continue to gather information and adjust instruction while looking at patterns in formative work. 
• I build in a reading or independent work day after each essay in order for students to catch their breath at the end of a unit and for me to use class time to grade. Some teachers are not comfortable with this, but this is standard operating procedure in my classroom in order for me not to bring work home.

Kristy Seidel is a current teacher at Suncoast High School in Riviera Beach, FL,  is the founder of teachingrhetoric.com, and is the co-author of the upcoming The Norton Guide to AP Language: Writing & Skills (W. W. Norton). She is currently a College Board consultant, and has served in various leadership roles at the AP Summer Reading, serving this year as assistant chief reader for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

Susan Barber teaches AP® English Literature at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves as co-chair of the AP® Literature Development Committee. She is the coauthor of The Norton Guide to AP^® Literature: Writing & Skills (2022) and 100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom (2025). Susan is most proud of the work she does on a daily basis in E216 and never tires of the beauty and chaos of the classroom.

Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He was a 2018 finalist for NY Teacher of the Year, a former College Board advisor for AP Lit, and an award-winning basketball coach. He is the coauthor of 100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom (2025) and editor of The Best Lesson Series. Brian spends the weekend driving his Jeep on the beach with the fam and searching for the best donuts on Long Island (this last sentence was added by Susan to make Brian’s bio longer).