AP English Literature and Composition Updates and New Resources for 2019-20
To bring you and your students new classroom resources and supports, we’re making updates to AP English Literature and Composition for the 2019-20 school year.
Learn MoreImportant Updates
2017 Chief Reader Report Module
The Chief Reader for the 2017 AP English Literature and Composition exam provides a brief walkthrough of the highlights of their Chief Reader Report. In this presentation, David G. Miller of Mississippi College gives bite-sized overviews of each free-response question—how students performed, teaching tips for areas where students struggled, and a deeper understanding of the questions and results.
Below is a diverse selection of supplemental materials, including lesson plans and teaching strategies, from the College Board and your AP colleagues. Look for more classroom resources in the AP Teacher Community.
From Your AP Colleagues
Special Focus Materials
Pedagogy
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Course Perspective: English Literature and Composition
A teacher's ideas for new AP English Literature teachers. -
Connotation in Phillis Wheatley's Poetry: A Lesson Plan
Several short activities using a Phillis Wheatley poem to examine connotation and word choice in poetry. -
Calling Forth Joy: A Poet's Ideas About Teaching Poetry
The former Poet Laureate of Montana discusses how she introduces her students to poetry. -
Implicit and Explicit Documentation: Teaching Students to Write from Literature
This article shows how the author uses student examples as models for discussions about incorporating sources into essays. -
Why Students Plagiarize and What We Should Do
A discussion of the reasons students plagiarize and how to teach students to avoid it, along with a list of steps and strategies to help students resist plagiarism. -
"The Odyssey" and the Modern Reader
This article discusses how a teacher engages his students in Homer’s Odyssey. -
Anticipating and Previewing Difficult Texts such as "The Bluest Eye"
A teacher shares guides she uses to help students understand and begin to analyze Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. -
The Art of Teaching AP English Literature
A teacher discusses the idea of "justified confidence" and how to foster it in students. -
Teaching "Offensive" Literature
A teacher relates his approach to speaking with parents about controversial texts in his classes.
Related Articles
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“Looking Underneath” History: An Approach to Teaching Rita Dove’s Poetry
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Reading Like a Tourist and Other Activities: Billy Collins in the AP Classroom
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Suggestions for Reading and Studying Eavan Boland
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AP English: Dispelling the Myth
This article describes a teacher’s early experience with AP English. -
Geoffrey Chaucer: The Father of English Poetry
A short article on the merits of using Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to teach poetry and language. -
Broadening the AP English Literature Curriculum: Israeli Author Amos Oz
A teacher discusses her experience teaching The Same Sea. -
Islamic Women's Voices
This article discusses the potential of the novel So Long a Letter to broaden students' perspective on Islamic culture and the legacy of colonialism as seen through women's eyes. -
How to Handle the Paper Load
A teacher explains her strategy to reduce time spent reading and grading student papers.