AP Vocabulary

With the 2019/2020 update to the AP Lit curriculum, the focus SEEMS to have shifted away from literary terms. The College Board only mentions 31 literary terms directly! HOWEVER, this does NOT mean we should stop teaching literary vocabulary! No way!

What it does mean is that it’s probably not worthwhile to skill & drill in the months leading up to the test. Instead, your students need to KNOW & USE these terms in a deeper way, so you need to start on DAY ONE in order to ensure they aren’t just memorizing definitions. Your end goal should be that the kids will be able to USE the terms in their literary analysis, both in your classroom and on the exam.

What do we know based on studying the new rubrics? Our students need to incorporate key literary terms into their essays (as part of their analysis & in a sophisticated manner) in order to earn high scores. So THAT’S how we should view teaching vocabulary to our AP Lit learners!!

I still have my students study a list of terms, and we still play games like Quizlet Live (they LOVE this!), but I do it with application in mind. We study hard for 15 weeks (with 15 quizzes), and then I emphasize in my instruction, coaching, and rubrics the USE of these terms in their essays and analysis activities. And THAT’S where the magic is at. I promise!

• AP QUIZLET (LITERARY TERMS)
• 15 AP Lit Vocab Quizzes (goes with the Quizlet)
• Poetry + Lit Terms Pre-Made Handouts! (on my TPT store!)
• Want my packet? (Lit Terms Galore!)
• Want my rubrics?

AP Testing

• How to earn a 9: 9 Steps to a 9
• AP Lit Test Prep Materials: Everything I use to turn 3’s into 5’s!

AP Vocabulary Presentations (Free Activity)

DIRECTIONS

For this assignment, each student will be assigned five terms. Students must develop a 2-4 page handout covering all five of their assigned terms. Each student will also choose only one of the terms to “teach” to the class in a short presentation (1-2 minutes).

Students should use the information from their handout to guide their presentation.

A PowerPoint is not required, although it may help you better teach the term to the class. A random draw will decide who goes and in what order.

FORMAT

Term

Definition:

Pronunciation:

Example(s):

WHAT YOU MUST TEACH

A) What each term means

• It will help if you use multiple resources as you build your definition. Try using online or print glossaries, websites devoted to literature and/or literary terms, books or textbooks on English Literature, and/or AP study books.
• Use the literary definition, not the “common” definition of the term.
• Note: It is vital to get across the meaning of the item clearly and to ensure that your audience understands. To check for understanding, ask questions of your audience either during or after your presentation.

B) How each term is pronounced

• First, ensure that you know how to pronounce the word!
• Then, if the word is particularly difficult to say, write it out phonetically for the audience and guide your listeners in pronouncing it!

C) Ways the term might come in handy when writing about literature or poetry

• Does this term apply to any specific genre or time period/literary period?
• Are there specific novels, stories, dramas (plays), or poems students have studied at AHS to which this term could be applied?

Suggested strategies for presenting terms

• An illustration can be very useful for visual learners. It has its limits though: not all terms can be easily drawn; some you may not be able to represent visually at all. Consider whether a drawing or comic-strip-style illustration could work for your term.
• Mime can be fun and memorable. Could you “mime” the meaning of your literary term? If not, can you think of how you could use gestures, your hands, and/or your body to show what is going on as you discuss examples of the term in action? This could work well for terms that have to do with syntax…
• Build on what they know. Using words your audience already knows can be effective for getting the meaning of a more difficult term across. Is the term related to any other “easier” terms? For example, a simile is a type of analogy… Also, consider whether there any simple antonyms and/or synonyms for the term…
• Put it in context. Come up with clear, easy-to-understand examples. You could show your audience a few examples of the literary device “in action.” You could give examples of texts studied at AHS to which the term applies. You could show how the term could be used to talk about a text or texts students have read at AHS. Consider using example sentences, poems, or passages to show the meaning and/or use of the term.