A COMPLEX PROBLEM: Sophisticated Writing for a Diverse Population

What a wonderful group at the College Board Forum '15!

WELCOME

Like many teachers, we have struggled when our students ask us for a concrete model for college-level literary analysis. This is especially true in our increasingly academically-diverse classsrooms. Students learn the five-paragraph formula in 9th grade, and refuse to relinquish it until they get a formula to replace it. The trouble is, the best writing isn't formulaic.

However, after many years of teaching, we have come up with an alternate "formula" for those students who aspire to college-level writing, but struggle with the ambiguity of sophisticated literary analysis. The key lies in the shifts - teaching students, through essential close reading techniques, to be aware of the shifts within a passage or poem, and then to use these shifts to structure their essays. We've found the difference in student writing to be powerful and profound.

Blake: taylorb@cps-k12.org

Nikki: nichole.wilson@fulbrightmail.org

#ComplexProblem

A COMPLEX PROBLEM: Sophisticated Writing for a Diverse Population

Thursday, November 5, 2015

2015 NATIONAL FORUM GROUP

National Forum 2015 PPT Presentation (2020 UPDATE)

National Forum 2015 Packet (NOT UPDATED)

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

2020 Update Shifts Chart with 2014 Poem "For That He Looked Not Upon Her"

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Three-Sentence Thesis Worksheet

Monday, November 2, 2015

Three-Sentence Thesis Structure: Poetry

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Three-Sentence Thesis Structure: The Literary Argument