The essential skills in the first AP Literature Poetry Unit focus on poetry structure. However, students often struggle to see how poetry structure contributes to the meaning of the poem. The easiest way I have found to introduce the idea of structure in poetry is through the sonnet. Sonnets, especially
5 Practical Strategies to End Prompt Paralysis Have you ever watched a student freeze when an AP literature essay prompt is placed in front of them? Or they sit for a time, then they raise their hand and tell you they don’t know what to write. Students often see the
Exploring Hidden Histories through young adult historical fiction is a great way to give your students autonomy in choosing their texts while also allowing them to explore unknown history. Most students can be encouraged to read when they are legitimately interested in the topic. And this is especially true when
Last fall, my AP Language students and I were just wrapping up a synthesis unit that had followed an introduction to rhetorical analysis unit. It was probably late October or early November. And one of my students said to me: “Are we ever going to read a book?” Truthfully, because
I am a bit of a PD nerd. I am quick to read all the books (check out this post on Best Books for English Teachers) and try new ideas. So back in the early 2000s, I jumped on the literature circle bandwagon. I loved the idea of giving students
The reality of being a high school English teacher is that even in upper level courses, even in AP Language and AP Literature we encounter students who don’t enjoy or even struggle with reading. One way to combat this is through literature circles or book clubs. But even more important
Have you ever had this experience? You are reading a rather pedestrian analysis of a poem and then you get to the part where the student talks about the poet’s “great diction” or how they did a “great job” with their word choice? [Insert face palm emoji]. One way you
Sometimes the best approach to teaching literary analysis is through a short text. This is why helping students work through the literary analysis of Trifles by Susan Glaspell can be such a powerful tool. Trifles is a one act play by playwright and journalist Susan Glaspell. She wrote this and
We know that teaching symbolism can be tough to teach. It’s abstract. It requires critical thinking. And students don’t want to put in the effort. But what if you could pull from a universal symbol that students can recognize pretty easily: bird symbolism. And the easiest way to access this
My classroom is on the courtyard. There is a forsythia bush right outside our fire escape. Often, there are blue jays that sit in the bush. Students frequently observe them and comment. There is actually something fascinating about birds and flight. This is likely why birds are so frequently the
I help AP Literature and High School English teachers create engaging classrooms so that students will be prepared college and beyond.
