Category: Overview

#APLit17 on Twitter

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Confession: I love Twitter.

I actively use it to extend my professional learning opportunities, stay up-to-date, check in on a celebrity or two, belly laugh at King Henry tweets, and most importantly, connect with other educators. I shamelessly brag on my students, share what’s happening in my classroom, and participate in the weekly and beloved #aplitchat.

You are IN NO WAY obligated or required to create an account and “be on Twitter.” But if you are, feel free to follow me. To keep it professional and less-weird, I won’t follow you back until you graduate — an AP Lit rite of passage. 🙂

  • My handle is @karlahilliard, and I will Tweet all AP Lit related announcements, ideas, articles, photos, and reflections to #APLit17.
  • I encourage you to share your own thoughts and reactions and questions to your reading using #APLit17.

I thought I’d make this official and share my intent. I hope you’ll join in on the conversation and extend our classroom experience into the Twittersphere. Happy Tweeting!

Welcome #APLit17!

Dear Future AP Lit Students,

If you’re reading this letter it’s most likely because you’ve signed up for a rigorous, challenging, intellectually transformative class – Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, which is a long, fanciful name for a course that requires a strong, get-your-hands-dirty work ethic. As I’m sure you already know, the work-load of AP Literature will challenge you, sure, but what I think is more important to tell you is the work you do will be rewarding.

If you have an eager and curious mind, and I know you do or you wouldn’t be here reading this, this course will help you to develop some heavy-duty literary skills. And by skills, I mean a systematic, utilitarian way of reading deeply and analytically, the ability to produce clear, elegant, and creative written responses to literature, and a cultural awareness of some of the greatest and most famous Literature-with-a-capital-L ever written. You will have the opportunity to grow intellectually and emotionally, and you will probably be able to answer a few Jeopardy questions along the way, too. It goes without saying that I am beyond excited to be teaching this course next year.

But before we get too rapt with excitement and possibility, let’s start with The College Board’s vision of AP Lit, yes? Here is an excerpt from the course description. You will, of course, get more specific and tailored information on your syllabus in the fall. Continue reading Welcome #APLit17!