How should AP English Language teachers get in ALL the rhetorical modes (or modes of discourse)? There are four ways we can pull it off.
Engaging, informative, provocative–TED talks are the perfect tool for the English language arts classroom. In my AP Lang & Comp class, they are a refreshing source of high-quality rhetori…
An interactive list of logical fallacies & rhetorical devices with examples. In nine languages. Never be duped again!
We’re sliding into testing season (except it’s that long, slow, shallow kind of slide with spikes, barbs, and razor blades along the way). You dread it. They dread it. Even your #2 pencils dread it; they were made for writing, after all, not bubbling. Students need exposure to the types of questions they’ll face, but […]
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How in the world do we start? There are so many ways to design an AP English Language course, that it’s hard to decide what to do the first week. For some schools, schedules are pretty fluid the first ten days or so, so you may be constantly dropping and gaining students. For others, students […]
How in the world do we start? There are so many ways to design an AP English Language course, that it’s hard to decide what to do the first week. For some schools, schedules are pretty fluid the first ten days or so, so you may be constantly dropping and gaining students. For others, students […]
The Socratic style of discourse lends itself quite well to establishing critical thinkers due to the fact that Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with knowledge. With so much talk about the Common Core standards and truly increasing our student's argumentative powers and critical thinking skills, I decided to launch a Socratic Seminar style of instruction in my sixth grade classroom this week. Our Seminar The Text My approach began by engaging in a guided reading of a novel titled I Can't Believe I Have To Do This by Jan Alford. Throughout the course of the week we read the novel and discussed story events and critical vocabulary associated with the readings. The Questions Students were given a Socratic Seminar "Prep Sheet" at the beginning of the week. The sheet asked the students to do the following: #1. Summarize the assigned reading #2. Identify 3 compelling quotes or statements from the reading #3. Develop one Knowledge based question #4. Develop one Application style question #5. Develop one Synthesis style question Download at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Socratic-Seminar-Packet The Set Up I then arranged my room in a double horseshoe configuration and assigned five students to be the inner circle. The inner circle students were slated to be the ones discussing and interacting. The outer circle of students were slated to observe and reflect and provide a 'backchannel'. The Discourse Relinquishing control was the MOST DIFFICULT thing!! Once the seminar began I truly had to force myself not to jump in and facilitate. Initially, it was truly awkward. Students nervously giggled and looked down at their papers. No one seemed willing to emerge as a leader. Once they realized that no one was coming to their rescue, the dialogue began and WOW. DID YOU KNOW?? A website called blockposters.com can take any .jpg or .gif image and turn it into a larger printable poster with overlapping edges for assembly?? Backchannel To occupy my outer circle, I distributed 5 ipads (1 for every 3 students) and allowed them to connect on todaysmeet.com. There they posted thoughts, questions, comments and even prompts to assist the inner circle. This back channel scrolled on the Smartboard throughout the seminar. (Admittedly, I didn't love the lack of grammar conventions demonstrated in the statements below.) Reflection/Assessment Without a doubt, we will do this again. Once the awkwardness ended, the dialog went FAR beyond what I've ever experienced with this novel. Students shared events that related DEEPLY to the characters, the character's choices and experiences. They also extrapolated character traits and applied them to new situations. As an assessment tool, each student completed an Exit Slip paragraph where they exercised their argumentative writing skills by completing a one paragraph reflection on the grade they deserved as a result of their participation in the seminar. Socratic discourse....making the kiddos use THEIR Smarticles!! All of my materials are available at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Socratic-Seminar-Packet
This fall, I’ve received many messages from new AP Language and Composition teachers who are trying to find their feet. After some reflection, I decided to offer a few of the ideas and proces…
We have the best AP English Literature practice tests and more. AP Lit FRQ, multiple choice questions, vocabulary review, and study guides.
Welcome Back to Teaching Tuesday! Today is the third edition of “What I Teach,” and I’m sharing my full course outline for 11th Grade: AP Language and Composition/American Literature. If you missed them, check out “What I Teach: Ninth Grade English” + background info on my courses in general here AND “What I Teach: Tenth...Read More »
As the facts change, change your thesis. Don’t be a stubborn mule, or you’ll get killed. -Barry Sternlicht It’s a love-hate relationship: the thesis is essential in analytical wri…
This is the second half of a two-part series about teaching AP Language and Composition. You can check out the first part here. Good feedback is everything. I still struggle with this, as feedback …
How in the world do we start? There are so many ways to design an AP English Language course, that it’s hard to decide what to do the first week. For some schools, schedules are pretty fluid the first ten days or so, so you may be constantly dropping and gaining students. For others, students […]
America’s draconian style justice system is indicative of a larger trend present in American culture. Americans tend to assume that punishment will solve all problems, whether that be you forgot to turn in a homework assignment, all the way to sentencing someone to life in prison for simple possession. And be it as it may,...
Rhetorical devices by the ancient Greek – 2,300 years old, and yet so young! Knowing rhetorical devices is good. Detecting them is better. Using them is rhetorical gold. With this overview I offer you a condensed guide to better writing and better speaking. Click or tap the image below and obtain 25 Giants of Rhetoric for free! […]
Stressed about your rhetorical analysis essay assignment. Overwhelmed by appeals and strategies? Simplify the writing process with our comprehensive guide.
If you're teaching AP Lit for the first time, here are some tips to get you started. If you've been teaching it for a while, here are some good reminders.
New to AP English Language? Trying to figure out how to teach it? There's more than one right way to go about teaching this course.
