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teacher plans for rigor

Rigor in the Classroom: What it is and isn’t

After decades of throwing around the word rigor, we still can’t seem to come to agreement about what it is. I see in private school marketing materials institutions that offer “a rigorous course of study.” The average parent interprets that to mean that this school will be a challenge in…
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5 Ways to Engage Teenagers in the Classroom

Need to engage bored teenagers in your classroom? Need to channel the energy of students who are bouncing off the walls? Are your own classes boring, and you don’t know how to fix the problem? Let’s talk about it. Why are students bored at school? Nobody wants to bored teenagers,…
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rhetorical analysis commentary

The Role of Commentary in Rhetorical Analysis

Call it what you will—analysis, evaluation, commentary—this piece of rhetorical analysis is OPINION. Evidence is FACT, and commentary is OPINION. (When I’m training students to recognize the difference between the two, we use color coding. You can read more about how I do that here.) Where students get tripped up…
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ap english language

Two Ways to Organize a Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The magic bullet. Here it is. You ready? Here’s your tidy little template you can apply to any rhetorical analysis essay. Just kidding. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all outline for RA, but there are two ways we can teach students to approach each one. Rhetorical Analysis Essay Organization…
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critical race theory' CRT; white privilegewhite privilege

Critical Race Theory: Why is it such a big deal?

There are a LOT of angry parents, school board members, and politicians coming forward about what they are calling critical race theory. I get the anger–I really do–because many people think there is an attempt to indoctrinate our children to believe that White people are bad. I’m the helicopter parent…
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Dear New AP Language Teacher,

Dear New AP Language Teacher, We need to talk. You’re about to fall madly in love with a course, and because I used to be married (and I mean this in almost every sense of the word) to said course, I need to prep you. Listen up. AP English Language…
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Teaching in June: Will You SLOG or SLAY?

If only I could draw. I have this image in my mind of a frazzled, frizzy-haired teacher (Think Professor Trelawney) dragging herself across a desert . . . in a mask. Strapped to her back is a laptop with a Zoom logo on it. Tied to her leg is a…
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Exam Day Strategies for AP Lang (Paper-Pencil)

I’m so thankful that some students will have the opportunity to take the paper-pencil exam May 12. It just feels . . . normal. It also feels normal to write an old-fashioned blog post about ways to tackle an analog anything. Thank you, trees, for giving your lives for this…
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ap ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAM

AP English Language Exam Rhetorical Analysis Review Tips

Argument gets attention, and synthesis gets a visit, but we all know that rhetorical analysis is where students tend to struggle, both with confidence and skills, while getting ready for the AP Language exam. Tip #1: Get Creative with Anchor Charts Have students create their own four-page anchor charts. Each…
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AP Language synthesis

AP Language Synthesis Review Tips

If you’re in AP Lang exam review mode, you probably plan to spend the least amount of time dealing specifically with Question 1. Why do I think that? But it needs a little love, and students still need a refresher going into the exam. Review Tip #1: Practice dealing with…
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AP English language study group

The Big Picture of AP Lang Argumentation Review

When reviewing for the AP Lang exam, we may need to review argumentation on these four levels: Analysis of an Argument on the Multiple Choice Section Look at argument as a frame. If the entire passage is clearly arguing a claim, there will probably be stems that are specific to…
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