This last year I developed a unit that presented students with one of the most genuinely difficult challenges I’ve ever presented in 17 years of teaching AP Lang: we studied the ten songs that Kendrick Lamar and Drake wrote in a furious and fast-paced public battle in 2023-2024. I began the unit with some background … Continue reading Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept
Author: jb
Playing Video Games in AP English Literature and Composition – Part 2 – How?
The “is a video game literature?” argument is interesting and I do appreciate reasoning about it - but also, I think we can gain some interesting perspective on real academics at real college institutions - and reputable ones too - who have already settled the argument in their own heads and explored what it would … Continue reading Playing Video Games in AP English Literature and Composition – Part 2 – How?
Playing Video Games in AP English Literature and Composition – Why?
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] Recently, I mentioned attempting to integrate video games in my AP class (along with hip-hop, and movies) in an online forum. Someone sarcastically compared this to having students read … Continue reading Playing Video Games in AP English Literature and Composition – Why?
The Second Krabappel – or – What is Composition?
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] [after class the next day] Bartocrates: You emailed my parents without telling me? Ms. Krabappel: Yes? B: I feel violated. K: I’m supporting you, it’s part of my job. … Continue reading The Second Krabappel – or – What is Composition?
The Krabappel – or – What Is “AP Literature and Composition” – A Socratic Dialogue in Two Parts
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] Part 1 - What is Literature? Edna Krabappel: Okay class, please turn to page 357 of Tedious Times, where we left off yesterday, analyzing Dryprose’s prophetic critique of education … Continue reading The Krabappel – or – What Is “AP Literature and Composition” – A Socratic Dialogue in Two Parts
Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit Part 4 – Assessment
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] This was tricky for me because they were being asked both to create the texts they would eventually analyze, and then in later analyze them. Here’s what I did: … Continue reading Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit Part 4 – Assessment
Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit – Part 3 – Day to Day Lessons
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] The Adventure - ~3 weeks of class time (5 85-minute blocks) This post and the next will be more nuts and bolts - I’ve previously written about the why, … Continue reading Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit – Part 3 – Day to Day Lessons
Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit – Part 2 – How I Set Up the Unit
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] How I Tried to Make This Work in the Classroom [I will write more later about how the individual class days went as things got moving, and also how … Continue reading Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit – Part 2 – How I Set Up the Unit
Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit – Addendum to Part 1 – White Supremacy – What Counts as “Literature”
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] “What do D&D, the Odyssey and Hip-Hop Have in Common?” This question may feel strange because your vision of D&D may conjure up some very specific images of a … Continue reading Dungeons and Dragons in AP Lit – Addendum to Part 1 – White Supremacy – What Counts as “Literature”
Dungeons and Dragons in my AP Lit Classroom – Part 1 – Why Did I Want to Try This?
[This post is part of a broader project I'm calling "Pop Culture Pedagogy" where I write about ways pop culture finds its way into my classroom] Part 1 - Where Did I Get this Idea? - Or - What do D&D, the Odyssey and Hip-Hop Have in Common? Ever since I first read The Singer … Continue reading Dungeons and Dragons in my AP Lit Classroom – Part 1 – Why Did I Want to Try This?
Original Positions 