One of the six featured skills in Poetry Unit 1 of the AP* Lit CED is STR 3.D: the function of contrasts. This skill seems difficult and hard to approach, but it's actually one of the most widely applicable skills in the whole CED.
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13 Scary Stories and Poems For High School ELA
I don't like scary movies, but I love scary stories. I grew up re-reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I love to listen to Lore in October while I walk through my dark neighborhood streets. And my favorite author is Stephen King, the master of horror. The way I look at it, movies make the ...
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Discussing Complexity in AP Lit
One of the most common words in AP* Lit essay prompts is "complex," usually paired with the word "relationship." When we prepare for writing our first FRQs, I tell my students that the word "complex" is the most important word in the prompt. But when asked what complexity means, my students are ...
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6 Movies that Enhance How to Read Literature Like a Professor
In a previous blog post I shared six different television shows (including clips) that you can use to enhance your students' study of How to Read Literature Like a Professor. As promised, here are six additional films (and movie clips!) you can use to further enhance the study of HTRLLAP. Obviously ...
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6 Television Shows that Enhance How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor is becoming a fixture in AP* Lit and other advanced literature classes. While teachers love this book, students often struggle with Foster's highbrow references. To overcome this, many of us use references to popular films and television ...
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Are there Alternatives to Teaching Hamlet?
Over the years, I've taught Hamlet over a dozen times and to several different levels of learners. In my first AP* Lit teaching position I taught it since it was already in the curriculum. I loved its complexity and discussion potential, but I easily tired of what I perceived was Hamlet's whiny ...
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