Autobiography and Novel Study

Since I will be taking on AP III, I have been working with the AP IV teacher to figure out how to help students prepare for both the AP Language exam and for their senior year. The language exam is centered around non-fiction texts and that seems to be what college board is focusing on. CMS curriculum says that junior English is focused around American lit, both fiction and non-fiction. What I am left with is trying to find a happy medium between preparing students for the AP exam while also giving them an experience that will prepare them for their senior year (did I mention some students will be coming to me having not taken an English class since Jan. 2013?)

Richard Wright's Black Boy

I want to have novel studies that are meaningful. I feel like if I just teach the essays proposed by College Board my students will hate English, so that has left me scouring AP English III reading lists for non-fiction texts that students will enjoy. I have decided our first non-fiction novel will be Black Boy by Richard Wright. I have been reading the text for the first time and I think it is compelling read. It definitely doesn't come off like an autobiography, Wright employees a lot of great literary techniques.

My only concern with the text is the length. When I taught history I remember assigning excerpts from Zinn. I would edit down the text to about 15 pages and students would be so frustrated with the text. You would have assumed that I had assigned students to read the entire history book with their complaints. What was even more frustrating is that students would come back to class and I would have some who had obviously NOT read anything....but others who would say "Oh, it was actually worth reading, it was pretty good" My response: "Of course it was worth reading! That's why I assigned it!"Wright's text is over 400 words, a thick and perhaps intimidating text to look at, but a really compelling read. I have to figure out how to present this book and get the kids into the first chapter (a very long chapter) so that they will want to read this great autobiography.

Currently, I'm still working on finishing the text myself, always asking myself what guiding questions will help students annotate the text. I also am thinking about how I can assign this book in chunks so that students won't feel overwhelmed by the text and I can hold them accountable for actually reading. I think I'm starting to see how this can come together. I can't wait to go back to POB to meet with the AP English IV teacher. When I left we were talking about which text I should start with. I feel confident that Black Boy is the text to go with, I just want to make sure I present why I want to teach AND how I know students will read and get invested into the text.