Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature offer a perfect match to the CED Framework for AP® Lang and AP® Lit. If you're putting together an AP® English course that will hit all the Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings as well as a well-scaffolded approach to Skills -- these are the textbooks for you and your students. But how do they work together as companion volumes? If your school or district offers both AP® English courses, you might like to see how the Ideas books complement each other. Perhaps you're sharing the English courses with colleagues and want to coordinate efforts! We've created an infographic that will give you all the details you need, at a quick glance, plus you can order examination copies of either or both books! Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature -- a perfect match to both the CED Framework and to each other! Check it out here: https://go.macmillanlearning.com/rs/122-CFG-317/images/bfw-ideas-perfect-match-infographic.pdf?version=0  ... View more

Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature  by John Williamson, Mary Jo Zell, & Elizabeth Davis #1 - Emphasize the importance of IDEAS Ideas lead students beyond the literal Ideas provide a broader context for analyzing all texts (fiction and nonfiction) Idea-focused reading annotations lead to deeper understanding and more insightful analysis Ideas combined with perspective or insight result in understanding a writer’s purpose or theme Idea-focused thesis statements and lines of reasoning create a unified and sophisticated argument #2 - Teach the Big Idea Workshops at the beginning of each unit Frame instruction using the “I do - We do - You do” model I do - review the student-friendly lessons, relevant examples, and helpful reference tables We do - guide students through the practice text with targeted skill focus You do - allow students to apply their knowledge with a text perfectly paired to the targeted skill Use the workshop texts that were chosen to align with the targeted skill (no need to recreate the wheel), OR if you wish, substitute a text focused on the same skill (these questions will need very little tweaking).  Encourage students to use and study the reference tables.  Because of the overlap in composition skills (e.g., thesis, line of reasoning, evidence, and commentary) and analysis skills (e.g., ideas, perspective, author choices, purpose/theme), the consistent format and content in the reference tables will foster useful transfer skills. #3 - Put it All Together in the Idea Collections Build students’ knowledge base for providing context in their analysis with the Ideas Collections introductions. Use the skill-focused questions to encourage deeper understanding by examining how rhetorical and literary choices work together to reveal purpose and meaning in a text. Encourage more precise and nuanced analysis through the increasing difficulty of the cumulative course skills. Fulfill curricular requirements (if applicable) for American and British historical and literary periods with anchor texts in each Idea Collection. #4 - Develop Process Writing Skills with Scaffolded Instruction Teach the writing process with composition workshops designed to build skills that will transfer to FRQ success.  Language workshops include assignments for the methods of development, the building blocks for arguments Literature workshops include assignments for each major element of literature Guide students from composition basics to sophisticated arguments with the scaffolded instruction, templates, and models Emphasize the parallel between reading and writing skills by connecting the instruction from the reading and writing workshops in each unit #5 - Prepare Students for On-Demand Writing with Consistent Steps Frame writing instruction using the “I do - We do - You do” model I do - guide students through the targeted instruction in the consistent 4-step process for each type of Free Response Question aligned to APⓇ Classroom We do - review a practice prompt and text with targeted skill focus and model responses for each step in the workshop You do - allow students to apply their knowledge with a practice prompt and text perfectly paired to the targeted skill (or substitute your own prompt and passage if you wish) Utilize reference tables, models, and templates to assist students in building their writing skills Emphasize the increasing difficulty of the reading and writing skills as students are asked to write with more complexity and sophistication ... View more

Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature  by John Williamson, Mary Jo Zell, & Elizabeth Davis As the authors of Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature, we get asked quite a lot not only what sets our textbooks apart from other excellent books on the market, but also why schools should adopt both books in the Ideas series.  We love to talk about how these books, taught in conjunction with one another, impact the classroom by providing everything teachers have asked for to impact student success in the classroom and on the APⓇ exam.  We know that IDEAS are at the heart of our reading and writing experiences, and that our students learn to engage with each other and the world around them when they realize that IDEAS MATTER. Ideas in Argument and Ideas in Literature are among the first textbooks of their kind – written after the College Board released the current Course and Exam Descriptions (CEDs) for the APⓇ English Language and APⓇ English Literature courses. The Ideas textbooks are not retrofitted to the updated framework, but were created specifically to teach the knowledge and skills of each course through the parallel units.  In short, when teachers follow the nine units in each textbook in the Ideas series, they are teaching the recommended framework, sequencing the material so that the skills scaffold and spiral for maximum student outcomes.   BOTH textbooks in the Ideas Series share these features (and many more): Direct alignment to the framework and skills in the College Board Course and Exam Descriptions (CED) All units divided into four consistent sections Consistent pedagogical model for reading and writing instruction that fosters student growth User-friendly design and format that emphasize an instructional model for student growth  Big Idea workshops written in a student-friendly voice Key points and Insider Tips to guide instruction Perfect pairing of texts to skills followed by skill-focused questions Targeted intentional skills practice in reading and writing throughout all units Reference Tables and Graphic Organizers that guide student growth and practice Idea banks connect historical and contemporary contexts to readings to build sophistication Two Idea-centered text collections with diverse texts per unit allow for teacher choice Composition Workshops for process writing in each unit with models, graphic organizers, and templates Free-response Workshops in each unit that follow four consistent steps to build student skills Multiple Choice Practice in each unit aligned to APⓇ Classroom along with additional test bank Robust teacher’s edition contains everything a teacher needs – like having a “mentor in a book” ... View more

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

Ideas in Argument provides everything a teacher needs for a successful and fully CED-aligned AP® Language course. Each Unit includes brief, approachable skill workshops aligned to each Big Idea in the Course and Exam Description as well as to AP® Classroom.      ... View more

Since its first edition, Literature & Composition was designed specifically for the AP® English Literature course. Its unique structure of skill-building opening chapters combined with an engaging thematic anthology provides the flexibility you need to plan your year and differentiate based on your students’ needs. In this edition, the book you know and love now fully aligns to the new AP® Course and Exam Description.     ... 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

This slide deck contains a combination of “The College Board Pacing Guide for Flipped Classrooms” for AP English Literature and Composition and a modified pacing guide for Literature & Composition, 2e. Feel free to use it for the remainder of the 2021 school year to prepare for the exam in May. ... View more

This slide deck contains a combination of “The College Board Pacing Guide for Flipped Classrooms” for AP English Language and Composition and a modified pacing guide for The Language of Composition, 3e. Feel free to use it for the remainder of the 2021 school year to prepare for the exam in May. ... View more

Renee Shea, Robin Aufses, and Kate Cordes wrote a lesson plan for Amanda Gorman's Superbowl poem "A Call for Captains." Take a look, try it out with your class, and let us know what you think! ... 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