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AP Spanish Literature Teaching Tips
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| | From the Teacher's Guide -- AP Spanish Literature
The following tips were adapted from a chapter written by Rita Goldberg, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York, for the AP Spanish Literature Teacher's Guide (published in 1996).
Approaches to Reading Texts
Given the variety of possible approaches, no one critical method is preferred on the AP Exam. Obviously, it is essential that students learn to deal with texts and that they be given tools for their analysis. They should study narrative and dramatic structure, understand literary terms such as metaphor and anaphora, learn about versification, and acquire basic terminology such as personaje, carácter, verso, estrofa, etc. Information about an author's life and times can help bring color and interest to the course, and some feel it provides a useful complement to the readings. However, this information has no place on the exam, and students should be told that it is unwise to include biographical materials in their essays.
Teachers who are familiar with issues such as canonicity and textuality and are knowledgeable about semiotics, deconstruction, and other aspects of literary theory may wish to introduce some of this material into the course. This should be done cautiously because many AP Spanish Literature students are unsophisticated readers in need of considerable guidance from their teachers. On the other hand, students will often find discussions of such issues as gender, race, class, and ethics very engaging, and these questions are precisely at the heart of much contemporary criticism.
Are the AP Spanish Language and Literature Courses Related?
The typical high school AP Spanish program offers the language course followed by the literature course. In this scenario, a good way to get a head start on the readings for the literature course is to include a selection of literary works that students find relevant and can relate to in the language course. Journalistic and other types of texts are also important in the language course, and students should practice many different writing tasks, not only literary analysis or essay writing in preparation for the AP Spanish Language Exam. Advice about developing, organizing, and presenting ideas is useful for students at any level. All kinds of activities appropriate to the language course can be developed from a text by one of the authors required in AP Spanish Literature. Students often feel encouraged by this experience. They enjoy dealing with ideas, find satisfaction in the reading of literary texts, and are motivated to continue on to AP Spanish Literature. Teachers consider this arrangement to be effective since the literature course can then be approached at a different pace, with time at the end to read additional texts, attempt more sophisticated analysis, and review more extensively.
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