"Great pacing, sense of humor, and professionalism. Tim clearly knows what he's talking about. We benefited greatly from his experience."
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TIM MOXEY
Tim Moxey has been teaching at Lower Moreland High School (Huntingdon Valley, PA) for 27 years. He has been the AP English Language and Composition teacher for 15 years, and also teaches a British Literature survey course to college prep and honors students. He has served as a reader and table leader for the AP English Language exam since 2007, and consulted on the newly designed curriculum framework for the course in 2015. He has a BA in English from La Salle University, where he was an adjunct lecturer in American Studies in 2017-2018, and an MA in English from Beaver College (now Arcadia University). He has taught Freshman Composition at the University of Delaware. Prior to his teaching career, Tim worked for a few years as a copy writer at a small ad agency outside of Philadelphia. He has published in The English Journal and Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, in addition to local newspapers.
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Tim Moxey has been teaching at Lower Moreland High School (Huntingdon Valley, PA) for 27 years. He has been the AP English Language and Composition teacher for 15 years, and also teaches a British Literature survey course to college prep and honors students. He has served as a reader and table leader for the AP English Language exam since 2007, and consulted on the newly designed curriculum framework for the course in 2015. He has a BA in English from La Salle University, where he was an adjunct lecturer in American Studies in 2017-2018, and an MA in English from Beaver College (now Arcadia University). He has taught Freshman Composition at the University of Delaware. Prior to his teaching career, Tim worked for a few years as a copy writer at a small ad agency outside of Philadelphia. He has published in The English Journal and Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, in addition to local newspapers.
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
My name is Tim Moxey, and I will be facilitating our AP Summer Institute for English Language and Composition. We will begin with an overview of the AP English Language and Composition course and the skills that its exam is designed to assess. Recognizing that students come to the course from a variety of backgrounds, and teachers from a variety of placements, exam discussion is always conducted as secondary to the primary goals of improving student writing, reading, and critical thinking, especially as these relate to rhetoric.
To that end, we will explore strategies and lessons proven to teach effectively the three main skills required for success in the course: rhetorical analysis, argument, and research (synthesis). Every effort will be made to tailor the week to participants’ needs and questions and to encourage discussion of best practices. One of the best resources will be your fellow participants. You will receive several model reading and writing exercises and assessments. We will conduct simulated readings, according to the new analytic rubric, of recent Free-Response exam questions. We will address the standardization of free-response prompt language as well as the new composition-type multiple-choice questions.
Instruction will consist of lecture, modeling, small-group collaboration, individual research, and presentation. Participants will work both collaboratively and individually to create and/or enhance lessons that meet the needs of their specific student populations. Additional, course specific activities will be shared, produced, and created.
I look forward to meeting you and working with you this summer.
AGENDA
Monday AM:
Tuesday AM
Wednesday AM
Wednesday PM
Thursday. AM
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the four-day session, participants will
Required assignments:
My name is Tim Moxey, and I will be facilitating our AP Summer Institute for English Language and Composition. We will begin with an overview of the AP English Language and Composition course and the skills that its exam is designed to assess. Recognizing that students come to the course from a variety of backgrounds, and teachers from a variety of placements, exam discussion is always conducted as secondary to the primary goals of improving student writing, reading, and critical thinking, especially as these relate to rhetoric.
To that end, we will explore strategies and lessons proven to teach effectively the three main skills required for success in the course: rhetorical analysis, argument, and research (synthesis). Every effort will be made to tailor the week to participants’ needs and questions and to encourage discussion of best practices. One of the best resources will be your fellow participants. You will receive several model reading and writing exercises and assessments. We will conduct simulated readings, according to the new analytic rubric, of recent Free-Response exam questions. We will address the standardization of free-response prompt language as well as the new composition-type multiple-choice questions.
Instruction will consist of lecture, modeling, small-group collaboration, individual research, and presentation. Participants will work both collaboratively and individually to create and/or enhance lessons that meet the needs of their specific student populations. Additional, course specific activities will be shared, produced, and created.
I look forward to meeting you and working with you this summer.
AGENDA
Monday AM:
- Check in, Introductions, agenda, suggestions/question cards
- Umbrella ideas
- Language and rhetoric
- Equity and access
- Course overview and application to individual school environments
- Introduction to early registration
- Introduction to the new framework tools
- Introduction to new online resources
- The test – What it is/What it measures
- Course/syllabus design options/New Framework continued
- Discussion of changes, concerns, multiple-choice samples, approaches to, creation of
- New analytical rubric
- Discussion of analysis
- Daily takeaways
Tuesday AM
- Recap/review/questions
- More on analysis—New Framework approaches/models/examples from the reading
- Analysis Continued—Additional approaches—Framework applications—Personal Progress checks
- New rubric application; Analysis prompts and scaffolded approaches
- Simulated reading/scoring of analysis
- Lesson prep
- Daily takeaways
Wednesday AM
- Recap; Circle reading of analysis essays; discussion
- Introduction to argument
- Parts and types of arguments; Arguments v. lists of complaints; Classical Argument; Narrowing arguments;
Wednesday PM
- The possibilities of argument—two examples
- Sample argument texts and ways to approach—New Framework integration
- Creating lessons for arguments/New Framework
- Daily takeaways
Thursday. AM
- Synthesis
- Prompt examples
- Categorization of sources; Dos and Don’ts of synthesis; Conversing with the sources
- Graphs, charts, images
- Mini –research partner project—create your own Synthesis or Lesson work
- Multiple Choice review and discussion
- Early registration information/discussion/Framework questions
- New on-line resources review
- Present lesson/synthesis
- Recap/questions/final takeaways
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the four-day session, participants will
- Understand and feel confident in the application of the new framework and rubric and the way in which their current practices mesh;
- Ensure equitable access as a guiding principle in their course;
- Enhance and/or create new lessons specific to their student populations and classroom goals;
- Recognize the various approaches to the structuring of the course and create or revise a structure appropriate to their individual strengths and situations;
- Collect a variety of classroom-tested activities and strategies that have proved effective in moving students toward improved reading, writing, and thinking resulting in success on the AP exam;
- Research and create their own synthesis questions;
- Explore the new, online resource available from AP;
- Become a fuller member of the AP community.
Required assignments:
- In addition to in-class exercises and activities, students will complete, submit, and present on an original synthesis question which requires research prompt-specific language, and/or
- A set of lessons (three) that will show a progression of scaffolded lessons at various points in the year according to the new framework.