Mr. Vogt's College Literature seniors at Roslyn High School spent their last weeks in English class studying classic poems, films, and stories while learning how to anchor their thoughts and projects in academic research, courtesy of the JSTOR database.

Students were asked to re-read and re-annotate a work discussed in the third quarter. From there, they proposed projects to Mr. Vogt, conducted research on the JSTOR database by reading peer-reviewed academic journal articles, formed a detailed outline, and produced their projects. This provides graduating seniors with experience in advanced forms of thinking, writing, and reading. 

"We're trying to provide our seniors, most of whom are college-bound, with the skills they'll need to not only be successful undergraduates, but successful problem-solvers and producers," says Vogt, who has been teaching the College Literature course for the past 15 years. "English courses are about more than enhancing fundamental literacy skills. We're always trying to encourage abstract thought. These young adults are going to be faced with a slew of very complicated challenges that they'll need to think their way through. This project is done in class, so we know they're not relying on things like ChatGPT or other digital shortcuts. Critical thinking, advanced writing, and close reading can all be practiced and taught, and those skills are arguably more important now than ever before."