This workshop invites participants to explore trauma-informed teaching practices that benefit all students and contribute to a "compassionate" teaching environment. It begins with an overview of trauma, its impact on learning, and trauma-informed teaching principles before addressing strategies teachers can use to support trauma-informed teaching. Participants should bring one story of how trauma has impacted their teaching as well as a policy, document, or practice used frequently in their own teaching.   View Recording & Access Slides ... View more

There are several ways to teach AP® Literature, so how do you choose which way is best for your classroom? Join authors Renee Shea, Kate Cordes, and Carlos Escobar with BFW contributor Doranna Tindle as they discuss how to align your course to the CED and teach essential AP® Literature skills without losing flexibility in your course. Then, take a deep dive into a lesson from the third edition of Literature & Composition, featuring Nella Larsen’s Passing.   View Recording & Access Slides ... View more

Did you know that ideas are the secret to success on the AP® English Language Exam? It’s not enough just to discuss a topic. To excel, students need to express an idea about that topic. Join John Williamson, Mary Jo Zell, and Elizabeth Davis as they discuss what constitutes an idea, why ideas are important, and how you can encourage your students to become persuasive writers and analytical readers. You will take a look at how the features in their new AP® Language text, Ideas in Argument, align with the course skills and encourage students to conceive of their own ideas. You’ll walk away with a full Unit from the program and an exclusive lesson plan.   View Recording & Access Slides Ideas in Argument  ... View more

In this webinar Renee Shea, Robin Aufses, Megan Pankiewicz, and Kate Cordes will reflect on the new AP® Language Scoring Guide and the 2021 AP® Exam results and discuss ways to prepare for the 2022 exam. They will also discuss how we can utilize available tools to engage our students beyond preparing for the exam and get them actively reading and analyzing.   View Recording & Access Slides ... View more

In celebration of National Poetry Month, the authors of American Literature & Rhetoric (ALR) and colleagues who contributed to the resources discuss "Contemporary Poets Talk Back: An American Tradition." One way to view our new book  ALR is one big conversation about issues and ideas about our perfect—or imperfect—union. Nowhere is the conversation more dynamic than in our "talk backs": contemporary poets responding to a song, a painting, or another poem from another era. These responses might be an appreciation or a challenge, but they always raise questions that continue to engage us. During this webinar, we will discuss five contemporary poets who are talking back: Ada Limon (to “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key) Natasha Trethewey (to "Veteran in a New Field" by Winslow Homer) Ilya Kaminsky (to "At Lowe's Home Improvement Center" by Brian Turner) Ocean Vuong (to "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa) Eve Ewing (to "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston)   View Recording Here! ACCESS THE WEBINAR ... View more

When Faulkner stated, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past,” he could have been providing a preview into the inflection point today’s students face. Whether through remote learning or in-person classes in 2021, this generation of students will need to be prepared to address critical social, economic, and cultural issues, as well as define their role as active citizens who shape them. In this webinar, BFW English authors Renée Shea, Robin Aufses, Kate Cordes, and Larry Scanlon will discuss how American Literature & Rhetoric offers opportunities to engage with the past in order to frame—and more deeply understand—the present. In particular, attendees will be introduced to how American Literature & Rhetoric’s underlying philosophy, structure, themes, features, and chosen texts guide this study of America’s key writers and thinkers. American Literature and Rhetoric  ... View more

Whether you teach on-level, Honors, Pre-AP®, you want all of your students to leave your 10th grade class ready for AP®, college, and beyond. In this webinar, BFW authors Carlos Escobar, John Golden, and Renée Shea will examine textbook and teacher resources that help scaffold and differentiate skill building for deeper student learning. They will also review key updates to Advanced Language & Literature, Second Ed. that were made in response to your feedback. Advanced Language & Literature  ... View more

On-Demand While it is essential that all students have the opportunities to engage with the levels of rigor required of a Pre-AP® classroom, it is just as important that teachers are responsive to the individual needs and cultural backgrounds of their students and are willing, able, and supported to make the necessary adjustments to their curriculum. This webinar will present the differentiation tools, the text types and levels, and other resources designed to help Pre-AP® teachers reach all students. Foundations of Language and Literature  Advanced Language & Literature  ... View more

On-Demand In the new rubrics, the phrase "line of reasoning" appears numerous times for each essay type. But what does it mean? And how do we prepare our students to demonstrate their understanding of the concept? Join the authors of The Language of Composition, 3rd Ed. in a discussion on how the concept of "line of reasoning" functions in the course and how it will be assessed on the rubrics. The Language of Composition  ... View more

On-Demand Authors Renée Shea, Larry Scanlon, Robin Aufses, and Megan Pankiewicz discuss the 2019 AP® Language exam results and how you can prepare your students for the 2020 exam using The Language of Composition. The Language of Composition  ... View more

On-Demand Authors Renee Shea and Larry Scanlon discuss the 2019 AP® Literature exam results and how you can best prepare your students for the 2020 exam using Literature & Composition, Second Edition. Literature & Composition  ... View more

On-Demand In this webinar, authors Kate Cordes and Megan Pankiewicz will discuss ways to scaffold your Pre-AP® and AP® English courses to truly align as a vertical team. They will discuss the ways in which the books and programs work with one another to build key skills and understanding before approaching more difficult AP® topics. Foundations of Language and Literature  Advanced Language & Literature  ... View more

On-Demand Author John Golden will discuss ways to differentiate instruction by using Foundations of Language & Literature (9th) and Advanced Language & Literature (10th) to create Pre-AP® courses that are accessible to all students, from all backgrounds, and all levels of understanding. Foundations of Language and Literature  Advanced Language & Literature  ... View more

On-Demand BFW invites you to our AP® updates webinar with authors Reneé Shea, Larry Scanlon, Robin Aufses, and Megan Pankiewicz. In this webinar, our authors and AP® experts will discuss the goals of the courses, new changes, and what they mean for you. ... View more

ON-DEMAND Suddenly, we are living in a whole new world. In this webinar, author Kate Cordes will discuss how to make the most of the final month leading up to the AP ®️ Literature and Language exams now that teaching and learning must happen from a distance. She will offer suggestions for how to utilize BFW’s online resources, AP®️ Classroom’s progress checks and questions banks, or your own units and assessments to determine student strengths and weaknesses. The webinar will also offer helpful text suggestions that target the skills most often emphasized in the new CEDs. Finally, we will share ways to support your students as they prepare for the revised online exams.   About Kate Cordes Kate Cordes is a National Board Certified English Teacher who currently teaches 10th grade English, 12th grade English, and AP®️ English Literature at Skyview High School. She received her undergraduate degree in English, Psychology, and Medieval Studies from St. Olaf College and spent a year at Oxford University studying Medieval and 20th-century British Literature. With a master's degree in education from Montana State University-Billings, she focuses her teaching efforts on writing instruction, technology integration, and becoming the best teacher and leader possible. The Language of Composition  Literature & Composition  ... View more