Dear AP Lang Teacher (Week 14),

Give me a little brag moment, please. I passed my National Board Certification! If you want to hear about the process, check out this past post.
I am so happy, relieved, amazed, and proud. But now I am trying to pick out what my next adventure will be. Ideas?

This last week was a bit chaotic with a Student of the Month luncheon, subbing multiple times, a NMSI Saturday session, and a stack of grading that would make the most seasoned English teacher shed a tear. (I have not been listening to my own feedback advice).

My biggest disappointment this week, however, is that I didn’t have time to differentiate the synthesis prompt, as I wanted. I am reassuring myself by banking on student revisions. They have unlimited revision, and they have another one in a few weeks. (Thank you, standards based grading).

Week 14

This week is a good one - in my opinion. We’re starting argument, or Question 3! We’re also confronting a common AP Lang issue: that students don’t know much about the world around them. At 17 years old, they are too distracted by a million other things to worry about politics, domestic and international affairs, etc. However, as we all know, the test - particularly Question 3 - needs that current awareness.

So it’s News Studies, evidence strategies, and prose this week!
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Lesson Plans

I love talking about argument. I finally have an immediate reason to get students to pay attention to the world outside their little dome. It’s one of my BIG Rocks, as I’ve mentioned before, that the students find a voice that can contribute to the discourse.

We’re going to start small, studying Tweets that demonstrate different aspects of thoughtful prose, but then they will write their own “Powerful Tweets.”

Honestly, my goal is that when I tell them to write about something they are passionate about - they don’t ask me for ideas. #facepalm