Author Archives: Dr. Ayers

Welcome Back!

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Dr. Ayers

I haven’t used this blog in years and years, but I decided it was time to use it again. (Feel free to go back through and see what I said to my Kennedy AP Lang students in the distant past!) … Continue reading →

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Prompts for March 8

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Dr. Ayers

If you need a prompt for one of your posts this week, here are three options:  1. Marcus Aurelius wrote: “Choose not to be harmed — and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed — and you haven’t been.” To … Continue reading →

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Two Assignments and a Suggestion

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Dr. Ayers

Folks, I’m going to continue to push you toward using your blog for the preparation work before you begin drafting your Book Review Essay (the requirements for which can now be found on Canvas here and here). So, for your … Continue reading →

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A Few Good Sources

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Dr. Ayers

I hope you’ve been making good headway on your nonfiction books in the past several days. So far, I’ve asked you to analyze an existing book review essay, and to think about how the author gives the reader context early … Continue reading →

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NF Book Questions (part 1)

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Dr. Ayers

At this point, you should have your nonfiction book that you’re going to review. Is there an author’s note? If so, what important information (perhaps about her/his process) does the author tell you there? In the introduction or first chapter, … Continue reading →

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Book Review Essay Analysis

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Dr. Ayers

As we’ve been talking about, you’re going to write a book review essay that follows the basic conventions of the genre. My hope is that you’re already well on your way to getting a nonfiction book, published either this year … Continue reading →

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Friday Links

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Dr. Ayers

Spiders tune their webs like guitar strings. Very short video; worth the click. This upcoming Macbeth movie looks potentially pretty cool. Sounds like David Foster Wallace’s essay “Consider the Lobster” caused more than a couple of arguments with his editor. … Continue reading →

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Chris Ware, Minecraft, and Visual Literacy

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Dr. Ayers

For later use, Ken Parille’s blog post about Chris Ware’s New Yorker cover from the June 22, 2015 issue.

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Student Life at ISU

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Dr. Ayers

Over the weekend I ran into Adam, a former Kennedy HS and AP Lang student. Sounds like he’s doing impressive things at Iowa State University these days, which is no surprise to anyone who knows him. But the reason I’m … Continue reading →

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Formatting an Essay Like the New York Review of Books

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Dr. Ayers

To make your essay look like one of the essays on nybooks.com, you’ll need the following: all the publishing info about your book; an image that evokes an important idea within your essay; a caption for your image, including whose … Continue reading →

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