A Tale of Two Cities

Each classic in our series

• outlines an interpretive method to improve close reading, a process that shows students how to develop commentary beyond the plot, strategies used by top performing students on national exams.
• guides the students to examine key details as they read each page of the text-questions regarding key literary elements- setting, character, tone, atmosphere, point of view, plot, and dialogue.
• identifies significant passages throughout the text that develop key thematic patterns-providing sample prompts that appear on standardized exams.
• provides annotations for historical and literary context.
• provides samples of annotated pages, for plot and for theme.
• includes a glossary of challenging vocabulary.

About the Editor

Michael Degen, Ph.D., has been teaching AP English for over thirty years, primarily at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He has served as a College Board consultant and workshop presenter nationally and throughout Texas, where he has provided instructional guidance for over 5o school districts. He is the author of Crafting Expository Argument, Prospero's Magic, and Virginia Woolf: A Contribution to the Essay Form. His most recent book is co-authored with his former student and colleague Ian Berry- The Instructional Coach's Playbook: Classroom Strategies Informed by Neuroscience, Athletics, and Psychology.