Agenda – English Literature

Course Overview: 

This course is designed to benefit the AP Literature and Composition teacher. By providing a clear  overview of the CED for the course, teachers are prepared to help their students meet the rigor of the  exam. Using contemporary and classic literature, we will explore general approaches to classroom  environments that encourage students to share their thinking and good ideas. The workshop will share  and help to develop strategies for helping our students take the essays, and reflect on their progress,  helping them to improve their writing, both content-wise and mechanically. Also, we will explore  strategies for the Multiple Choice (MC) and cover effective routines that lead to student success on the  exam. We will also work to develop meaningful assessments with equity and access being a guiding  principle in our design. During the week, we will examine topics of both course and syllabi design, the AP  audit process, and requirements and expectations for the AP exam. This workshop will cover some best  practices in teaching poetry, short works of fiction, and major works of fiction (novels and drama), and  facilitate workshop time for teachers to formulate their own lesson plans and general course curriculum. Teachers will also be given the opportunity to work on their AP course syllabus and can ask questions regarding the audit process, ensuring that they are prepared and ready for the school year. Please bring  teaching resources/materials/literature you want to revise or incorporate into your AP school year. The  workshop will be largely hands-on and differentiated to the degree needed.

Materials Included: 

  • College Board Workshop Handbook
  • Curriculum Materials and Activities/Stuff You’re Thinking about Teaching
  • Access to Workshop Google Drive (during and following the workshop)
  • Be familiar with either (or both):

o “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner OR  

o “Sonny’s Blues,” by James Baldwin

Both of these full texts can be found in Workshop Google Drive

Course Objectives: The course will prepare the beginning and experienced English teacher to 

  • Understand the layout of and skills tested on the AP Literature and Composition exam through  a thorough review of the course CED (Content Knowledge)
  • Experience Grading student essays to accurately assess and give effective feedback to students.  Explore helpful routines that lead to success in timed-essay writing (Content Knowledge and  Pedagogy and Student Learning)
  • Construct lesson plans that increase students’ skills in critical reading of poetry, short fiction  and longer fiction, and improve their analytical writing (Content Knowledge and Pedagogy and  Student Learning)
  • Develop focused units that maximize student engagement and prepare students for the rigors  of the AP exam and the college experience beyond (Content Knowledge and Pedagogy and  Student Learning)
  • Use a range of primary and secondary source material to augment the study of rhetorical forms  in literature (Content Knowledge)

Support: I am looking forward to working with everyone. I’m excited to get to know you and  for you to get to know your fellow participants so that we can form a supportive learning  community that continues long after the school year begins. 

Feel free to contact me with any questions that you might have both during the week and after the  workshop concludes: aptalaricoconsulting@gmail.com

Agenda for AP Workshop: 

Day 1 

  1. Introductions and Getting to Know One Another
    1. Quick Personal/Professional Introduction
  2. Synopsis of the Week
  3. AP Literature and Composition Curricular Requirements
  4. Activity: Thinking about Course Planning
  5. CED Overview
    1. Course Framework Components
    2. Course Units & Big Ideas
    3. Course at a Glance
      1. Quick Group Discussion
    4. AP and UbD
    5. Teacher Resource: Helpful Unit Activities
    6. Course Skills
    7. Planning Instructional Approaches
      1. Organizing the Course
      2. Developing Course Skills
    8. Workshop Time to Build Lesson Plans/Skills-based Activities
  6. Equity and Access
    1. Discussion: Barriers & Solutions
  7. TED Talk: “Why Reading Matters,” by Rita Carter
    1. Takeaways and Considerations
  8. AP Digital Exams: Links and Resources
  9. Quick Note on AP Reader Recruitment

Day 2 

  1. Recap Day 1
  2. AP Reading
    1. Details on AP Scoring
  3. Check Out the Data!
  4. Accessing Individual Progress Reports
    1. Sample Score Report
  5. Considering Your Curriculum
    1. Teach Your Passion!
    2. Group Discussion
  6. Checking Out the AP Essay Scoring Rubrics (6 pt.)
  7. Blind Grading (in groups): AP Essay – Q2 (Short Fiction) Essay Samples from 2023
    1. Read the Prose Piece and Annotate and Comment on Prompt
    2. Distribute Samples
    3. Blind Grading in Groups (One Essay at a Time)
    4. Reveal Scores and Discuss (One Essay at a Time)
  8. Reading and Writing Routines:
    1. Examining Opening Paragraphs
    2. Providing Cold Reads
  9. Transactional Reader Response Theory
    1. Aesthetic vs. Efferent
  10. Instructional Strategies for Short Fiction (“A Rose for Emily” and “Sonny’s Blues”)
    1. a. Activity: Questionable Similes
  11. Creative and Enriching Assignments (for End of Unit)
  12. Workshop Time to Work on Syllabus or a Short Fiction Lesson/Skills-based Activity

Day 3 

  1. Recap Day 2
  2. Analyzing Prose vs. Poetry: What’s the Difference?
  3. Poetry and Experience: Bridging the Gap
  4. Poetry in Music: Cat Stevens – “Father and Son”
  5. Brainstorm: The Challenges of Teaching Poetry
  6. Routines for Teaching Poetry
    1. Example: Mini-essay for “White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey
    2. Fill-in-the-Diction Activity based on Lisel Mueller’s “Late Hours”
  7. Blind Grading of Poetry Essay Samples from 2023 (in groups)
    1. Read the Poetry Piece and Annotate and Comment on Prompt
    2. Distribute Samples
    3. Blind Grading in Groups
    4. Reveal Scores and Discuss
  8. Instructional Activities for Poetry
    1. Watch “Stories about My Father” (YouTube) – William Stafford on Teaching, Writing,  and Witness
    2. Thematic Preview: Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
    3. Read Poem: “Travelling through the Dark”
    4. Analyze Poetic Structure and Figurative Meaning in Stafford’s “Traveling through the  Dark”
    5. Understanding Warrant of Analysis
    6. Making Content Relevant: Student Voices
  9. Workshop Time to Work on Syllabus or Poetry Lesson Plan/Skills-based Activity

Day 4 

  1. Recap Day 3
  2. Brainstorm in Groups: What novels/dramatic works are you familiar with and interested in  including in your curriculum? Why?
  3. Instructor Share: Teach What You Love!
  4. Long Fiction Student Buy-in
    1. Anticipation Guide
    2. Author Biography or Interesting Documentary
    3. Ongoing Thematic Discussion Posts
    4. Requiring Student Replies
  5. Longer Fiction Instructional Strategies
    1. Fact and Idea Charts + Responses
    2. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Interpreting Artistic Symbols in the Text for  Meaning)
  6. Preview: Essay #3 (Open Book)
  7. Blind Grading of Open Book Essay Samples from 2023 (in groups)
    1. Read the Open Book Essay Prompt and Annotate and Comment on Prompt
    2. Distribute Samples
    3. Blind Grading in Groups
    4. Reveal Scores and Discuss
  8. Preparing for Q3 Essay (Open Book)
    1. Seven Most Common Conflicts/Themes
    2. Prompt Dating!
    3. A Few Things to Keep in Mind for the Q3 Essay
  9. A Tour through AP Classroom!
    1. YouTube Tutorial Videos
  10. AP Multiple Choice Strategies and General Advice
  11. A Brief Glance at a Sample AP Lit. Syllabus
  12. Words of Wisdom and Final Farewells