College Board's Equity and Access Policy Statement
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage educators to:
- Eliminate barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved.
- Make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
- Provide all students with access to academically challenging coursework before they enroll in AP classes.
Workshop Objectives
- Participants will gain a thorough understanding of goals of the AP English Literature and Composition course.
- Participants will examine the knowledge and skills that the exam will assess, analyzing the tasks asked of our students.
- Participants will experience instructional strategies that support equitable access and improve student performance on the exam.
AP Literature Scoring Components
SC1 The course includes an intensive study of representative works such as those by authors cited in the AP English Course Description. By the time the student completes English Literature and Composition, he or she will have studied during high school literature from both British and American writers, as well as works written in several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
SC2 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.
SC3 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style and themes.
SC4 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s social, cultural and/or historical values.
SC5 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite timed, in-class responses.
SC6 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses outside of class.
SC7 The course requires writing to understand: Informal/exploratory writing activities that enable students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their reading (such assignments could include annotation, free writing, keeping a reading journal, reaction/response papers, and/or dialectical notebooks).
SC8 The course requires writing to explain: Expository, analytical essays in which students draw upon textual details to develop an extended interpretation of a literary text.
SC9 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s artistry and quality.
SC10 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s social, historical and/or cultural values.
SC11 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately.
SC12 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a variety of sentence structures.
SC13 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence. Such techniques may include traditional rhetorical structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and emphasis.
SC14 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students develop a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.
SC15 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students establish an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone and a voice appropriate to the writer’s audience.
SC1 The course includes an intensive study of representative works such as those by authors cited in the AP English Course Description. By the time the student completes English Literature and Composition, he or she will have studied during high school literature from both British and American writers, as well as works written in several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
SC2 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.
SC3 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style and themes.
SC4 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s social, cultural and/or historical values.
SC5 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite timed, in-class responses.
SC6 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses outside of class.
SC7 The course requires writing to understand: Informal/exploratory writing activities that enable students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their reading (such assignments could include annotation, free writing, keeping a reading journal, reaction/response papers, and/or dialectical notebooks).
SC8 The course requires writing to explain: Expository, analytical essays in which students draw upon textual details to develop an extended interpretation of a literary text.
SC9 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s artistry and quality.
SC10 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s social, historical and/or cultural values.
SC11 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately.
SC12 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a variety of sentence structures.
SC13 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence. Such techniques may include traditional rhetorical structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and emphasis.
SC14 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students develop a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.
SC15 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students establish an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone and a voice appropriate to the writer’s audience.
College Board Sites and General Resources
Sign up for AP Mentor Program
The AP Literature Exam Questions at AP Central
AP English Literature Classroom Resources Page
The AP Language Exam Questions at AP Central
AP English Language Classroom Resources Page
AP Teacher Community
AP Audit
Score Report for Educators
Twitter: Trevlor Packer@AP_Trevor; Brandon Abdon @AP_EngLangLit; Talks with Teachers@TalksWTeachers; David Miller @Miller_DG; @aplitchat (Sunday Nights); Button Poetry @buttonpoetry; Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster; Grammarly @Grammarly; Turnitin @Turnitin
Sign up for AP Mentor Program
The AP Literature Exam Questions at AP Central
AP English Literature Classroom Resources Page
The AP Language Exam Questions at AP Central
AP English Language Classroom Resources Page
AP Teacher Community
AP Audit
Score Report for Educators
Twitter: Trevlor Packer@AP_Trevor; Brandon Abdon @AP_EngLangLit; Talks with Teachers@TalksWTeachers; David Miller @Miller_DG; @aplitchat (Sunday Nights); Button Poetry @buttonpoetry; Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster; Grammarly @Grammarly; Turnitin @Turnitin
Multiple-Choice
Breakdown of AP Multiple-Choice Questions
Gradecam
Rewordify
Question Stems for Poetry and Prose
Question Stems for AP Lit Prose Only
Vocabulary used on AP Lit through 2009 from Jerry Brown
Reading Acronyms:
PAINTT-- Purpose, audience, irony, narrator, tone, theme
SAINT—Setting, attitude, irony, narrator, theme
SAPI--Speaker, Attitude, Purpose, Irony
OCR Software: Optical Character Recognition Software
Square Root Calculator (#correct squared x 10)
EXCEL Chart for Curves
Additional Supports with Khan Academy 2019
Breakdown of AP Multiple-Choice Questions
Gradecam
Rewordify
Question Stems for Poetry and Prose
Question Stems for AP Lit Prose Only
Vocabulary used on AP Lit through 2009 from Jerry Brown
Reading Acronyms:
PAINTT-- Purpose, audience, irony, narrator, tone, theme
SAINT—Setting, attitude, irony, narrator, theme
SAPI--Speaker, Attitude, Purpose, Irony
OCR Software: Optical Character Recognition Software
Square Root Calculator (#correct squared x 10)
EXCEL Chart for Curves
Additional Supports with Khan Academy 2019
Prose, Poetry and Rubrics
2018 Prompts
Student Responses for "The Myth of Music"
Student Responses for The Adventure of Peregrine Pickle
Student Responses for Q3
T-Chart
Ridge Point High School Department Rubric
List Rubric for Prose
List Rubric for Poetry
List Rubric for Q3
Sample Debrief on "Lenina"
Debrief for The Stranger Timed Write
Past Prose Prompts
Past Poetry Prompts
Past Poetry Prompts with Poems
Past Q3 Prompts
Books listed on Q3 Prompts
Teach This Poem
Student Responses for "The Myth of Music"
Student Responses for The Adventure of Peregrine Pickle
Student Responses for Q3
T-Chart
Ridge Point High School Department Rubric
List Rubric for Prose
List Rubric for Poetry
List Rubric for Q3
Sample Debrief on "Lenina"
Debrief for The Stranger Timed Write
Past Prose Prompts
Past Poetry Prompts
Past Poetry Prompts with Poems
Past Q3 Prompts
Books listed on Q3 Prompts
Teach This Poem
Novels and Plays
Novel Groupings
Summer Readings: All the Light We Cannot See, The Goldfinch, or The Sympathizer
Science Fiction Readings: Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale, Pym, or Slaughterhouse Five
Social Issues Unit-- Invisible Man, The Color Purple, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, or The Poisonwood Bible
Plays: Wit, Proof, Doubt or Disgraced
Contemporary Fiction: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Middlesex, Delicious Foods, or The Round House
More Cowbell Skit from SLN
Sample COWs
COW Rubric
Schools of Criticism
Professional Discussion: If all students are reading the same novel, organize students by profession. Consider careers such as detective, psychologist, scientist, journalist, financial consultant, lawyer, doctor, housekeeper, or novelist. You may want to include a novelist, poet, or character with whom the students are familiar. Pose questions to the groups such as 1. What is the protagonist's biggest problem? 2. Why is the protagonist attracted to another character? 3. Why is the protagonist angry or annoyed with another character? 4. Will the protagonist achieve his or her goal by the end of the novel? Why or why not? After the students have discussed three or four questions, organize students in groups where each profession is represented: one detective, one psychologist, one scientist, etc. Discuss questions again. End class with a whole group discussion/debate. If students are reading different titles (in lit circles), organize students by novel. Then assign a profession to each member in the group. Discuss questions. Next, organize the students by profession so that all the lawyers are in one group and all the psychologists are in one group. Each novel should be represented in the group if possible. Discuss questions again. Whole group share before leaving.
Summer Readings: All the Light We Cannot See, The Goldfinch, or The Sympathizer
Science Fiction Readings: Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale, Pym, or Slaughterhouse Five
Social Issues Unit-- Invisible Man, The Color Purple, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, or The Poisonwood Bible
Plays: Wit, Proof, Doubt or Disgraced
Contemporary Fiction: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Middlesex, Delicious Foods, or The Round House
More Cowbell Skit from SLN
Sample COWs
COW Rubric
Schools of Criticism
Professional Discussion: If all students are reading the same novel, organize students by profession. Consider careers such as detective, psychologist, scientist, journalist, financial consultant, lawyer, doctor, housekeeper, or novelist. You may want to include a novelist, poet, or character with whom the students are familiar. Pose questions to the groups such as 1. What is the protagonist's biggest problem? 2. Why is the protagonist attracted to another character? 3. Why is the protagonist angry or annoyed with another character? 4. Will the protagonist achieve his or her goal by the end of the novel? Why or why not? After the students have discussed three or four questions, organize students in groups where each profession is represented: one detective, one psychologist, one scientist, etc. Discuss questions again. End class with a whole group discussion/debate. If students are reading different titles (in lit circles), organize students by novel. Then assign a profession to each member in the group. Discuss questions. Next, organize the students by profession so that all the lawyers are in one group and all the psychologists are in one group. Each novel should be represented in the group if possible. Discuss questions again. Whole group share before leaving.
Visual Analysis
*Mental Floss--A Quick Video Analysis
*A Guide to Film Analysis from ACMI
*"Elements of Art" from the Getty
*Don't Look Back--video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
*Jeff Daniels from Newsroom "America is Not the Greatest Country Anymore"
*Langston Hughes "Let America Be America Again"
My Favorite Poetry Project
*Mental Floss--A Quick Video Analysis
*A Guide to Film Analysis from ACMI
*"Elements of Art" from the Getty
*Don't Look Back--video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
*Jeff Daniels from Newsroom "America is Not the Greatest Country Anymore"
*Langston Hughes "Let America Be America Again"
My Favorite Poetry Project