They're analytical. They're argumentative. They're intriguing. They're bite-sized. Assertion journals are hands-down my favorite way to teach and assess writing. Here's how they work: Students are given an assertion, usually in the form of a pithy quotation. How much context you want to give your students is totally up to you. I just project the assertion … Continue reading How Assertion Journals Can Inspire and Challenge Your Students
New Year, New Unit
It's a snow day today, so this will be a quick post before I get back to playing Feed the Woozle with my toddler. We just headed back to school from winter break, and I am so excited to jump in with my AP kids. For one of my grad school classes last semester, I … Continue reading New Year, New Unit
How to Teach Analysis Like a Boss
In my last post, I made a case against the five paragraph essay as an appropriate analytical structure for high school students. The closed thesis, redundancy, and built-in limitations to critical thinking ultimately hold students back from their best work. If not the five-paragraph essay, then what? I'm going to take you on a tour … Continue reading How to Teach Analysis Like a Boss
Please Stop Teaching the Five-Paragraph Essay for Analysis
Please stop teaching the five-paragraph essay for analysis. Please, pretty please with a cherry on top! Let's talk for a moment about the purpose of the five-paragraph essay. Many scholars trace its origins centuries back. Its parallel structure was favored over more meandering approaches. Today, teachers and students value the five-paragraph essay because it's both … Continue reading Please Stop Teaching the Five-Paragraph Essay for Analysis
The 5 Students You’ll Meet in the AP Classroom and How to Meet Them Where They Are
I teach AP Language and Composition. It’s a tough course, and for most of my students, it’s their first AP English course (they take it as juniors, then go on to AP Lit as seniors). In the past few years, my school has embraced an open enrollment policy for AP courses in certain subject areas. … Continue reading The 5 Students You’ll Meet in the AP Classroom and How to Meet Them Where They Are
How I Got Here: My Journey to Teaching AP Language and Composition
It all started with rejection.