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ESTHER WU believes passionately in the power of education to transform lives and help all students find their voice. She has taught AP English Literature for the past 17 years at Mountain View High School in Northern California to students representing diverse communities. She currently serves as the English Department Coordinator dedicated to building the instructional capacity of grade-level teams and guiding them towards continuous improvement in student learning outcomes. Ms. Wu holds a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis, M.A. in Sociology, and M.A. in Education from Stanford University. Ms. Wu has been an AP English Literature Reader since 2018. As a professional development trainer, she has produced and delivered workshops on instructional strategies for speaking and listening, as well as standards-based grading. Ms. Wu is a featured teacher on The Teaching Channel, a Santa Clara County Teacher of the Year Honoree, and a recipient of Northwestern University’s Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award. In her free time, Ms. Wu enjoys cooking with her husband, listening to music with her three sons, and cheering exuberantly for them at soccer games. |
"Best PD training I've had in 30 years of teaching. Organized, excellent choices for hands-on activities, topics, so knowledgeable, kind, helpful, inspiring"
"Esther is a knowledgeable and engaging presenter. I have learned so much, and wish this class could be even longer!" -Marin By The Bay participants |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
AP English Literature and Composition Marin by the Bay Summer Institute (July 8-11, 2025)
This course is designed to support new and experienced AP Literature and Composition teachers in understanding the College Board’s Course and Exam Description and bringing the course framework to life in all classrooms to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Using contemporary and classic literature, we will develop a robust understanding of the course’s standards and identify multimodal instructional strategies to make the course engaging and relevant to all students. Equity and access will be our guiding principles. During the week we will explore course and syllabi design, components of the AP Literature exam, AP Classroom resources, and best practices for daily instruction. We will work on constructing and refining lesson plans, units, and assessments that deepen student understanding. We will also learn to apply AP Literature scoring rubrics confidently to student work. Diving into the world of numbers, we will learn how to use AP Classroom progress checks and instructional planning exam data to inform our instructional practices. The workshop will be hands-on and differentiated to meet varying curricular and instructional needs. Please bring teaching resources you want to use.
Materials Included
Literature referenced throughout the week
Course Objectives
The course will prepare beginning and experienced AP Literature teachers to:
AP English Literature and Composition Marin by the Bay Summer Institute (July 8-11, 2025)
This course is designed to support new and experienced AP Literature and Composition teachers in understanding the College Board’s Course and Exam Description and bringing the course framework to life in all classrooms to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Using contemporary and classic literature, we will develop a robust understanding of the course’s standards and identify multimodal instructional strategies to make the course engaging and relevant to all students. Equity and access will be our guiding principles. During the week we will explore course and syllabi design, components of the AP Literature exam, AP Classroom resources, and best practices for daily instruction. We will work on constructing and refining lesson plans, units, and assessments that deepen student understanding. We will also learn to apply AP Literature scoring rubrics confidently to student work. Diving into the world of numbers, we will learn how to use AP Classroom progress checks and instructional planning exam data to inform our instructional practices. The workshop will be hands-on and differentiated to meet varying curricular and instructional needs. Please bring teaching resources you want to use.
Materials Included
- AP Literature Course and Exam Description
- AP Literature Curriculum Materials and Activities
- Unit materials for Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- Unit materials for Poetry
Literature referenced throughout the week
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
- Various poems by William Shakespeare, John Donne, Adrienne Rich, Maya Angelou, Oliver de la Paz, Yesenia Montilla, Clint Smith, Danez Smith, Ada Limón, Franny Choi, Carmen Giménez, and more!
Course Objectives
The course will prepare beginning and experienced AP Literature teachers to:
- Understand the course and exam description, including what students should know and do to succeed on the AP Literature Exam
- Develop a course sequence with focused units, lesson plans, and essential scaffolds that build students’ skills in critical reading and writing
- Draw upon a wide range of multimodal instructional strategies to help students develop mastery of course content and skills
- Assess student work accurately and give effective feedback using AP Literature scoring rubrics
