English Literature
The AP English Literature course and exam ask students to engage meaningfully with a variety of literature, spanning centuries, genres, and voices. To that end, our workshop will tackle both creating a vibrant class and preparing your students for the test. Participants can expect hands-on and relevant work that will enhance what they already are doing. Participants will share texts, lesson plans, assignments, and prompts that have worked in the past with an eye to strengthen course syllabi and tweak the day-to-day activities. The daily grind may be of particular interest to participants given the demands and logistics of school this past year. Our course will also strive to strike a balance between giving the canon its due, but also bringing in newer, fresher material to engage students. We will also examine the role of supplementary texts and the possibilities with literary theory, when appropriate. When we look at the AP Lit exam, we will review multiple choice teaching strategies, essay prompt analysis, and strong writing criteria and rubric creation. With recent changes to the AP exam and course description, we will review the new writing rubrics and discuss syllabus suggestions. Participants will leave having reflected on their students, school, and class, and having worked to bring exciting and challenging material to school in the fall.
Day One
1. Welcome and Introductions
- Structure/Outline for the Week
- Distributing Materials
2. Equity and Excellence/Vertical Alignment/Pre-APs
3. The AP Exam Overview
- Philosophy and Purpose: Thinking like a writer
- Test structure
- Grading and Score Distributions
- AP Central and Resources
4. Designing Class
- Course syllabus and texts, examples
- Activities and writing prompts
- Balancing class: Reading, Writing, Test Prep
5. How to read means how to think
- AP reading strategies,pre-reading, and assessing for reading
- Freewrites and freewrite prompts
- In AP, everything is complex and everything has a purpose.
- Noticing the patterns and the author’s tricks/construction
6. The Test biggies
- Style and syntax, Narration and Voice, Structure and Form, Tone and Nuance, Diction and Words in Context, Figurative Language, Contradictions and Irony, Metaphors and Symbols
- Analyzing, lesson planning, and assessing.
- Students own creative work
7. Read with a thesaurus:
- Finding the necessary precise vocabulary.
- This is what we talk about when we talk about tone.
- Vocabulary lists and gaining specificity
- Possibly some of this spilling over into Day 2.
Day Two: Everything is Complex. (And everything has a purpose.)
1. Morning kick off: Sample lesson plan
- Every author does the same thing differently
2. Test analysis: Multiple Choice questions and answers
- Participates will take the multiple choice test
- Strategies/Practice
- Assuaging Fears
3. Handling Terms for the Multiple Choice
- Necessary vocab, keeping it manageable
4. Class Complements
- Enhancing what you already do.
- Summer Reading, Supplementary materials, Secondary Sources and Research
5. Comparative Texts
- Getting more from students when you make them compare
6. Independent Reading
- Journals
- Book Interviews
- Student initiated class and reading: how to handle, what that looks like
- Reading for story, theme, style: These all go hand in hand.
Day Three: Poetry and Q1: Capturing a moment
1. Morning kick off: Sample lesson plan
- Poetry projects and poetry maps
- Showing what you notice, finding what you know
2. Best Practices Share
- Poems that work and what to do with them
- Old poems – how to read them
- New poems – how to understand them
3. Sample Poetry Prompts/Q1
4. Sample Poetry Essays
- The whole range of essays and analysis of scores
- Analysis of essays
- Is it a formula? And breaking the formula.
5. Poetic Devices: Stick to what you know; Don’t just point out
- Best bets: Imagery, diction, tone, metaphor, symbol
- Tricky terrain: form, meter, rhyme, punctuation
6. Writing Workshop
- Thesis writing and introductions
- Incorporating Evidence
- Conclusions
7. Work time: Lesson Plan Modifying/Creating
Day Four: Prose and Q2: Characterize Characterize Characterize
1. Morning kick off: Sample lesson plan
- Prose projects and the right kind of prose passages.
- Showing what you notice, finding what you know
- What is begging to be discussed
2. Best Practices Share
- Prose excerpts in your novels that work and what to do with them
- 19th century vs. 20th/21st texts
3. Sample Prose Prompts/Q2
4. Sample Prose Essays
- The whole range of essays and analysis of scores
- Analysis of essays
- Is it a formula? And breaking the formula.
- The author characterizes his/her work. You characterize the author.
5. Literary Devices: Stick to what you know
- Best bets: point of view/narration, imagery, description and detail
6. Writing Workshop
- Thesis writing and introductions
- Incorporating Evidence
- Conclusions
7. Work time: Lesson Plan Modifying/Creating
Day Five (Half Day): Independent thinking and Q3: The Author’s Conversation
1. Morning kick off: Sample lesson plan
- The thesis of the work
- Showing what you notice, finding what you know
2. Best Practices Share
- New texts that work and what to do with them
- The canon – How to break free of it
- New literature – How to incorporate
3. Sample Q3 Prompts
- Checklist for Q3
- Novel guides for pre-test prep
- Learning a quote
4. Sample Q3 Essays
- The whole range of essays and analysis of scores
- Analysis of essays
- Is it a formula? And breaking the formula.
- Having something to say and taking risks
- Your essay tells a story
5. Work time: Lesson Plan Modifying/Creating
6. Wrap-up and lingering questions
Paul Cunningham has been a teacher at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair NJ for 19 years where he primarily teaches 9th grade English, a Satire elective, an interdisciplinary New York City class, and AP English Lit. for 12 of those years. He has been an AP Reader since 2012. Paul received his BA from College of the Holy Cross in 1999 and his MA in English (with a Writing Concentration) from Rutgers University in 2008. He also completed work at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in its MFA Creative Writing program. Paul has been an AP consultant since 2017 and has presented at the annual conference in both Anaheim and Orlando.
Course Instructor
Paul Cunningham
B.A. Degree, College of Holy Cross
M.A. Degree, Rutgers University
Institute Faculty
The faculty have been selected for their teaching expertise, creativity, innovations in teaching and experience with the AP* Program curriculum. All faculty members are endorsed and certified by the Middle Atlantic Regional Office of The College Board and have demonstrated a commitment to excellence that is second to none.
Daily Schedule
Classes run from 7:30-400 – Instructors will send you an agenda with their class times. Class times may vary depending on the instructor.
Opportunity
Instructors encourage sharing among participants that will enhance the knowledge and skills of all participants for effective teaching. The opportunity to exchange and communicate with instructors and colleagues within the Middle Atlantic Region and beyond is a valued support resource for the entire school year.
Questions/comments
Questions/concerns about your particular course can be addressed by going to course description and clicking on the “Ask a Question” button. You will then be able to e-mail the instructor. Any problems call the Lewes AP* Summer Institute office at 302-567-1400.
* This Summer Institute has been endorsed by Advanced Placement Program, AP, Pre-AP, College Board and it’s logo are registered trademarks of the College Board.
