Writing is a challenge, no matter the subject or grade level. Most students have not had their writing graded against a rubric that contains very specific language and content. Many are paralyzed by the scope of the course, and the idea of answering a free response question is very intimidating. This lesson plan introduces a writing boot camp…

The author shows how using art helped a blind student in an AP class and students in Creative and Practical Writing classes improve writing proficiency and critical thinking.

Notes that because of the status enjoyed by the Advanced Placement (AP) program and the reverence typically granted its values among secondary teachers, reconfiguring the AP English examination has the potential to genuinely improve English instruction--especially writing instruction--in American high schools. (SG)

Shows that high school students who took a specialized high school course in intensive journalistic writing passed the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Examination at higher rates (from 1991 to 1997) than did test-takers who took AP English Composition courses as a preparation for the exam. (SR)

The migration of online educational needs to tools like Google applications, coupled with the realization that today's twenty-first-century students are digital natives who have lived their entire lives exposed to current technology, forces educators to find ways to use technology to enhance traditional curriculum. In this article, the author…

Describes how advanced placement students at Gunn High School (Palo Alto) achieve a higher than average pass rate on the advanced placement final exam required in California. Attributes their success to the focus on expository writing and provides examples of both good and bad essays. (JDH)

Describes a nationwide pilot project to incorporate intensive journalistic writing into honors or Advanced Placement English courses. Discusses how 15 experienced high school journalism teachers and their classes participated in the project, which focused on improving students' writing and helping them prepare for the College Board's English…

Describes the author's experiences when she added an intensive journalistic writing component to an honors English class. Details how the course can be designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Language and Composition Test. (MM)

Describes the author's experiences teaching two semesters of an advanced placement intensive writing class. Discusses problems encountered in the course, and notes curriculum differences between the first and second semester classes. (MM)

Reports the results of a year-long program incorporating intensive journalistic writing into Advanced Placement English courses. Notes that most students who took the course received high scores on the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition test, and that all students in the course improved their writing. (MM)

Describes the author's experiences when incorporating an intensive journalistic writing program into her high school English class. (MM)

Shows how the addition of intensive journalistic writing can enliven the traditional high school English class. (MM)

Presents a brief overview of the 1989 Dow Jones Intensive Journalistic Writing Institute at Marquette University. (MM)

Describes how an intensive journalistic writing course motivated students by combining journalistic writing with a school-history research project. (MM)

Having celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2005, the Advanced Placement (AP) program has received quite a bit of attention in the past few years due mainly to its exponential growth in popularity. While much of this attention has been positive, a significant amount of criticism has attacked the assumptions of the AP program, aligning it with…