English Literature and Composition

Susan Frediani
sfediani@pcoe.k12.ca.us
Susan Frediani, M.A., has taught English in both public and private schools. She earned her B.A. in English at the University of California, Berkeley, and her M.A. in Curriculum,  and Instruction at California State University, Sacramento. She has taught grades 6 through community college, and grades 10, 11, and 12 at Quincy High School in northern California. Susan has taught AP* English Literature and Composition for 18 years and AP* English Language for 4 years. Currently, Susan is a teacher on special assignment for Plumas Unified School District where she is working in four high schools as an Instructional Coach and for the district as a Project Coordinator. She read the AP* English Literature and Composition exam for 9 years, and she has trained AP* teachers for the past 19 years at summer institutes at CSU Sacramento, CSU Monterey Bay, Spokane, WA, University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, AP* By the Sea, AP* Seminars Silicon Valley (Palo Alto), and online for UCLA. Susan has also trained teachers in AP English Literature and AP English Language as an international presenter in Guam. 
She is also an endorsed Pre-AP National Consultant. She also serves as a mentor consultant for new College Board consulting teachers in both AP Literature and AP Language. She has served as her district AP* coordinator, a PAR mentor teacher, a beginning teacher induction coach, and Plumas Unified School District’s ELA Vertical Team Lead Teacher. She served for four years as Chair of the SAT Test Development Committee for English Literature, and she is a current member of the SAT Writing and Language Review Committee. Susan currently serves as Chair of the College Board’s ELA Advisory Committee. Susan is a past member of the State Department of Education’s Common Core Supplemental Curriculum Selection Committee. Additionally, she was a recipient of an NEH Summer Scholar Program Award focusing on the works of Richard Wright. Susan recently completed her clear credential in administrative services.
2020 AP* Seminars Silicon Valley (Online)
 
Course Description: 
Welcome! This English Literature and Composition session will cover the Advanced Placement* course and recent changes in AP* including AP Classroom, the structure and grading of the examination, appropriate assignments and texts, and the relationship of these materials to the preparation of students for college-level work. This course is designed to benefit both new and experienced AP* English Literature and Composition teachers. We will explore instructional strategies and assessments using a variety of texts. We will examine course syllabi, structure, and pacing. We will also explore the exam and instructional approaches for long works, short stories, and poetry. We will review teaching literary analysis, developing close reading skills, preparing students for the exam, and managing the workload of an AP* course. Participants will engage in writing and reading activities designed to cultivate the critical thinking skills necessary for student success in the AP* classroom and beyond. We will participate in mock scoring sessions of the exam using current rubrics. Teachers with experience in the AP* program will review a variety of approaches to course structure, and they will gain numerous teaching strategies to add to their toolboxes. New AP* teachers will learn about the course requirements as well as various curriculum strategies and teaching techniques that will assist them in offering students a successful AP* English Literature and Composition course.
  
Distance Learning will be delivered both synchronously and asynchronously. Participants will also have the opportunity to receive individual feedback during virtual office hours.
 
Technology:
Instruction will be delivered through Zoom and Google Classroom. Materials will also be shared through Google Drive. Some materials may be better utilized in print format so access to a printer would be helpful.

What to Bring:
Participants should have texts they will utilize in their AP class available to them as they work to develop lesson plans and units aligned to the curriculum requirements and the AP* English Literature Course and Exam Description.
 
Goals: 
● To identify and apply the standards of the AP* English Literature and Composition Exam to classroom practices 
● To explore and develop effective and engaging AP* English literature units, lessons, and syllabi 
● To expand participants’ “toolboxes” with successful instructional strategies 
● To explore course resources 
● To network with colleagues and learn from each other 
● To return to classrooms with ready-to-use instructional plans
      
Course Agenda
  
  Day #1 
● CED Framework Elements and Planning the AP* course 
● Review and Connections to Curricular Requirements 
● Equity, Inclusion, and Access 
● Nuts and Bolts of *AP English Literature and Composition 
● Close Reading Instructional Activities 
● Poetry Prompts and Essays 


Day #2 
● Poetry and the Line of Reasoning 
● AP Classroom 
● Resource Review 
● Instructional Activities 
● Pacing Guides and Year Long Plans 
● Shared Resources 
● 6 Point Rubrics 
● Scoring Poetry 
● Prose Prompts and Essays

Day #3
● Multiple Choice Tips and Practice 
● Building Lessons, Units, and Year Long Plans 
● Prose Rubrics and Scoring Session 
● More Nuts and Bolts 
 
Day #4 
● Literary Argument Instructional Strategies 
● Introductions and Thesis statements 
● Utilizing Data from Instructional Planning Reports 
● Exam Tips from Readers 
● Literary Argument Prompts, Rubrics, and Scoring Session  
 
Day 5: 
● Close Reading: The Novel 
● Drama Review and Strategies 
● Importance of Tone 
● Project Sharing 
● Next Steps