I sat down to write a blog post on AP Lit test prep, but I couldn’t think of anything new to say. This blog is getting on in years and now has quite a few blog posts on this exact topic! Instead, here’s a roundup of some blog posts I’ve written that teachers can use to get ready for the AP Exam.
Please remember that my tips come from almost two decades of experience teaching AP English Literature, but are not officially endorsed by College Board. Any opinion I offer is my own based on my experiences.
Preparing for the AP English Literature Test
I’d call this the most helpful blog post I’ve written when it comes to AP Lit test prep. This comprehensive guide breaks down the AP Lit exam components, offering strategies to prioritize your test prep effectively. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the rubric and provides links to both free and paid resources to streamline your preparation. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or new to AP Lit, this post offers valuable insights to enhance your students’ performance.
Teaching AP English Literature for the First Time
If you’re new to teaching AP Lit, this post is a reassuring companion. It shares candid reflections on the challenges of the first year and offers practical advice on curriculum planning, resource selection, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It’s a must-read for building confidence and finding your teaching rhythm.
The Hidden Skill of AP Lit and Standardized Testing
This post highlights the often-overlooked skill of analyzing prose excerpts—a critical and undervalued component of the AP Lit exam. It provides strategies for teaching students to make inferences and interpret texts without prior context, enhancing their analytical abilities and test performance.
Multiple Choice Tips & Strategies for AP English Literature
Navigating the multiple-choice section can be daunting, but this post offers clear, actionable strategies to help students approach these questions with confidence. From reading techniques to answer elimination methods, it equips students with the tools needed to improve their scores.
10 AP Lit Test Prep Activities For Any Time
This collection of lessons is perfect for integrating test prep throughout the year or during dedicated review periods. The activities are designed to reinforce key skills in an engaging manner, keeping students motivated and prepared for the exam.
Discussing Complexity in AP Lit
If you’ve been teaching AP Lit this year, you know the word “complexity.” In fact, it’s used in most AP courses. However, it means something different for each subject. Understanding and articulating complexity in AP Lit is vital for high-scoring essays. This post demystifies the concept, providing clear explanations and classroom strategies to help students develop nuanced analyses and deepen their literary interpretations.
Teaching Line of Reasoning to AP English Lit
A coherent line of reasoning is essential for effective essays, but almost impossible to describe to students. Even more frustrating, there are not many details from College Board about how to write a line of reasoning—just that you should. This blog post offers creative methods, such as the “golden thread” analogy and “rainbow drafting,” to help students construct and maintain logical arguments throughout their writing.
Thoughts From an Experienced Teacher On The AP Lit CED
This opinionated post (if I do say so myself) offers insights into effectively utilizing the AP Lit Course and Exam Description (CED). It discusses when to follow the CED closely—and when I think you can veer away from it.
9 Creative Writing Activities to Unlock Literary Analysis
Creative writing can enhance analytical skills. This post suggests activities like found poetry and persona writing to help students connect personally with texts, fostering deeper analysis.
Poetry Lesson Ideas for Keeping Poetry Alive All Year Long
Don’t limit poetry to a single unit. This post, written in April, offers ideas to integrate poetry throughout the academic year, ensuring continuous exposure and appreciation beyond National Poetry Month.
AP Lit Skill Spotlights
If you’re looking for lesson ideas or resources for targeting a specific AP Lit Essential Skill, don’t forget the Skill Spotlight posts. Each focuses on a specific skill and offers a warm-up activity, targeted text with discussion questions and answers, as well as a list of suggested texts for you to use.
I hope you find this blog post as valuable as any of the others I’ve written, and remember that the AP Lit exam is a skill test, not a content test. Even if you feel like you didn’t get through all the material this year (and to be honest, no one does), you can always review the required writing, analysis, and interpretive skills that students need on the exam.
For additional resources for teaching AP Lit, consider my Test Prep unit or my full course download, which includes EVERY SINGLE AP LIT resource I have ever created. Click on the images below to learn more!
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