Skip Nicholson taught high school English for 41 years, retiring from South Pasadena High School in California, and is past chair of the Secondary Section of the National Council of Teachers of English. He has led over 80 Advanced Placement workshops and summer institutes in over 30 different sites. He has been a mentor teacher in the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Teaching Shakespeare Institute and a Visiting Teaching Associate in Rhetoric at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He now serves as member of the Folger Shakespeare Library National Teacher Corps. He teaches on-line courses for the University of California, Riverside Extension in English, theater, and education and chaired accreditation teams for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
His publications include Fast Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP® English Literature & Composition Examination for Wadsworth/Cengage; the Literature & Composition: Teacher’s Manual for Bedford/St Martin’s; and as consulting editor for five books in the National Textbook Company’s Shakespeare Series—Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet. He is currently Graphics Supervisor for the Folger Shakespeare Library‘s new ‘Folger Teaching Guide’ series.
The Agenda Ten
- All the Basics… and More
- The Ap English Lit Course
- The AP English Lit Exam
- Teaching Literature
- Teaching Fiction
- Teaching the Novel
- Teaching Poetry
- Teaching Plays
- Teaching Writing
- The AI Questions
AP English Literature & Composition: A Two-Day Workshop
Boise, Idaho | October 9–10, 2026
Whether you’re preparing to teach AP English Literature & Composition for the first time or looking to sharpen an approach you’ve been refining for years, this two-day workshop is built to send you back to your classroom with new ideas, ready-to-use lessons, and a renewed sense of excitement about the course.
A focused, fast-moving two days, this workshop covers the essential ground: the goals and structure of the course, fresh perspectives on preparing students for the May exam, and hands-on strategies for selecting and teaching short fiction, longer works, poetry, and drama. Expect an active two days with time is built in for teachers to trade favorite texts, swap classroom-tested approaches, and think together about what works for their own students and schools.
You’ll leave with at least four complete, exportable lessons covering foundational concepts — ready to adapt and use right away — along with a clear framework for thinking through the rest of your syllabus. With only two days, this workshop is designed as a launching point rather than the whole journey: every topic we introduce is backed by deeper resources, extensions, and materials in an accompanying Google Classroom, so the learning continues well after we leave the room.
Who should attend: Teachers new to AP English Literature & Composition and experienced teachers alike. First-year AP Lit teachers will come away with a solid foundation and a set of lessons to teach immediately; veteran teachers will find new material, updated exam strategies, and a room full of colleagues worth comparing notes with. AP Lit teachers in the Northwest don’t get many chances to gather in one place — bring a colleague, and let’s make the most of it. We’d love to have you in Boise this October.
To register for English Literature Two-Day Workshop October 9 and 10, 2026:
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