Written by Julie Adams What students did well: Students immediately felt a kinship to the topic of music discussed from the perspective of the two guitars and their contrasting experiences in Victor Hernandez Cruz’s poem titled “Two Guitars.” This was my second year as a Table Leader for Q1 and I absolutely loved this poem, … Continue Reading
Written by Adrian Nester and Margaret Porter Once the prompts were released, Thomas and Olga were the main topic of discussion for students who got this version of the exam. The immediate observations were that students 1) didn’t use the footnotes 2) just did not know what to say about the passage. It seemed that … Continue Reading
This year’s poetry response, “Monologue for Saint Louis” by Colleen McElroy, was a highly accessible poem for students. I was excited to score this response since I am from St. Louis and am familiar with the area that her poem mentions. This poem reminded me of the poem “Black Walnut Tree” that appeared on the … Continue Reading
I am going to show you how to have your most creative and fulfilling year of teaching. You will engage students, they will anticipate your class, and you will develop a repertoire of creative lessons, but first a quick backstory. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Not everyone marks their fifth wedding anniversary with a literary tour. But that’s … Continue Reading
A recent survey, conducted by the EdWeek Research Center between December 2022 and February 2023, found that 87% of teachers saw lower motivation in students and 82% recognized lower student morale after the pandemic, but no one needed to tell us that. Brian and I had already noticed this in our classrooms. Assignments felt more … Continue Reading
Q3 (LITERARY ARGUMENT) BASICS Key feature: Q1 and Q2 present the text for students (a poem or prose excerpt). Q3 is different because there is no reading passage. Q3 CHALLENGES Q3 is the AP Lit. prompt that students can walk into the exam with the greatest confidence. That’s because it is the one question that … Continue Reading
THE BASICS CHALLENGES I have been on the AP Literature and Composition Test Development Committee for five years working on the exam and Q1 is always my favorite question to write, teach, and score. Students, however, do not share my sentiments and often find Q1 to be the most challenging. Here are its particular difficulties:
THE BASICS CHALLENGES I spent six years on the AP Literature and Composition Test Development Committee writing the exam and Q2 was always the most challenging question to develop. Here are its particular difficulties: A FOUR-DAY PLAN TO PREPARE FOR THE Q2 ESSAY I use a four-day progression to review the prose fiction essay on … Continue Reading
I only teach seniors (a blessing then a curse after spring break), and by the time they get to senior English, most roll their eyes and sigh heavily when I tell them we’re starting poetry. Some of this is just normal senior attitude, but some is a classroom experience that has left students uninspired and … Continue Reading
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski (Brian) I am an early riser, an early arriver to school. I like to be in at 6:30am. When I enter my classroom, I start each morning with 20-30 minutes of silent reading. It is my morning meditation, and I am grateful for the way in which this … Continue Reading
