Before we get down to curtain rods, some brief announcements.
First--declamations start tomorrow (today actually, as I waited until 2nd period to post this) and I am really looking forward to them. I hope you are too. And, as part of the question this week, I would like you to tell me 2 things. First, why do you think I assigned the declamation project in th efirst place; and 2nd do you think it did anything for you? And, yes, of course you can be honest.
Second--I have posted a muy importante link posted titled FREE TEST PREP that I would like you all to very seriously consider. On April 25 there will be a "trial run" SAT/PSAT/ACT test given at ACCC. Here is why I think you should go for it--most of you have already taken the SAT and gotten your scores back. The determination of what areas need improvement on that test have (hopefully) already been considered. But, I venture to say that next-to-noone has taken the ACT yet, and this is a perfect opportunity to do so. You will be able to see which test is better suited to you, and see what kind of score you can earn on the ACT. Nearly 100% of all colleges and universities accept the ACT and in general, it is a good thing to have. There are conversions I can give you so that you can see what your ACT score means in relation to your SAT, but it is important to remember that these 2 tests are completely different.
Anyway, the link is there and you can register for it simply by clicking on it and filling out the info. Think about it.
Now, onward and upward.
Well, as I may have told some of you on Friday, I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming weeks ahead. I know that I have repeatedly drilled into your head that April is the month where we truly separate the “men from the boys” as it were.
Sidebar: isn’t it weird how so many of those banal adages exclusively use male/masculine pronouns/references etc? Why is that? Anyway, Word is telling me to reword that tired old cliché to read: “distinguish the professionals from the amateurs” which does sound better I suppose.
I know for the past few months I have been referring to April as “Death Month” which, in hindsight, really doesn’t reflect what I want it to. In fact, it is a terrible phrase and I am sorry those inimical words ever tumbled from my mouth because that is not how I want you all to look at it. Rather, I want you to take it, and the work that will need to be done to prepare for it, seriously, but I also want you to understand that that’s really all you need to do. You’ve already done the hard stuff—you’ve learned it. April is just extra time to master what you already know, and maybe to clarify some things about which you aren’t entirely confident yet.
And that, poppets, is where this week’s blog comes in.
What I would like you to do is think about the things we’ve learned so far. Last week and a bit of this week has been be entirely devoted to writing and speaking, but consider carefully the things we have done in class up until this point. What, if any, are the obstacles that you foresee to getting a 4 or 5 on the exam? What do you think your weak areas are, and what would you like to review more of come April? What do you think are the best ways to review? Your responses here will determine how I break up the different areas for Exam Review Month (Death Month’s new and improved moniker), so please be as precise as possible.
(No word count, but I expect some serious and reflective thoughts/50pts)
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73 comments:
Haha sucks to be all you kids in school. Look whose got the first blog post.
The declamations. At first I admit I was a little pessimistic about the idea of giving a monologue to the class. However, after the excitement of today, I feel that this project really helped us. I was nervous, but knowing I would be, I practiced my speech a lot, so atleast I would remember all the words. Still, watching others and knowing that I wouldn't forget anything, really allowed me to make eye contact with people, move around and feel more comfortable speaking in front of the class. I thought that everyone did a great job and had fun doing it. I hope we can do more.
I think that you assigned this for us to allow us to feel more comfortable speaking and practice the basic skills of public speaking without reading off a paper. It makes sense and I feel that it's easier to speak to people when you are positive of what you are saying.
First, I would like to say I am thankful my declamation is done. With that being said I was honestly proud of myself today. I learned that I can memorize something that is long, and I never thought I could. It is a life skill, presenting and connecting with an audience without cue cards. It is something we will have to do in college and in our eventual jobs. Thus, I was really nervous but am now very thankful that I got to experience that. But getting up there was incredibly nerve-racking. It’s amazing how well you can know something and then blank when the pressure hits, like no matter how many time I practiced and read the poem in front of my parents and random other peers I still felt nervous up there. I’m actually pretty sure my hand hasn’t stopped shaking since Saturday, when I finally really let myself think I was going to have to present this thing on Monday. IT was a little less nerve-racking than speeches though, because like you said Bunje, it was somebody else’s words. I just had to remember them and do them justice.
I almost dread this week’s blog more than any other blog we’ve had so far. When it comes to getting a four or five on the exam I am afraid I will freeze up. Tests are not my friends, they are more so my enemies. I am actually looking forward to doing all these practice essay exams, because I need a lot of help there. My writing is half decent, or else I wouldn’t be here, but I don’t think quick enough on my feet to write a strong not standard 5 paragraph essay. Even my standard 5 paragraphs are just ok. So I guess I want to work on writing. It seems like we have a better chance with the writing, thus I feel a huge need to start understanding that. I know that we are going to get a bunch of practice on literary terms, and they don’t worry me as much. The practice AP multiple quizzes scared me. I realize I have to work that much harder to understand all this material. I lack the knowledge of what it takes to make me learn. I think the best way though for essay is to write more essays. I am trying to get it, which I think this declamation actually helped me start to understand I have to look over things and really focus, which is what I fully intend to do. I think I learn best by doing, and reading, and analyzing, not that analyzing is a strong suit of mine. This is my first attempt to kick my butt into shape, doing this blog Monday night instead of my usual Wednesday night. Separating the men from the boys is a scary statement that I want to prepare myself for that the best I can, because one day left before “Exam Review Month”.
Warning:
This comes from a very sleepy Alice who could possibly be suffering from the "emo" syndrome because she had to talk about the "C" word today... Le gasp!
Declamations...
First off, I'd like to say that I loved all the declamations that everyone did. Outstanding job!!! Alright, now for the questions. I think Ms. Bunje assigned the declamation project to help us get better at standing up in front of people without notecards and speaking. I think she's preparing us for the real world since the ability to talk is valued highly nowadays.
As for me, truthfully, I think it did more harm than help me. It made it painfully clear that I choke a lot when I get up there, that my hands are shaking uncontrollably, and that, basically, I suck at public speaking and I hate doing it. That's the end of that. I mean, come on, I went over it, over and over again, in front of the mirror, in front of my family, in front of some friends. I finally got it down perfect, feeling confident that I can pull it off. Oh wells, moving on.
Ah... the AP exams are a-comin'. This will be fun. Can't wait for the afterparty for the exams, they're going to be sweet!
Ahem, so, some obstacles I see in getting a 4 or 5? For me, personally, I have no idea how I was able to get into this class. I am not a really good... "English" person. I have never been. I see a few obstacles in the way of getting a 4 or 5. One, I take too much time reading and digesting the passages. I mean, I'm sure I'll do alright (that's being arrogant) for the first 2 passages, but I'll die on the last few. Two, I am a horrible writer, and I don't think that can be solved. (I'm definitely sure that I have started getting better, but really, I don't write on the AP level I don't think...) Three, I tend to overthink my answers, and lo and behold, my first was correct. I tend to think I'm being tricked (which for the AP exams, it's kinda typical TO be tricked, but still..). Other than that, I think I'm pretty good. (Haha, I know, I know. How the heck am I even going to attempt to pass the exam? No clue. But I know that I'll do enough to pass).
My weak areas are the above and I think I wouldn't mind just working on reading passages, answering questions and then going over them in class. Sometimes, I don't know why the answer is the answer and it'd be nice if we could get a more in-depth understanding. Another thing we could review are the literary terms. It'd be fun to have a group make a story using the literary terms and then read them aloud to the class for them to identify the terms. That's an opinion though. I don't think we should work on writing too too much because I always write horribly when stressed. AP exams, I like to go in there, happy and relaxed, because I always do best that way. I mean how else would I be able to defeat the AP Government exam when clearly I was ill-prepared for what it held?
But... I did like modifying thesis statements in class. I think that would help a lot because that basically gives you the map on what you'll write about and gives the AP reader an idea of how you write and whether or not your essay is worth a 5 or a 9.
Yep, so there ya go.
El Fin.
I think the reason you gave us the assignment of reciting a declamation was so we could work on our public speaking skills. For some, that may mean coming out of their comfort zone, to others it may be a walk in the park. Memorizing someone else’s words—word for word—is difficult, partly because they’re not your own ideas, you can’t mix it up, and you have to get past your nerves so you can be presentable. Personally, I love public speaking. I surprisingly don’t get nervous about the speaking part, nor the presenting in front of my peers part. What I was only dreading was answering questions about the monologue, but it turned out we didn’t do that. So I really enjoyed doing the declamations. I was disappointed in myself that I forgot a line because I had it memorized so well for the past 2 weeks, but I was content with my overall performance. It definitely made me focus more on my presence than the actual memorization, though. I would suppose that going up there confident and enthusiastic would appeal to the audience more than reciting word for word in a monotone manner.
What I want to work on more was something I already mentioned—answering questions. I’m pretty bad at thinking on my feet, so I was dreading, yet looking forward to, having to do that yesterday. Normally when we did the debates, I always did the first constructive. I didn’t do that just because I thought I was a good writer, I did it because I am horrible questioner/answerer. So if anything, I’d like to improve on that. In a way, I kind of relate answering questions in front of an audience a bit like answering essay questions. Both situations call for you to think quickly and effectively. In both situations you’re put under a lot of stress. I figure if I get better at one, the other will improve as well.
I love writing essays, but only when it’s something interesting and I have plenty of time to do it. I can’t organize my thoughts, use rhetorical devices, and write down a sufficiently-lengthened essay with good content in just an hour. And I haven’t had much practice with the synthesis essays, so I’m not completely sure how well I can do on them, either. What’s even worse is that I’m depending on doing well on the essays because I’m horrible at the multiple-choice, too. So I would say I need a lot of practice in those areas.
I think the best way to review for these things is just giving us a lot of practice exams—timed essays, synthesis essays, MC—and then going over them together. I really liked the chart we had to fill out before, to find out where our weak points are in our writings. I know for me continuous practice would help me improve, but only if I know what I’m doing wrong and right.
I feel the declamations were assigned for a couple of reasons. First, to continue giving us the experience of being in front of a group of people and finding a way to feel more comfortable. I've never been a fan of speaking in front of the class, and I doubt I ever will be, but I can't deny that all the exercises we've done haven't helped in one way or another. But, It was difficult to say something, word for word, that wasn't coming directly from me. However, I must admit that I had a great time listening to the ones that everybody picked. And, I did something I don't normally do. I truly challenged myself with this assignment by picking an extremely long piece. Although I messed up a bit, mostly because of nerves, I surprised myself by how much I really remembered. I realized it's okay to mess up as long as I do my best.
In order for me to get a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, I'm going to have to pray and hope that God is listening. Just kidding! But I definitely have to work on some things. First, it takes me a while to write something that is the least bit good, so I know I will have a lot of trouble with the essays. I don't even know how, but I've got into the habit of taking my time with writing. But for exams like this one, that won't work for me one bit. I get really nervous when I'm rushed to write something so I forget to use important literary devices and forget to include the most important parts of what I'm trying to say. I don't WANT to say that practicing timed essays will help me, but if we do a few of the different types and go over them in depth the next day, I may actually get the hang of it.
The last thing I'm seriously worried about are the AP multiple choice questions like we have practiced in class. They are hard for me on the SATS and sometimes in class, so I'm sure I need help with them for the exam. I don't even know what to suggest to help myself with this because it all depends on if I understand the reading. I just hate them and wish they would go away. But if you Bunj, have any ideas, please let me know.
Can't wait for "exam review month" .. haha :)
At first, I must admit, I was a bit iffy about the declamations. I thought that it was too drama-ish, and I didn’t really understand the point of it. Whenever I was mumbling to myself, practicing, and my friends asked what I was doing, I told them I was practicing my declamation. “Why are you doing them” they asked, “to practice public speaking,” I would mutter back. Half believing what I said. But when I got up in the front of the room, I realized why we were doing the assignment. I was terrified, and I almost forgot everything I had practice. I then realized that my public speaking sucks. So, I finally understood why we did the declamations. We need to hone in on our public speaking skills, get used to talking in front of our peers. I learned to stay calm. I was actually more nervous after my declamation then before, for some odd reason. I learned that I am not as comfortable in front of my peers as I thought, and that I definitely need to work on becoming more comfortable. Overall, I loved watching them, and I thought it was a good learning experience.
Stupid time. It flies by way too quickly. I swore last month was December, and I had more than ample time to prepare for the AP tests. Oh, but hey, it’s April. And I am scared to death. I feel like I am not ready, for most of the tests that I am about to take. It is scary, to think that you have put in almost nine months of learning for a three hour test. The obstacles that I will face believe in me that I will be able to ace the test. I know I am a good writer, but when it comes to timed writing, as I saw in the last little look I got at my past works, I am butt at writing under pressure. I just think I need to learn how to stay calm, and take my time while writing. I need to remember to incorporate all the literary techniques and vocabulary that we learned throughout the year into the timed writes. Usually I don’t, and I look back at my sentence structures and cringe. And Bunje, I don’t think that is something you can exactly teach, rather something I have to acquire. One thing that I would really like to do is take a class period and take practice multiple choice tests. And then go over the answers. We did that before, and I think that really helped me. The multiple choice part is something that really gets me nervous, considering I have bombed every practice multiple choice test we have taken. I just need to get more familiar with how the questions are asked, and what kind of answers they are looking for. I also think I need a refresher on the types of essays that they will be asking us to write, and how we should approach each of them. I feel like we have done so much already, that I know so much, but I will crumble under pressure, and blank.
AP tests are stressful, and I hate cramming. And that is one thing I refuse to do, cram. So I am excited about the challenge of death month. It is forcing me to get myself in check, to review the parts that I struggle with. And although it may have a terrifying connotation, it is definitely something I need.
The purpose of assigning this declamation project was to, in my opinion, make us more comfortable in front of an audience without the assistance of notes in front of us. It helps us to whet our memorization abilities and perfect our delivery and presence. This also forces you have to look around at everyone. There’s no way you can just stand there, staring timidly down at your feet. You have to just push past your nerves in order to be able to present such a project. Otherwise, you may forget some of your lines, like most of us did, myself included. Doing this helped me to conquer my fear of being myself in front of an audience. Throughout my declamation, the words slipped from my mouth as if they were truly my own. Despite a few errors I made, I feel much more confident presenting.
I can envision numerous obstacles to getting a 4 or a 5 on the exam. With my exams coming closer every day, I can’t seem to get a break from any aspect of my life. I wish I could go into my exams confident in myself and my abilities. But I know that I won’t be able to do that. I also can’t seem to find the right words when I’m writing under pressure. I need time to develop my thoughts and apply rhetorical devices. I’m afraid I’ll bump into some essay I’ll have no idea how to write or I’ll just freeze in general…Then again, the area I feel that I need the most improvement on is the multiple choice section. My critical reading score for SATs is substantially lower than all the rest of mine. I can’t even concentrate on a piece long enough to answer questions about it! And then I get stuck on several and change my answer 2458734589345 times and run out of time and ugh! :( But I was actually surprised and relieved that I did somewhat well on our practice test last week. I think, over the past few months, I have gotten a bit better in this area, but I want to continue improving. Taking practice exams and refreshing our memories on the types of essays we’ve reviewed will help me, and probably most of us, out a lot. And going over what we did wrong after we’re finished really helps for us to see what we’ve done wrong. Also, having us go over our old pieces of writing last week really helped me realize how icky my writing was before and how I feel I’ve improved so much. I hope that Death Month will aid my chances in getting a 4 or 5. With all of these issues of mine addressed, I hope that I will be able to approach my exam with a confident, cool head.
"As for me, truthfully, I think it did more harm than help me." -Alice
Awww, Alice! We were all extremmmmmely nervous. You just have to try to confront those nerves head on and just pummel them to the ground. :) Just be yourself and put a little spark in your speaking and no one will be able to judge you negatively for trying your hardest. :)
Last year I memorized nearly 400 digits of pi. No one understood me or why I did it. Even still everyone gawks at Valerie Berrios like she's some kind of alien creature because she memorized like 1000 digits or something crazy. They even had a special on FTV about it...woah, big news. But to be quite honest, some people, including myself, love memorizing. It's one of my strong points. I hate to admit it, but the reason I am number 3 in the class is because I have a kick butt, photographic memory. I do realize there has to be some natural talent involved in getting good grades, as well as hard work, but my memorization skills save my ass more than anybody could ever realize. Needless to say, memorizing my Shel Silverstein <3 poem was rather simple. I was not nervous that I was going to forget the words, I was more nervous that everyone was looking at me. Yet I didn't suffer more nerves then I do when reading an occasional paper, or giving my speech- that was scary! My point? Memorizing pi helped me learn A LOT, and for everyone who made fun of me for it, eat ittt :) Just kidding. My point is that declamations were great. I think that they taught a lot of us how to manage our nerves. I literally had to give myself a pep talk before I got in front of the class, which I usually do by the way. It helps a lot. I liked the assignment.
Now, on to the AP test. I'm extremely nervous about all my tests this year. It's definitely going to be a test of academic endurance. 4 tests?! AH how will I ever survive? Gosh, I just cannot wait until they're done! Let's zero in on lang...in order to get a 4 or a 5 there are two major things I would like to work on:
1) More familiarity with the types of essays we are going to be asked to write. I don't like surprises, and especially not on an AP test. I want to better understand what we are going to be responsible for. I know you've mentioned a synthesis essay, but I'm not sure I could write one. You know? That's the kind of writing review I would like.
2) More AP multiple choice practice. Trust me, I don't want to take any more of those tests, but I feel like I have to. It's the best way to study. The more familiar I become with the style the questions are asked in, or the types of excerpts they include, the better prepared I feel I will be for the test.
And that's really all I can think of that I still need help on!
Jordan: Shuddup. I would have been in school too if it wasn't for you. :P
I was about to do this blog post, but now since my mom decided to empty out all of my laundry onto my floor, I have to do that instead (even though I have a broken ankle.) Joy!
I'll be back later to finish, hopefully.
To Jen:
First off, I just wanted to say, you were amazing up there!!! You totally sold it, girl!!!
Ahem, yes, I also like how you said you were dreading answering questions about the declamations because it was the same for me. I was freaking out about every line and what it meant to me and the like. I felt a whole ton of stress just leave my shoulders when we didn't have time to do the Q&A, I'm pretty sure I would've done even worse if we did do the Q&A.
"What I want to work on more was something I already mentioned—answering questions. I’m pretty bad at thinking on my feet, so I was dreading, yet looking forward to, having to do that yesterday."
Ditto. I'm sure a lot of us have problems answering questions, *ahem* except maybe Mike Nanfara *ahem*. I also like your ideas of what to do to review. It's most likely the best way to do things.
Go JEN!!! Whoot!
I thought the declamation was actually a pretty fun assignment. As someone who really dislikes talking in front of a group of people, this was different from any public speaking I'd ever done. I think what made it easier was the fact that they weren't my own words. I didn't have much of a problem memorizing my monologue since I've seen Remember the Titans approximately 395,276 times. But still, I was more worried about not skipping a line, or not going too fast, than worrying about my audience, which is usually my biggest struggle with speaking in front of people. I think these were assigned as more of a help with speaking than with memorization. As most of our speeches proved, many of us don't know how to speak to an audience. Sure, we know how to read off a paper, and we make "eye contact" with our quick little glances at the class every few sentences, but a lot of us had trouble connecting with the audience. Danny P's speech really sticks out to me because he rarely used his paper as a crutch. Dan's tone of voice, body language, and knowledge of his subject made his speech much more memorable. These declamations were more like that speech. I can't speak for period 12, but in 9/10 the declamations definitely felt impassioned, and a lot of people really had great presence. I was ready to run out the door with Cheatham and fight some Persians. The declamations were an assignment that should dfeinitely give us an idea of what it should lok and sound like when addressing an audience.
My biggest obstacle in getting a four or five on the AP exam is myself. I am actually a pretty good test taker, but I can't stand taking them. By the time May 13th rolls around, I'll probably be so sick of practice essays and multiple choice questions that I'll lose focus and just try to get the test over with as soon as possible. When I took the SATs, I sat at the desk for a good five minutes after they handed out our booklet, seriously considering whether or not to write "screw this, it's a freaking Saturday and it's way too early for this test". My parents would have been thrilled. My common sense got the best of me, and I realized that would do absolutely nothing for me, and that I should just try my best and pray that I get a high enough score to never take it again. By the time the exam rolls around, I'll be plenty prepared to get a four or five. I just have to get over my hatred of tests, and I'll be fine. On a related note, I just wanted to say how much I respect the people taking multiple AP classes. I'm only taking one, and coupled with sports, it gets pretty stressful. I don't know how you guys taking 3 or 4 or 5 of these classes handle it, especially since most of you are in sports or clubs. It really is impressive.
I sit here after everyone has left my house from the huge softball pasta party we had and I am wired. Good times! Now on to the declamations….. I loved doing the declamation. I must admit that the first thought that popped into my head right when you announced declamations for some odd reason was Talladega Nights. I know many lines from every movie I really don’t know why, it’s just a thing I do. Now that I think about it I could have totally done it. Instead, I went with the pump up speech that makes me wanna kick butt. Out of all of the possibilities I am one hundred percent glad that I chose the Any Given Sunday speech. Was it difficult? Heck yes! It was really long and I memorized the entire thing. I said the speech to my family so many times I am sure that their ears eventually blocked off the words coming from my mouth. When it was time to go in class it was crazy.
I have this problem and sometimes I feel like I am the only person in the world who has it. For some odd reason I forget everything in pressured situations. Whether it is taking a test, reciting a speech, you name it and I have forgotten it. The worst part is that right when I am finished the task I remember everything. It’s like a tornado comes through my brain, wipes out the entire place, and leaves pieces of the destroyed land everywhere. After everything settles down hundreds of little people come through and rebuild everything back together. Haha, yup, that’s my brain! Trust me, it is complex and stupid and it bugs the crap out of me. However, there is a plus to this problem. I know that I can overcome this. After years and years of suffering I have kind of found a solution. The more I remember to breathe the better I do. The more I prepare myself the greater success I have. Other times it is just about not siking myself out and going petal to metal with confidence. I realized after my monologue that the one thing I was still lacking was confidence. Maybe if I didn’t care about making a fool out of myself then I would have had greater success.
The solution to my problem with having blanks became more apart because of the declamation project. The declamation proved to me that I can do it I just need to get up there and show everyone what I am made of without cracking. I think that this assignment was chosen to give us more confidence in public speaking. Most people did not completely memorize their speech that we gave a while ago and I am included in that category. It was difficult enough for me to stand up there and even read what was written on my paper. The declamation project was a way to make us memorize writing and this tool will only make other speeches successful.
I have far too many concerns about getting a 4 or 5 on the exam. To be honest a lot of them have to do with my writing. I am not anywhere close to where I need to be in the writing portion of the exam. I only have myself to blame for that concern. I really was not taught much in writing last year and I feel pathetic when I read half of the other things that my classmates have written. The number one reason why I took this class was so that I could learn from all of you. At the end of the day I feel as though you are only as strong as the people you surround yourself with. I plan on working extremely hard over the next few weeks in order to reach my goals. I do not expect you (Bunje) to go over some of the things I struggle with during class time because everyone else is fine in those areas. It is my responsibility to take care of my struggles on my own time. Since the writing aspect is all on my shoulders I would really like more practice multiple choice exams. These exams are grotesque but the more I take the more I will feel prepared. Most importantly I need explanations like we did on this last test. Not only do I need explanations but as well as the reasoning behind why the other answers were wrong. We all know how tricky some questions can be. I think that the best ways to review are when we go over things as a class. It brings in the perspective of a lot people and their point of view.
th, th, th, th, th, thats all folks!
I was fine with my declamation. Carl Sandberg is the man. I grew up in hometown, so there's some brotherly love right thur.
There's wasn' a bit of rhythmic flow to my piece, and having an inclination to break down things into beats, it took a while for me to look at each line as it's own.
However, I think I did just fine at the end. I would like to thank Fiona for giving me tips on the presentation, and her rather dictatorial way of making me recite.
My biggest area of weakness would most likely be my stamina. I tend to get bored very easily, so it doesn't really add up well. I had no problems with the practice AP, but I’m dreading the two hour span. I’m going to pull my hair out. I mean, I’m more than likely going to sleep during the AP Calc test, but I don’t have that freedom here. Shame shame.
The only other area I'm concerned about it over analyzing. I have a nasty habit of narrowing it down to two possible answers, and going through hypotheticals that make it impossible to differentiate one from the other. I guess I need to learn to analyze to a certain point, and shut myself off after that. Or trust my gut. Whichever works? If there’s any way to review that aspect of the test, that'd be nice.
I like the current review strategies. The enormous amount of ways we’ve reviewed really forces us to know the material. It’s fine and dandy doing vocab tests every other day, but I wouldn’t’ necessarily call it reviewing, more memorizing. I’ll stick to the status quo, it’s worked really well so far.
Now excuse me, I have some Pokemon to play.
The declamations, (One of the most fun things we’ve done in class, may I add), were assigned to us because while we were giving our speeches, it was easily noted that most of us tended to rely too much on glancing down at our papers and reading our speeches off of them, instead of looking up at the audience and saying it to them. Most of us failed to make eye contact and rely on memorization, both of which are essential for a decent and effective speech. It was obvious after all the speeches had been delivered, that we could all use more practice in standing in front of the class and speaking. Thus, the declamations were assigned.
The declamation actually did do something for me, which I was expecting all along. It did a few things at that… I got practice in memorizing a passage, got the chance to present it as ME, and learned to look at my audience while speaking. I realized to my great pleasure, that I am better at it than I would have thought. I also learned that I am not one who gets nervous in front of a crowd, (this I actually learned after delivering my speech, but it was further proven with the declamation). When I would hear someone give a speech, I never for a second took into consideration the fact that in order to give this speech, they have had to have memorized it, which fooled me into giving the speaker less credit than they deserved. Now that I am aware of the arduous task of memorizing something then remembering it while in front of an eager audience, I have more of an admiration and appreciation for those who deliver a speech completely from their memory.
…What discourages me about “Death Month?” Umm..frankly, nothing. The truth? I really don’t care if I pass the exam or not. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it would be wonderful if I did, but it also wouldn’t bother me at all if I don’t. The reason for this is not indifference or anything of the sort. You know why? The way I see it, even if I get a 1 on my exam, no one can take away from me all that I have learned in this class; I still get to walk away with my prize.
Obstacles…I think the synthesis essay that we once did in class with all the sources will be quite difficult. I’d definitely like to get more practice on the multiple choice AP exams; I feel it helps significantly when we go over the answers, because that has got to be my weak area since I only got one question right on the last one we did. And another thing: a little more practice with the literary terms/devices. I know the definitions of them but for some reason, I find it challenging to recognize them in writing, and to come up with examples for them. It’s just like with the vocab; you know the definitions word for word, but sometimes you can’t always fit them into the correct sentence. The best way to review is definitely as a class, for it’s easier to stay focused and get different perspectives on whatever it is that we're doing.
SARA VP:
"However, I must admit that I had a great time listening to the ones that everybody picked."
So did I..and I was disappointed at how fast it all ended...but it was fun to hear everyone's picks, and i got a few good laughs out of most of them
We have learned a lot since the beginning of the year when we first hung our stars up on the ceiling. However, I understand that it will take a lot of fine-tuning in the month of April to master these skills and get a 4 or a 5. Obviously, we have learned a lot of vocab. We are on a 21st list I think, which is over 200 words now. Knowing and understanding these words can help you in so many ways from speaking to writing, and on tests like the AP Exam and SAT/ACT. I felt like in the beginning of the year, the word project and the reading logs really helped us learn the literary and rhetorical devices. I enjoyed doing the reading logs more than the Text Says Text Does currently, but I understand why TS/TD is needed and what questions they will help you answer on the exam.
I definitely think we have learned a lot in writing and speaking. Writing in particular, we have practiced many different ways to write an essay from narrative to process analysis, as well as the practice AP essays. I think the only way you can get better at writing is to write so, this practice is good preparation.
Honestly, I am not entirely positive of what’s on the AP Exam. I think that more practice multiple choice days where we go through the process of eliminating answers and choosing the right one as a class would be a good help.
My obstacle to getting a 4 or a 5 would be doing well on the multiple choice. Sometimes I make a good educated guess and other time’s I pick a bad answer between the two. Just feeling confident in my answer would help me tremendously on the exam. I can’t believe it’s April, and soon will be May (my bday!) This year has been stressful and I know that the biggest months are yet to come, but I have learned a lot since September.
Jen:
"What I want to work on more was something I already mentioned—answering questions. I’m pretty bad at thinking on my feet, so I was dreading, yet looking forward to, having to do that yesterday. Normally when we did the debates, I always did the first constructive. I didn’t do that just because I thought I was a good writer, I did it because I am horrible questioner/answerer. So if anything, I’d like to improve on that."
I feel the same way. I relized that arguing is not all about just rambling for ever. You need short to the point questions and answers, and I hope that after the AP Exam when we do Bunje AP we can do some more debate like situations and work on asking and answering questions.
MegLee:
Since you were mad no one commented on your blog here you go! First I wanted to do something from Talladega Nights too! (lol) Many great lines from that movie. Also I thought this was really funny...
"The worst part is that right when I am finished the task I remember everything. It’s like a tornado comes through my brain, wipes out the entire place, and leaves pieces of the destroyed land everywhere. After everything settles down hundreds of little people come through and rebuild everything back together. Haha, yup, that’s my brain!"
-Haha I loved that little description of your brain. I think in those situations a lot of people freeze up. I find that really ironic in your case, because you talk a lot:) (jk) But all this practice will help in the big scheme of things!
It seems clear to me that you assigned us the declamations to build our public speaking skills, and it did do something for me, but I think the effect was a negative one. I consider myself a drama-kid. I memorize lines, monologues, songs, dances, and I do it all with relative ease and poise. So when I heard this project being pitched, I thought it ought to be a walk in the park for me. But it wasn’t. Not because of nerves, exactly, it was just WEIRD. It’s so foreign to me to 1) be so close to my audience, though that doesn’t really bother me, 2) I wasn’t allowed to assume a character and 3) I had to have the words exactly. See, onstage the audience doesn’t care whether you say “Who were you on the phone with?” or “Who was on the phone?” It means the same thing and can be answered the same way, so you’re not tripping up the person with the line after you. But that misstep would have cost me countless valuable points in this project. It was disheartening.
As for the AP test, I love the multiple choice tests. As shown by the last 2 practices we’ve taken, (the one from midterms and the one from last last week) I really excel at those, and even if we all were pretty much given the same grade anyways, regardless of how we performed, it makes me happy knowing I have a strength in an AP class that not all of the real AP kids do. However, in order for them to do as well as possible on the exams, the proposed “every other day practice tests” worry me. Forgive me, Bunje, but it seems like when Mr. A lets me retake a quiz. If I didn’t know it yesterday, I probably won’t know it tomorrow unless he actually teaches me, and it doesn’t seem like every other day leaves a lot of review time. Same goes with essays. We can write as many essays as we want, but until someone walks us through how we ought to be doing them, we’re going to keep doing them our way.
Speaking of essays, I am not as comfortable on that front. A review on the different essay formats and tips on how to effectively write them would be cool, as would just doing them. As for things like vocab and rhetorical modes, and such, reviewing via quiz or test is all well and good, but reviewing in a slightly less pressured environment that might not KILL our grades would be cool too.
Just a little secret of mine- I’m not afraid of taking my beloved multiple guess section. I am afraid, however, of taking them so often and repetitiously that they become a bore and I grow to hate them, as many of last year’s APers reportedly do. Everything in moderation, and we’ll all do fabulously!
You're welcome Janiru. =] Any time you need a dictator, you know where to find me!
-Alice
When I come back can you please explain to me what the "C" word is?
Erik- you did remember the titans?!?! I wish I had seen it, I love love love that movie :)
Molly- time DOES fly. Oh my goodness I cannot believe we are about to take 4 AP tests.
@Jordan: My guess, cake.
First, I would thank Fiona for all of her help today in lunch. You really helped me to understand those terms I was having trouble remembering and I wanted you to know I greatly appreciate your help.
Declamations. They didn’t sound scary or hard or crazy or like anything out of the ordinary, yet, they did so much for me, personally, that it is really hard to believe. I fell that declamations helped accomplish a number of things and were assigned to improve our memorization skills, help us to learn to control of our nerves, develop our public speaking skills, and enhance our time-management skills. The first is fairly obvious, but, nonetheless, crucial. For the AP test we have over 80 (I didn’t actually count, just guessed) literary devices to memorize and be able to recognize in literature. This exercise enabled us to increase our memorization capabilities and really stretch them to their limits, since we had to remember our piece verbatim. As for our nerves and public speaking skills, they somewhat go hand-in-hand. Since we were not only being graded upon memorization but presence, as well, letting nerves get the better of you was not really an option. In order to “perform”, we had to go up, full of confidence, and give it everything we had. If nerves took over we would have stumbled and our presence would have faltered. Time management is a big one for me. Even though we had over two weeks to memorize our declamations, we still had to use our time wisely to ensure that we knew our piece and could present it effectively. I happened to chose a rather long poem and dividing my time and planning out how to learn each section and when really helped. Even though I stumbled, I felt that, in the end, my time management skills really helped me to go in with confidence that I new what I was doing. Not only that, these skills can be applied to any class, situation, etc.
As I mentioned earlier, I felt I learned quite a lot from these declamations. Of course I learned all of the aforementioned traits but I also felt I learned my own strengths and weaknesses. I am quite readily aware of the fact that I am not a great public speaker, but this exercise showed me one reason why that is true. My confidence is highly volatile and at the drop of a pin, and shattered into a million tiny fragments, splintered across the floor. When I froze on that one line that I had recited a thousand times and new, my confidence o’ meter plummeted. I realized that at the slightest error or screw up I lose belief in myself, which in turn, will cause me to lose credibility. I learned that I can’t let one mistake completely destroy me; I have to believe in myself in order for others to believe in me. I noticed that those who exuded confidence (Jen, Carly, Hilary, Mike, Sergei, Goetze, and Cheatham just to name a few, but truthfully everyone did excellently) had the best declamations, presence wise. Overall, I learned what truly differentiates good public speaking from GREAT public speaking.
One major obstacle I foresee when taking this, and any other AP test for that matter, is myself. I tend to over-analyze everything. I, too, create hypothetical situations and twist words to mean things that they were never intended to mean. Once again, a confidence issue. I know most of literary terms when it comes to definitions but I am shaking when it comes to finding them. I can narrow the choices down, usually to two or three answers but I twist words and mold the answer to mean something that could be truth if this happened, which usually causes me major issues. For example, on last week’s quiz or whatever you’d like to call it, I had narrowed down my choices and only two were left. I picked the correct answer but at the last second changed it because one: I wasn’t confidant and two: I managed to twist the other answer to make it make sense. I still am upset about that, but it doesn’t do well to dwell on the past. The only other obstacle would be the essay section, which I tend to step on my own feet. I either contradict myself or my reasoning is just so convoluted that it seems like gibberish. Pressure and I are definitely not friends.
For me, one of the best ways of reviewing is to go through a practice test as a class and go question by question figuring out the answers and why. There is no pressure of “right or wrong” because we wouldn’t be graded, except maybe on participation. We not only practice, but get explanations as to why the correct answer is so which allows us to identify areas that we maybe having trouble with. The regular practice MC are great as well because it helps us get a feel for the time restraints and the pressure we will be dealing with come test day, but I think it is just as important to understand why and as Fiona said, it doesn’t sound like their will be much time for explanations if we are taking multiple quizzes every other day. I feel it would be greatly beneficial to understand the criteria for each essay we will have to write and analyze why the essay that earned nines did so. After that I think it would be a great idea for us to take the same type of essay, not necessarily the same prompt, but same type (synthesis, persuasive, analytical, etc…). It would be great if there were a way to practice confidence, but that is pretty much a self-learned trait. The only other suggestion is to keep the atmosphere reality stress free, which is almost impossible, I know, but there is a reason. For me, stress counteracts everything and when I am under constant stress I tend to forget things. I understand a certain amount is expected since this Review Month is crunch time. I just think it would be beneficial to everyone if we could keep stress level to a minimum. How you choose to do that would vary depending upon the events for Review Month. Otherwise, I feel that the current situation has greatly helped and prepared me for this test, so thanks Ms. Bunje!
Alice:
You are by no means a bad, horrible, adequate writer. You are amazing. As Myra said (oh wait, I haven’t posted her response yet) but anyway, your blogs are extremely thought out, clear and concise. You really are an amazing writer and I think you can easily pass this test and another AP test if you just believe in yourself.
Devon:
“More AP multiple choice practice. Trust me, I don't want to take any more of those tests, but I feel like I have to. It's the best way to study. The more familiar I become with the style the questions are asked in, or the types of excerpts they include, the better prepared I feel I will be for the test.”
I feel the exact same way. These questions are where I struggle and as happy as I would be to never see another practice MC, it would be just as detrimental. And like you, I too hate surprises, so being able to familiarize myself with the language and types of questions asked would be of great benefit.
Tamari:
“The way I see it, even if I get a 1 on my exam, no one can take away from me all that I have learned in this class; I still get to walk away with my prize. “
This line stuck out to me. It is an amazing attitude you have about this test. If we all had this attitude, I truthfully think we would all benefit. From what I hear though, you seem like you will do great on this test! I really do admire your “it’s-not-the-destination-but-the-journey” attitude, kudos to you!
Firstly, I think that we all have the same spiel to say about why we
had to do the "Talking without using your own words in front of the
class" aka the dissertation. It's simply because we need to work on
our speaking skills (what's the point of being a good writer if you
can't say ANYTHING!) and memorize things more and rely more on what is
in our heads than what's on the paper. Which, by all means I say is a
really good thing. If there is one thing that people are lacking now a
days it's actually using the brain god gave us to remember something!
Jeeze! And I do believe that it did help me out somewhat. My main
problem was saying it and sounding like me and not George Carlin since
our personalities are actually very similar and we tend to use the same
tones. When I was practicing, I kept going into a George persona and
not staying in my Myra persona, which was very annoying. Needless to
say, I really hope I didn't sound too much like my hero when I gave my
talky-talk. What can i say, the guy's the best, shame he's dead. I
also so it is because you like to torture people, just ever so
slightly. And don't deny it because you know it's true no matter what
your inner Buddhist says. I am so getting this removed for that. Crud.
Now onto DEATH MONTH!
Dun-Dun-DAAAAAAHHH!!
lol
I actually enjoy calling it "Death Month," it has a really good ring
to it, plus it's the month of my sister's birthday and if I forget to
get her a gift and mail it out to her I really will be much dead meat.
Plus it really acts as a sort of build up point for me mentally
throughout the year: Only blank more months till Death Month, gotta get
this down! Only blank more days till Death Month, gotta get this down!
I don't think you can get more pumped than that for something, really.
I mean, if you think you're going to go through hell or something, you
tend to want to get yourself prepared. And Bunje, please don't call it
Exam Review Month because that's what Matlack is going to call it and I
don't like him as much as you! Don't be like Matlack!! Please!
Anyway, I would really want to review over the literary terms and
rhetorical modes more because I am currently sucking when it comes to
going over them on my own. I would also like it if we spent a day or
three going over how the AP multiple choice questions are set up
because they really confuse me (half of the time I have trouble
figuring out what they want me to do, which is really bad.) I'd also
want to go over recognizing devices in writing, like what we did with
the songs. I just have a hard time with the Literary devices.
Anything with literary device practice is okay by me! Yay lit terms!
My only problem for the timed writing is writing clearly enough for
the graders to actually READ what I wrote down. My handwriting sucks!
That is why God made computers! RAWR!
Oh! I just got this package from my Aunt Rachel and I am loving it!
(gloat gloat gloat.) It is full of CANDY! POCKY AND CANDY AND
CHOCOLATE!! XD She is is greatest Aunt I have never met! I really need
to see her sometime because I have no idea what she looks like but she
gives me the yummiest sweets! I love Aunt Rachel and I <3 Hello Panda
cookies!
Alice: First of all, there is no way you could have gotten into this
class if you didn't know how to write, it's sort of a prerequisite!
Your blogs are always well written and thought out (and if not then you
are really damn good and faking it sweet heart, believe you me!) plus,
you always seem to be able to have a answer for something! You are
AWESOME and you will pass that AP Exam. I only wish I had as much
confidence in myself. ._.
Well you could have assigned declamations for various reasons. One to secretly laugh at our mistakes in your mind, two to stress us out, or three to perfect our memorization and presentation skills. I think I’ll go with three. Now if it did anything for me is another problem in itself. You see I could memorize a poem but literary terms not so much. I really did try to study but as soon as I had the quest in front of me I drew a blank. I know I failed miserably today so why not announce it to the world right? It’s just that so many of them were so similar and their definitions so wordy that I was just like, “What?”. I definitely improved presentation wise though because I actually looked people in the eye which I think is creepy but oh well.
Getting a four or five on the fabulous AP test is definitely going to be a problem. Let’s start with the multiple choice. Most of them will involve literary terms. I’m screwed. Unless I find a way to make memorizing them easier then I better hope eni mini mo works on the AP test. Then there are the essays. I’m actually doing okay on time management. I actually had enough time to sit there and hope the last word came into my head at the last minute during the vocabulary quiz I made up today. It didn’t. But anyways with the essay prompts you showed to us, the ones we were not able to do because we did not understand them or the ones that just to damn long to understand, I’m kind of scared. With the amount of time it actually takes to understand what it is asking of us I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish the essay.
Now I’m not really sure what the best way to review is seeing as I haven’t mastered it myself. But I always think group work has always helped me. I actually understood what we were doing the whole chapter seven in pre calculus after just one day of group work. So if I use deductive reasoning… “ If group work helped me in pre calculus in something I did not understand and I do not understand some of the things in English, then group work will help me in English.” Smart cookie! =)
P.S. Can you tell I’m a little loopy today? You can blame the sudden incidence of insomnia I had last night. Thank you and GOOD NIGHT!
Everyone did a great job on declamations, (Billy I especially liked your use of props:) and they were a pretty fun assignment to do. I didn't have too much trouble memorizing mine, since I have watched School of Rock way too many times (good times Hil and Carly!) but when it came to actually performing it I felt myself stumbling a little bit and immediately having a mind blank. I failed to perform it as passionately as Jack Black which made me mad but I realized what I need to work on for the next time I give a speech. It really makes me have more respect for people in plays because I can't even imagine memorizing all the lines that they need to. I think we were assigned this project to make us feel more comfortable about speaking in front of class. Most people are nervous when it comes to public speaking and doing this helped us to step outside our normal boundaries. It made everyone give off a certain presence and power that we are usually too shy to because it is our own words we are saying. By doing the declamation, it was a chance to say someone else's ideas and thoughts so there was no reason to be embarrassed. I definitely think that this project helped me gain more courage to speak in front of the class and it was an effective exercise.
It really just hit me that it will soon be time to take the exam and I really don't know if I am ready. First off, I am not the best test taker in general. I get like ADD after the first hour and have a hard time focusing. I get so fidgety which doesn't help me concentrate on the difficult questions that lay in front of me. Plus I realized I am awful, like completely terrible, at the multiple choice sections of these practice exams as well as on the SATs. I don't know how I am supposed to improve besides taking more practice tests. The wording of the questions and the possible answers always confuse me and I end up getting it wrong most of the time. The passages that are on the practice tests we have taken usually take me awhile to understand which takes time away from answering the questions, so I need to work on time management. Also I think we need to go over the different types of essays again in class. I want to make sure I have a good, clear understanding of what the scorers are looking for when grading them. I like looking at essays from past tests that other people did so I can get a good idea of what a 5 essay looks like. My perspective on Death Month is to just take it one week at a time and get the most out of it that I can. I am nervous because of all the tests and quizzes seem like a great way to bring down my grade, but I am going to step it up this marking period and work really, really hard. I always say that and I usually still procrastinate, but the importance of this month surpasses past ones and I am going to take it as seriously as I can. Hopefully all my hard work will pay off when the day comes to sit down and take the AP tests.
Alice,
Awww Alice you will do fine on the AP test. You are super de duper smart and on that note freezing during public speaking is perfectly normal. It inevitably happens to most people at some point and you will do better. =) Anyways I thought your blog was cute and el fin always makes me laugh so great job!
CHARLY.
“I can’t believe it’s April, and soon will be May (my bday!) This year has been stressful and I know that the biggest months are yet to come, but I have learned a lot since September.”
I am honestly in utter shock that it is April. This year has flown by, and I feel like I have so much still to do before the AP tests. And yes May is your birthday; I can finally bug you while you are driving, instead of you being a distraction to me. And I definitely agree that I have learned so much this year. I feel like I have a few really good classes, Lang being one of them that I can say that I will walk away in June with some hardcore knowledge. But I am still scared to death about the AP tests… <3 charly.
I actually enjoyed declaiming. I made exactly three mistakes, and my delivery may have suffered, but overall it was quite fun. It forced us to actually read a poem, which is seldom expected in this world. But, honestly, I don’t think it did anything for me in particular. I felt like I was cheating, since I chose a poem I already knew. The whole point was to find unfamiliar words and to makethem our own.
As for test review, I’m not worried. Either I’ll do well or I won’t. I’ll rely on my old, if unpredictable, friend, my own judgment. It has always served me well in moments of crisis, even if it does encourage laziness in the dull day-to-day routine of school. My main weakness is my handwriting: my essay will probably be illegible when I write it. And my thoughts tend to get lost in flowery language, and lose all their meaning. But it’s really just a matter of concentrating.
I do think more multiple-choice practice would be useful. The questions come in slantwise, and I’d rather not miss an easy question over illogical wording. But there’s a limit to the usefulness of practice. Five pages of illogical questions really don’t have much more effect than two.
Other than that, I don’t plan on doing much reviewing. I already have a solid grasp on the English language, I can usually churn out a few solid essays in the given amount of time, and the reading selections are always interesting. It’s a pity they don’t give the authors. I would want to look them up afterwards.
Gray-scaled and unenthused eyes; for it is these eyes which will someday become unmistakable as we advance through our careers. They could care less about what it is we have to say, but it is up to us to make sure our words matter. These words may be propagated to a large audience or a few rather important people. Regardless, these words have to matter, or else the competitor will win the game. This is the reason why I believe we were given our declamation assignment. The truth is that when you are told to give a presentation in front of business executives, they do not want to see flash cards, they do not want to see power points, and, most importantly, they do not want to see flaws. In addition, they will be looking for someone with a good presence and likable personality. If you’ve got it, they’ll say you’ve got the job, if not, they’ll say they’ll give you a call. As we did our declamations, we were graded on two things: memorization and presence. Both of these aspects is what businesses will be looking for. Nevertheless, I also believe that this assignment was given for us; to know our capabilities and our weaknesses. It may also have been given to be able to connect with another person’s literary work, and to be able to take on a different perspective.
As for whether or not this project did anything for me, I must say that it did not do much. I was, in fact, very disappointed because as I was reciting my declamation, I was not truly connecting with any of the phrases. I know what all of the phrases mean, and how they can be interpreted in different ways. Yet, I felt very much like a machine simply reciting the words reeling in my head. I also think that the purpose of this declamation may have hurt a few of people because there were some talented people who went up there, and either blanked out or looked unconfident. Unfortunately, there was no inspiration to try better the next time, or never give up. Their poem ended, they sat back down, and most likely could not fall asleep the following night. I understand that in our careers, there will also not be any inspirations to do better the next time. Yet, now is the time when this inspiration can be offered and invested for the distant future. Personally, I just feel as though something was missing from this assignment. As for what the declamation did do for me, it allowed me to realize the importance of getting people’s attention, along with some techniques in order to do so.
Considering the fact that we have our AP Language and Composition Exam in about thirty days, I wish more time could have been used earlier in the year to study literary terms. As a summer assignment, I wish we could have been exposed to more of these words, and been given clear-cut examples of them with specific definitions. I just don’t understand why all of a sudden in the month of April we will be given more words than we have yet to study. Perhaps these words will be able to be encoded in our long-term memory within these thirty days. I suppose I cannot be the judge of this just yet.
Since we cannot erase the past, the best way to get these words and devices into our memory would not be to give us words and ask us to find definitions and examples of them. By doing it this way, I fear that the definitions we find and examples we come up with will not fit your own definitions/interpretation of the words. Hence, we will be wasting time. It would be better if we were given lists of the words with their definitions and examples, and then quizzed upon them. Additionally, when I say an example, I do not mean “passage twenty-three of the third verse in the second stanza of the last line of the Iliad”, I mean an explicit example; an actual line from a literary work. I suppose you could ask us to find differences between similar words, but personally, I have found differences between words that I am not sure are one hundred percent correct. I may be misinterpreting the usage of these words, and not even realizing it. Therefore, I am not asking you to type up a list clearly showing us the differences, but I do expect that at some point these differences will be addressed.
My weakest point on the test will be reading. I already realize that I will more than likely not be able to read full passages due to time constraint. I have never been a fast reader, and often have no choice but to read sentences twice. So, I do not know how this weakness can be addressed, nevertheless, it is my weakness. I have heard that the most important parts of passages are the first and last sentences of each paragraph, but this rarely proves helpful. What might be helpful is actually seeing tests from past years, and being able to see how much of the test constitutes reading and how much writing. It would be nice to become familiar with the format of the test before we actually take it. Perhaps they can even be posted on the blog.
I do not believe there will be any problems with vocabulary, at least not with the vocabulary words that we have learned. I will be able to handle the literary, rhetorical, and thematic terms and figures of speech as long as clear examples, definitions, and differences are given. Essays should not be that big of a problem for me. Lastly, I will practice taking reading comprehension passages at home with an AP practice book. More of an emphasis needs to be placed upon the literary devices though because they seem to be most important. Overall, it is time for the speeches, debates, project presentations, crafts, and occasional papers to be continued for May and June. Now, it would be nice to see a true “Exam Review Month”.
In response to Janiru H:
Okay, so once again, I have overestimated this blog. I thought that we were supposed to give Ms. Bunje like a lesson plan or something, so I began to think that my blog was entirely unhelpful. Yet, in the end we were really just supposed to write our thoughts and feelings. Well anyway, in response to your blog, when you said “I have a nasty habit of narrowing it down to two possible answers, and going through hypotheticals that make it impossible to differentiate one from the other,” I could not agree with you more. There are always two very possible answers in the end that I have trouble deciding between. My problem is, however, that I either spend way too much time trying to pick one over the other, or I do not answer the question at all because I can’t decide. It would be nice to know if it really is better to just answer the question, or leave it blank and get only one fourth of a point off.
I think you assigned the declamations to help improve our memorization techniques. To be honest, I don't think it did much for me. I mean you can read and reread and recite all you want (and I did, I really did), but really, I think that having declamation skill all depends on your personality. If you're cool under pressure, calm, extroverted, good at rote memorization or anywhere in between, yeah, you're probably fine. But if you tend to freeze under stress, if your mind goes blank and your hands shake at your first little mistake, or if you tend to memorize vocab words by reminding yourself that in the first season finale of Bones Dr. Temperance Brennan EXHUMED the body of the army soldier, (Gee, I wonder who I could be talking about?) than you're likely going to have a problem with declamations. I think my main problem is that I had no safety net. And by safety net I don't just mean notecards, though you can bet I really missed those once I stood up. I'm more talking about room to maneuver. In short, I had none. Much as I hate speeches, at least then I had some breathing room. I could flip sentence here and there, forget whole points of my arguement, and nobody would no but me, because I wrote the speech. Declamations were a whole other world. Every missed word meant a lower grade, and I'll admit it; I freaked and froze. As soon as I forgot one small part, the rest just flew out of my head like Lindsey Lohan fleeing an AA meeting, until eventually all that was left of me was a shaking girl who could only stand there and mutter to herself "Life isn't fair... remember Morgenstern... life isn't fair..."
But I digress.
My obstacles to getting a four or a five? Two words: timed writing. I barely ever finish my essays in time on any timed test. Never have. I just can't seem to think and write fast enough. I'm not sure how to combat my snail-like writing process. Practice has not yet made perfect in this area, so I just don't know. I mean, if I knew how to fix this dilemma, I would have done so already, right? But if somebody, somewhere, has a miracle solution, I'd be glad to hear it. Also, the little test givers make me nervous. I can't stand the feeling that someone is hovering over me, watching me as I work. So far the only thing I can think of is asking the AP people very politely to turn around and not look at me for the duration of the test.
Do you think that could work?
I think the best way to review is by doing fun activities that heavily incorporate AP Lang activities. Because everybody always pays more attention and remembers more when they're having fun.
First things first. Although I'll confess to not being the biggest fan of the declamations, I understand why you gave us this assignment. Obviously, to work on our public speaking/confidence was a major goal of the assignment, but I feel as if there was another, more useful lesson to be learned, and although I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, it was certainly helpful.
While preparing for our declamation, we were expected to memorize, word for word, a particular monologue, just as we are expected to memorize various literary terms for the exam. Now, I can't speak for anyone in 9/10, but during my period I heard person after person sigh, "I thought I had it memorized, but when you get up there, it's totally different." This is where I believe that the lesson was truly learned. It didn't matter how long you had spent practicing your monologue, or how perfect your delivery was in front of your friends and family. When it all came down to it, the only thing that mattered was how well you performed when it was time. It was all about keeping your cool in a high pressure, uncomfortable situation. Similary, the AP exam will thrust us into an equally stressful and uncomfortable situation. It won't matter how many times we've taken multiple choice exams, or how many practice essays we've written (although I believe that these will certainly help us) if we can't keep our cool and remember all that we've learned. For this reason, I thought that the declamations were a usefull assignment (although I'll admit that I didn't realize how useful it was until after I had finally gotten it over with).
As for what we can do during "Review Month", I think that a lot of multiple choice tests (like Devon said) would be useful. However, I find that I have a better understanding when we do them together, as a class. Even though I know that I won't have the "phone a friend" option on the actual test, I think that going over the exam and hearing different feedback helps me to understand why the answer is the answer, whereas normally I just guess and hope that I got it right. Also, I think we should do a TON of practice essays, because I really need to strengthen my timed writing. It may seem like a drag now, and I'm sure I'll kick myself for saying it halfway through the month, but in the long run I think that it'll only increase my chances of getting a 4 or a 5 on the test.
Cliche answers, maybe, but I really think that these will help to ensure that I recieve a better grade on the test.
Alice: I bet your declamation was amazing. And even if it wasn't, it's no big deal. Some people (like myself) just aren't public speakers. I choke too, so don't feel bad at all. It happens to the best of us.
Hayley:
"This also forces you have to look around at everyone. There’s no way you can just stand there, staring timidly down at your feet. You have to just push past your nerves in order to be able to present such a project. Otherwise, you may forget some of your lines, like most of us did, myself included. Doing this helped me to conquer my fear of being myself in front of an audience. Throughout my declamation, the words slipped from my mouth as if they were truly my own. Despite a few errors I made, I feel much more confident presenting."
I completely agree. I wish I had tried to include the audience more, like you did, because I think even talking loud and looking at people doesn't necessarily make you confident. And walking around to involve people in the speech makes you appear like you're completely comfortable up there. I thought your presence was great, you looked so comfortable, so presentable, and so confident. If we do something like this again, I'm definitely going to reflect on your presentation because of how well I thought you did. So good job =]
The purpose of the declamations had nothing to do with memorization. I memorized my declamation in about twenty minutes and had little trouble remembering it afterwards. Yes, my declamation was short, but I still think memorizing vocab words is more stressful than memorizing a tangent or poem. What made the declamations difficult was the public speaking factor. Public speaking theoretically is one of the easiest things to do, but that all changes the second you realize all eyes are on you. I think the point of the declamations was to get us more comfortable with speaking to a group with a prepared blip to talk about. If anything, I think it makes us better at giving speeches. It teaches us to present a prewritten speech, not just read it.
For me, I think the declamation showed me something I never really realized about myself. Just because I have something memorized in my head doesn’t mean I can say it just as well. After my first sentence during my declamation I completely blanked on a line and I had to go through the declamation in my head to remember the line. The bridge between the memorization part of my brain and the speaking part of my brain collapsed, and if I ever have to do a declamation again, I’m taking a boat.
As for the AP exam, I’m a little more stressed out. I suck at every multiple choice practice test we take. I don’t think I have ever gotten more than 50% right on one of them and most of the time I do even worse. I hope it’s just unfamiliarity with the question types, because I’ll swear I have the right answer while taking the test only to be foiled again when I get the correct answer. As April comes into focus I just want to drill the multiple choice practice tests. I want to know the questions before I finish the reading so I can breeze through the multiple choice section. As for the essay section of the test, I’m less worried. I know I can write a perfect essay, what I don’t know is if I can do it in the time allotted. I’m a slow writer. By slow writer, I don’t mean my handwriting, I’m talking about the thought process that I require before I write anything. I’ve planned everything I’ve written for this class in my head from start to finish before I write it. Yes, that includes this blog. I find myself staring at a blank sheet of paper for literally hours just organizing my thoughts, then when it finally comes together, I dump my entire essay/blog/whatever onto the paper in about half an hour. I realize this strategy wont work very well on the AP exam, and I hope and pray that the practice essays we do get the creative juices flowing a little faster. If I can do that, and not completely fail my multiple choice, I can get a 5 easy.
Carly-
Haha thanks girl! Don’t worry, its okay, I will admit that I can talk a lot especially about silly things like my weave. I mean for real girl my weave was fresh today. :)
“I can’t believe it’s April, and soon will be May (my bday!) This year has been stressful and I know that the biggest months are yet to come, but I have learned a lot since September.”
I think that our best learning comes from each other. You have such a dedication to everything that you do and I look up to you for that. Time has gone by so fast and you should always know that I am constantly learning from you. On or off the field you have great things to share with the world.
Ahh the declamations, which I gather from the responses above me went marvelously well. I'm a little upset I didn't get to see everyone recite theirs, but that's what I get. However since I didn't perform mine yet, I don't have the application part of the experience down so I'll just comment on the overall concept of a declamation. It's purpose is essentially to stir up the brain cells and force them to do manual labor. In case anyone didn't know memorization is equivalent to the brain doing physical labor. Just think about it. When your body does physical labor you reap the benefits in your physique, but if you don't constantly use those muscles the stunning physique you worked so hard to acquire slips away. The same process occurs within your brain. You force it through this rigorous activity to build up your memory, and then if you don't use it the information just slowly decays away. With this in mind, you can think of a declamation as running the mile for your brain, due to its required length and rigor. Just like any strenuous physical activity is to the body, the declamation was an exercise to make our brains more functional and better equipped to deal with the trials of life. However, not to be mean in anyway because Bunje, you know I don't mean any disrespect, but just like the mile I feel like it doesn't do anything for me personally. Memorization is already something that I strive at, but I guess it never hurts to force my brain to memorize more. Essentially the declamation itself helps stretch the confines of my memory, considering it is rather a lot to memorize at one time. Although I feel like the second the clock hits 2:35 on Friday I might have already forgotten parts of it. Actually that's a really bold hyperbole, considering I can remember a large amount of information even long after its initial usage. But in about ten years (considering I really am starting to forget my own childhood memories for the things I'm learning in school nowadays) I'll have completely forgot the material I used for my declamation. In opposition to about thirteen lines ago where I mentioned it does nothing, I think the declamation has done something for me. It increased the bounds of my memorization for a period of time, almost like the stretching of a balloon. I would like to mention though, that if I don't continue pushing the limits of my memory it won't do anything for me in the long run.
Moreover, now that I think about it, I have learned quite a bit throughout this year. It's actually changed the entire way I read anything. Before ever stepping foot in room 204 I would read a book and take it completely for face value. Now whenever anything comes under my nose, I wonder what is the author really trying to say here. This mental transformation is the result of the long, arduous forty paragraph text says text does that we did on various occasions. They caused me to sit and analyze every aspect of what the writer was potentially trying to convey, for countless hours. This is not what I'm suggesting for us to do for the entire month of April though. What I am suggesting, is that we do exactly what you originally had planned for us. If we are subject to constant practice test, we will know precisely how to answer each question. There is only so many things the AP Council can think up to ask the students, and I'm fairly certain that whatever they think up its had some variation on a test before. My proposal is equivalent to having someone else quiz you on the vocab words right before the actual vocab test. It's just another form of drilling the procedure into your head.
Here goes another statement in which I mean absolutely no disrespect Bunje, but I don't think the practice test we take should be graded. I think it should be graded, but that grade shouldn't affect our actual grade in the class. There is a method to my madness though. The AP test in Lang at least, is technically something that you can't really study for, considering you don't have the piece your going to be reading, the essay questions are going to be completely random, and you can't teach someone how to critically think. Now I'm not saying that means you can't study the literary terms and their implications or write in all essay formats, but you can only study the theoretical part of the test. You can memorize the definitions all you want, but when it comes down to it you can't study their effects on the piece as a whole. A literary term in one piece can have a specific effect, but in another it can do the complete opposite. In the end the testing comes down to how well a person can critically think while remembering what the definitions of the literary terms are and how eloquently someone can web ideas together. The only possible way to do those is to improve upon memorization (thanks go out to the declamation here) and mental quickness. The latter comes from the fact that anyone can eloquently web ideas together given enough time. But on this test, you don't have enough time. You have as much as they give you, and then its over.
Conclusively, the things that I think will best prepare me personally for the test, is constant practice tests and essays. The only way to slay the mighty dragon is to slay both a giant fire-breathing salamander and the giant eagle first. Hopefully everyone who reads this won't be angry I asked for more arduous testing and essay writing, because they will remember that I'm the biggest slacker of the bunch and only want to help us all succeed on the test.
- Jen
"What I want to work on more was something I already mentioned—answering questions. I’m pretty bad at thinking on my feet, so I was dreading, yet looking forward to, having to do that yesterday. Normally when we did the debates, I always did the first constructive. I didn’t do that just because I thought I was a good writer, I did it because I am horrible questioner/answerer. So if anything, I’d like to improve on that."
I feel you on this one. Normally, I'm confident in everything I do, but this is actually one thing I fear. I hate having to answer questions. Usually whenever asked a question I just dance around the actual issue they asked, or I end up rambling and contradicting myself. If it were up to me, I'd say to hell with the AP test and just have us debate every class period. However, it isn't up to me so the AP test is actually important to our future, and thus we can't debate all the time. Even though debating is a very exciting way to use rhetorical devices and specific types of language that I'm sure would help us on the essay portion of the test.
Personally, I'm not sure at all what might stand in my way of a 4 or a 5. This might be more important than I thought. When it comes right down to it, I don't really know what to expect in the test itself. Not knowing what to expect is my biggest weakness right now. Thankfully, all of the practice tests and quizzes coming up should fix that rather well. Might be overkill, really.
Personally, I always find I get the most out of a project when I enjoy it, because I put more effort into it. I apologize, Ms Bunje, but I just have trouble putting effort into projects I don't enjoy. That said, I enjoyed most of the projects that allowed me to show a bit of myself. The declamations, finding lit terms in music, (Which you said we'd do more of.) and the speeches. I'm still amazed mine went over alright, though. I could've sworn I felt a million hateful eyes on me as I did that.
Now that I think about it, I actually think I do have an idea of my weaknesses. I get concepts fairly easily. I'm plenty good at analyzing texts. Honestly, my biggest problem is with memorizing terms. There's just no good way to do it. I have major problems sitting down and simply memorizing words and what they mean. It bores me. Maybe instead of studying on our own these terms that I feel like I'll never manage to remember, simple homework assignments requiring us to create examples and such are in order. My first choice would be in-class games, but with the short amount of time we'll have, I can't see that happening.
In short: I'd like to see the continued inclusion of creativity in the class. I'm a creative thinker, I think. It's odd. I want to think creatively about things like math problems, and I want to think analytically about things like people.
To Alice: What the heck is the C word?
To Jordan: Haha. Manual labor for your brain. Somehow this fits you perfectly. I'm a bit jealous. At the moment I still usually take books at face value. I wonder if it's related to my supposed aspurgers, or if I'm really just lazy in the brain. Well, Maybe I'm just a bit slow in this regard. Regardless, come back soon. Maegan misses you, I'm sure.
To me, the declamation project was a way for us to see that we can memorize things like speeches. When we had to do our speeches a little while ago, not many (if any) of us memorized the whole thing. We lost some of the possible effect each speech could have had because of our dependence on note cards or the speech itself on written paper. For me, and probably a few others, I have never had to memorize anything and recite it in front of people. I was surprised to see how easy it was to do and actually how fun it was. I enjoyed having to push myself and commit something to memory exactly. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I realized I finally had it down. When it was time to do the presentations, I saw how everyone seemed so much more emotionally attached to what they were saying this time around. They were able to concentrate on the effect each sentence had on the declamation as a whole. I was really entertained by it all and pleasantly surprised to see people who I thought were going to struggle with this assignment do a very good job. I think it made us all more comfortable with ourselves in front of our audience. It was just us and them. There was no paper to hide behind.
As for the AP test, the part I think I need to practice most is the part I don’t want to practice at all, naturally. For me, writing essays about topics that are not particularly interesting is hard to do. I have tried to get over that and just do my best work, but I still find myself sitting and staring at the page like “Really? Why did they pick this crap?...” for a longer time than I should. I need to learn to just get to it, but not too quickly. I also have a problem with rushing in and not developing my ideas far enough before I start writing. Towards the end of the essay, I’ll realize a great point I want to add, but by then there will only be time enough to do the conclusion. I think this can be overcome by practice. As much as I am not looking forward to death month, I know I need it to kick my butt. An obstacle I see is the synthesis essay. We have only done one, and from what I saw with that, I am a slow reader. I can’t imagine doing one in a specific amount of time. I need to read and reread things to understand them for all they have to say, so I am worried I won’t have enough time to do so. I’m getting nervous now that it’s April!
"My biggest area of weakness would most likely be my stamina. I tend to get bored very easily, so it doesn't really add up well. I had no problems with the practice AP, but I’m dreading the two hour span. I’m going to pull my hair out. I mean, I’m more than likely going to sleep during the AP Calc test, but I don’t have that freedom here. Shame shame."
Janiru,
I anticipate taking a good long nap during the AP calc test. But I know what you mean about the stamina thing. My head starts to hurt and I get super bored. I start to feel like I am doing the same things over and over again, but I have to keep pushing. I don't know what can help with this! I'm going to try and sleep a lot before the test. Hope it all works outttt :/
Tarah
As for the AP test, the part I think I need to practice most is the part I don’t want to practice at all, naturally. For me, writing essays about topics that are not particularly interesting is hard to do.
I know exactly what you mean. I am simliar to you in the fact i really need help with essays. Your such a strong writer though, i know you'll kick butt :] Or at least write a steve worthy 6!
Brendan: You made me LOL so hard. "Maegan misses you, I'm sure."
BAHAHAHAHHAHA. Yeah right!
The reason we had declamations is pretty clear. It was to improve our skills at public speaking. Of course, that’s pretty obvious. To be more specific, it trains our skill at talking in front of others without directly reading from some sheet of paper. We couldn’t hide behind something we wrote, so we had to focus on the audience. That, or simply look at the ground, but that doesn’t exactly bode well. Well, it was a success, though I did feel that some of I only wished I stuck with my original idea. I thought it was too over the top, so I stuck with a poem. The author wrote Treasure Island, though, which is nice.
But enough of that. I did pretty well, and only forgot my place once. Let’s focus on the AP exam to come.
There isn’t much getting in the way of getting a 4 or a 5. My writing isn’t godly, but it will suffice. That would leave the multiple choice section as the problem that drags me down. Though I can definitely analyze a passage, it begins to wear on me, especially when the passage is boring. Though we can’t solve boredom, we should focus on getting a few tips on it. I usually know what is what, but when you’re under pressure, it would be good to know a few ways to take apart a passage, which would make things a bit less mind wrecking.
Reviewing shouldn’t be too bad. What we’ve been doing this year has been pretty efficient in making me remember things. We simply need to reapply ourselves, maybe finding another semi-entertaining way to memorize our facts.
Oh well. A good thing about this AP exam is that it is a lot less about knowing an endless amount of facts, which already alleviates most of my fears. As long as we stay calm, we should be fine. It isn’t too bad, though that’s just speaking for myself.
Hmm…only about 300 words…
"Haha sucks to be all you kids in school. Look whose got the first blog post."
^yeah....it really sucks to be us....
I think the reason that we did the declamations was really to improve and spice up our speech-giving abilities. Many of us simply would simply read off the paper or only memorize so much of our speech. I think what this did was allow us to install in our speech some emotion and some memorization that wasn't present during the time we were giving our speeches. Now, we hopefully understand what it means to present a message, or piece of writing in general, to an audience. What it personally did for me was really help get a little bit of courage and add some emotion. I noticed I was really stiff and unsure during my entire speech. When I went up there to present on something I constantly practiced and was comfortable with reading, I could do it. I( tired this during my speech, but I just seemed much more nervous during the speech. It gave me an idea of what I need to do to give a proper speech,l as far as presentation.
The multiple-choice sections are something everyone needs to improve on. I think even compared to my writing, that is my worse aspect. If I had a guess, it's just the factor of time. I personally can answer a question if I have long enough, but then either I have not enough for the others or just waste my time. I think the biggest thing we should be doing is taking practice test in very limited conditions. The thing is, I have no doubt that's in our schedule so that's covered. However, I think we need to specifically work the time limit with the multi-choice. It seems to be the worst aspect for everyone, especially looking at the majority results for that quiz last week. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. That's all we need( with a few outside days here and there, for a break).
To Fiona
"As shown by the last 2 practices we’ve taken, (the one from midterms and the one from last last week) I really excel at those,... "
All I can say is, I'm extremely jealous. I am beyond terrible at the multiple choice and I really don't understand how anyone is good at those multiple choice things. I hope I can get as comfortable with them as you are by the time the test rolls around.
You can not even fathom how frustrated that I am with the fact that I didn't get to see anybody's declamations. I was so excited to see people come alive and really show their creativity. From the beginning, I really liked the idea of the declamations, because I have a problem with real eye contact and connecting the crowd with my writing right off the bat. I truly felt that if I practiced enough, then I could truly embody the evilness of Regina George, so I began practicing the day that I picked my declamation. I knew it like the back of my hand, but I was absent the day that the declamations started, so I didn't get to see how high the bar was set and how into it people got, so I figured what the heck, and went all out. But the moment that I turned and faced my audience, my mind went blank, and I couldn't remember anything. I took a deep breath, and it just came to me, and I didn't really have to think.
I think that this declamation really helped my confidence, and I think that it will be less awkward when I read my occasional papers now. It taught me how to include my audience, and really put them into the story, and it is probably my favorite thing that we have done all year. I would really like to do another one after AP tests are done.
So, on to the AP tests. I am really stressed out about this. What happended to the good old days, when I loved those standardized pieces of crap?? Well, that was probably because they were at the third grade level. These are a list of the problems that I face through my journey on these tests.
1. The multiple choice section: I cannot understand a lot of the abstract ancient passages. A lot of the time I can't even tell you what they are about or what the theisis is. That has to be where all of my problems start. And if I can't understand what the author is trying to convey, then I can't answer questions about it. I must say, I do feel that I am being to understand them more and more as time goes on.
2.The essays: Well, I don't have a problem with coming up with an idea, but I do lose my train of thought, and end up in a place where I wasn't plannning on going. I also end up thinking of stronger points when I am in mid writing, and don't have the time to go back. Finally, I cannot write a conclusion for my life. I either end up adding a random fact or just basically saying the exact same thing in my introduction, but with no attention grabber.
I think that the best way to fix this is to go over the multiple choice together, but not only the questions. I think that we should go more into what the writer is saying in his writing and how their writing evolves over the peice. Also, I think that we should go back to Reading Logs, because they REALLY help me find things in the writing, which is a lot like many of the questions that the multiple choice sections ask.
I LOVE READING LOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)
P.S.- USA is beating Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 WHOOOOOOO!!!!! (mens soccer)
1. Why assign a declamation?
Most likely you assigned the declamations to do a number of things. I feel that you did them to improve our speaking skills in front of an audience. I synthesized this from the timing of the assignment, which was almost immediately after our speeches. The largest fault found with our speeches was that we were reading too much from our papers. This took away from our presence and thus our overall effectiveness. So lurking behind the improvement of speaking skills is an improvement in memorization skills.
2. What did the declamation do for me?
Personally the declamation helped me to improve my memorization skills. I am not sure that it helped my speaking skills as I do not actually remember much other than having a very tight chest at the time. But, I did manage to get all the way through my poem of twenty-three lines. This recitation stood as a first for me. I have never been required to memorize more than math formulas or vocabulary words. This task helped me learn to commit things to memory, something I have never been able to do. I am quite proud that the week of time I put into this paid off there at least.
The large, foreboding obstacles that loom in the path to sunny four and five-dom consist of my general lack of skill in the area of the English language. More specifically the multiple choice section and my second-guess syndrome that taunts me every time. Another repeat offender consists of one part ADD, one part time constriction and another part poor writing. It is my tendency to get half way through an essay and have an epiphany of sorts that creates a need to change the entire view point of my essay.
My Achilles heel exists right where the writing muscles are found. I can work my way around the multiple choice through studying question types and taking practice exams, but writing presents challenges when one is self-evaluating, as you naturally do your best and am thus unable to grade.
I would like to review the synthesis essay and other possible essay types on the test. This will help my comprehension of the format and expectations of the exam. Also, I would like to review tone, style, syntax and other literary terms quickly for verification that I have it right.
The best way to review is to practice, practice, practice, practice. During the question and answer session of his speech Mike Nanfara answered a question of yours with something along the lines of, “The best way to do well on something is repetition.” I wholeheartedly agree with him on this statement. While I do not enjoy practice AP exams I know that they create the best understanding and least amount of anxiety when taking the test.
Alison
Alice H--
I have to agree with you on that I do my best on exams when relaxed and happy. But unlike you, intense preparation is necessary for me to enter the test room without a large rock planted to my chest, preventing basic functions such as breathing...
Due to this I feel that we should do more writing and less multiple choice review (not to exclude the multiple choice, but to focus on the writing). I feel that multiple choice can be explained by a book at home (or something like that) while writing is much more complex and needs a human explanation.
Great Job! Thanks for sharing :)
Janiru,
The only other area I'm concerned about it over analyzing. I have a nasty habit of narrowing it down to two possible answers, and going through hypotheticals that make it impossible to differentiate one from the other. I guess I need to learn to analyze to a certain point, and shut myself off after that. Or trust my gut. Whichever works? If there’s any way to review that aspect of the test, that'd be nice.
I completely agree. I have horrible luck, and almost always get stuck between two. But, when I guess, there is normally a 99% chance that I will get it wrong.
Britt!
"Also, I think that we should go back to Reading Logs, because they REALLY help me find things in the writing, which is a lot like many of the questions that the multiple choice sections ask."
I agree. I don't like TSTD and I feel like reading logs definitely helped me get a better understanding for literary devices and rhetorical modes and whatnot. I didn't even think of this but it probably would help me do better on multiple choice and I need all the help I can get.
Well, I guess to start this responce off, I really liked the Declamations. They were very entertaining, artistic, and memmorable. I myself got the chance to dust off my love for Seinfeld (damn WalMart gets in the way of me watching =( ). So yeah, I think everyone did very well. I would think that they helped at least a little bit since I seriously did not have to memorize lines since my eighth grade drama performance. I remembered just how hard it is to get every word perfect, as it is easy to replace any word or phrase with a similar sounding one or one with a similar meaning.
I think to prepare for the SATs, the most I need to do is work on the Literary terms. While I'm confident that I did well on the quiz or whatever, I really don't feel like I know how to use most of them. Not every example is clear as to how to use the term. The best ones are the ones that just reference a book or an author, assuming that I just know the book/person by heart. Parallism is a big one, I am not exactly sure as to how to Identify when I see parallism, and as Bunje said, its the one to know.
Aside from that, it would probalby help to do mroe of those multiple choice questions. Those things were very tricky, too tricky. I would like more practice with those, as well as just learning how to pick out those subtle details that make one answer slightly better then the other.
Sadly, I think you assigned the declamation assignment for people like me. People that freak out just walking up to the podium when they’re about to read off of a piece of paper, definitely need exercises like this. And aside from the fact that it’s just another exercise that helps us reiterate what we right on paper, I think it goes a lot further than memorization, and actually allows us to be comfortable with public speaking. Not having a paper to glance down to or even something to place our hands on when talking, is a huge deal when you have no hopes at confidently getting through the paper with natural assurance. The declamation assignment is designed to go beyond words on the paper, and actually allow us as speakers to present ourselves in a way that illustrates what were saying. Personally, always looking towards my paper in fear that I won’t read the right word or say the right sentence allowed me to absorb full purpose of the declamation. The only way I can describe how the declamation worked for me is in the lesson of ‘you don’t know how something will turn out unless you try it.’ Of course I always wanted to be able to look off of my papers as if I knew exactly what I’m talking about, but I never tried it. Finally trying it, and not miserably failing, definitely gives me confidence and a refreshing hope that I will now be able to finally speak decently in public.
A huge obstacle that I need to overcome in order to get a 4 or 5 on the exam is the way I tackle assignments. When it comes to absolutely anything at all, I choose to lock myself in my room and practice it. For some reason things simply sink in 100% more this way. Because of this annoying habit, when it comes to taking tests in public and being timed I feel completely violated. Maybe I have OCD, but I feel like I have absolutely no room to think or engage myself in something. For the multiple choice, eh, I’ll hopefully be alright. But as for the essays I’m very worried about how I’m going to keep a constant train of thought as well as a ubiquitous tone. Because of my lack of confidence in the writing area, I know that more writing assignments will help me prepare for the exam. Even though I thought those words would never come out of my mouth, it’s very true that I need help with eyeing in on what my examiner will want to hear in the 3 main paragraphs I’ll be writing. Above this, I could use some help allowing my inner voice to shine through in my writing, and not letting the typical cliché answer makes their way onto my paper. The best way I think we could review these things is maybe by having smaller timed writings leading up to longer and longer timed writings. This way, instead of writing a huge and brief five paragraph essay, we could practice focusing in on one or two ideas and thoroughly writing them out in a few statements or paragraphs. This way when it comes to the exam, we can take each idea piece by piece and encapsulate it perfectly.
Devon that’s soooo cool you memorized that many, that’s definitely some Disney Channel ‘Smart Guy’ stuff. So that’s why you’re so good at Spanish!?
And Jani you’re so predictable. Remember the good old days of HSPA when you would play Pokémon for the entire two hours we weren’t testing!? <3
Declamations: Given for the purposes of either increasing our memorization or public speaking or exposing us to new things via our classmates. A mild annoyance, given I don't remember it anymore. (Cleared my memorization files to make room for the concert music.) But, given I forgot to ask for V for Vendetta before happening upon Bunje's favorite poem, I did find something entirely new, so it wasn't all bad.
Moving on, as to what I think will be my biggest obstacle on the AP test, I have no idea. The vague wall of dread I feel as the Tests come upon us cannot be breached by mere thought. I made a list mentally. It started with the synthesis essays, then jumped to other essays, then leapt clear to the multiple-choice. I'm sure I'll do fine in my head and my brain says I can do an essay in no time at all when under pressure, and passed the last multi-choice test well, but my gut is doing its thing and going ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit ad infinitum. The nerves/meditation/hippy bit will help the most methinks. We should have more of that. Less death, less stress less tests, less drama, less fighting, more hippie-talk. Yeah...
DOES IT SHOW THAT I'M FALLING ASLEEP?
I've recovered a bit, and I think the thing what would help us, judging by me, most would be the reading logamajigs. Helps us recognize what authors use, when, how and why. Which would help with the ridonkulous questions they ask..
But, my worst enemy will probably be fatigue. Kinda like right now. You can only be asked 'what did the author mean by X' or 'How does X affect Y' or why does x=(-B(+/-)sqrt(B^2-4AC))/2A work so many times before you want to scream. (Hehe... Freakazoid) And my tolerance for this is low. Or so it would seem, judging by the last few tests.
As to what we should review, the lit terms we almost have, so a bit more of them, but other than that I have no idea. Maybe those... things. What? I'm making less and less sense. My brain is frazzled. Need sleep. *cue Megaman-boss-destruction-like cutscene*
@ Bunje: For death month, does it have to be our death? Can it be someone else's?
@ Alice: You'll do fine. If you can pass the crack-stick that was the Gov Test, this one will be a cakewalk. (Sidenote: Is that walking WITH, ON, or TO cake?)
@ Janiru: I agree. I'm not sure a quiz every other day will really do all that much to help us. Seems more like memorization than actual critical thinking which we'll actually need. Then again, not sure what the tests are on, so I could be totally wrong there.
The declamation presentations were definitely a learning experience. I think that’s why you assigned it in the first place. It helped us learn memorization, but it also helped us with our speech. It’s nerve racking to get up in front of the class and speak. Palms start getting sweaty. Body shaking. Temperatures rising. It seems like it never gets easier, but it does. I think the more practice you get speaking in front of the class; the more comfortable you will feel and the better you’ll get. I think the declamation also helped us to learn how to speak passionately, which will probably help us out a great deal in the future. So, I really enjoyed the whole experience and hopes we can do more!
Sometimes when I have the time to catch a breath, I ponder over the things in my life. One of things I’ve thought about is AP Lang class. At the beginning of the year, I have to admit that I didn’t really enjoy Lang very much. I didn’t hate it of course. I’ve just never had that much excitement for any English class. But throughout the year, I started enjoying it a lot more. I started feeling very comfortable in class. Now, it’s become one of favorite classes. And when I really think about it, I’ve learned a great deal. My speech is a lot better. My writing has improved. And I’ve learned really good test taking skills.
As for the dreaded AP exams, I’m quite nervous for that too. I feel like April is going to fly on by and I won’t get all my studying in on time. English has never been my strong suit and I’m afraid that my efforts will be futile. I think my biggest problem is timing. I spend way too much time contemplating over multiple-choice questions. I have trouble fully understanding the stories given to us, so I spend a lot of time rereading. This is the very same problem I face on the AP Exam’s close friend, the SATs. As for the essays, I think as long as I know what the AP graders want, I’ll be able to do pretty great in that area. So in April, I think the best way to review is through practice. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. I want to be a multiple-choice master! I think we should do the same for the essays too. I forget which types of essays are going to be on the test, so I think we should go over that again and what is expected out of them. If we do that, I’ll have full confidence that I’ll pass this exam with flying colors.
“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...pleaaaassse!”
The declamations were pretty amazing. Everyone did really good, and memorized everything almost perfectly! Billy, yours was the most hilarious thing of the week. =) Britt, haha two words. Too Natural. Sergei, yours seemed so familiar but I don’t even watch that show! Weird.
These declamations we actually really fun. I liked doing them, and it was not as hard as I had first thought it’d be. We were learning AND being entertained; it’s like a buy one get one free deal at McDonalds! I think this exercise helped to get everyone a little loosen up, and taught them to relax more while doing a speech. They didn’t have to worry about bearing their soul to the world which, in turn, made it easier to present. I also think this was also used to help us learn to make more of a connection with the audience, and gather their attention.
The main obstacle for me is the critical reading. It has always given me a problem, especially on the SATs. I don’t know why I can’t do them efficiently. The concept seems easy, yet I can’t seem to score high on it. This is probably the part that will harm me the most. Other than that, I don’t really see any other concept that will jeopardize my chances of getting a 4 or 5 on the exam. Oh wait – I also think the timing will mess me up on the multiple-choice questions too. I’m bad at taking like two minutes to answer one question. It takes me about 2-4 minutes. So for all the rest I don’t have time to fill out, I always just fill in “C.”
I would definitely like to do some critical reading passages, and timed too. It’ll help me speed up, and hopefully get better at them. I think it’ll be more effective for me if we do like one passage, not an entire section, but then do it daily or every other day or something. This would increase the amount we practice, without seeming to overload us I think. I don’t really mind either way, I just want to practice them though. Do you remember that thing we did in class before when you put one question on each desk, and we moved around the room, answering each in one minute? Well, I really liked that, and I think it’s very effective, and kept us moving around.
Linds:
" My writing is half decent, or else I wouldn’t be here, but I don’t think quick enough on my feet to write a strong not standard 5 paragraph essay. Even my standard 5 paragraphs are just ok. "
-I feel the same way. Not doing five paragraph essays are tough, but I do thin that they make your paper more unique and fresh. Unfortunately, I still do them because they are esaiest to write, and they help to boost your score on the SATs. Those test-maers really seem to like them, I don't know why..maybe I have just written them so much, it just seems like blah to me.
Erik:
"By the time May 13th rolls around, I'll probably be so sick of practice essays and multiple choice questions that I'll lose focus and just try to get the test over with as soon as possible."
-Yo, I totally am with you on this. I have seriously taken the SATs so many times, that now, I'm just like, "When will this freakin' test just enddd!" I did the same with my AP Stats test last year. Actually, I do believe I tried to used the stats random numbers table to generate most of my multiple choice answers because I had no patience with the test. Hey, the probability that I got the right answer was pretty high...so I took it! =P )Don't follow my example.)
Matt:
"^yeah....it really sucks to be us...."
-lmfao.
Now, back to singing!
Oh! I just realized I forgot the ‘what I have learned’ part of this question.
I have learned in AP Language how to write better than I could previously (it is still not that good – but better), and I have learned many different literary terms and/or devices (I hope). However I must say that the majority of what I have learned has been about the people who surround me in the class. I have learned these things through occasional papers and blogs as well as symposiums and discussions. Though these things will not help me on my AP test, in the long run they are the things I will remember and the parts of AP Lang that I enjoy the most. I treasure all knowledge of other people and hope to never be interpreted as uninterested or aloof. Although I do have my occasional selfish day, I really do attempt to include consideration for people’s thoughts and feelings in every action I make. However, my judgment seems to abandon me occasionally so I apologize for any action of mine that offends (or has offended) anyone at anytime.
Alison
Morgan- "First off, I am not the best test taker in general. I get like ADD after the first hour and have a hard time focusing."
I'm pretty terrible at test taking too. I lose interest really easily. I'd read in one my test taking books that the best way to concentrate is to pretend that there is something in the passage you're reading that you want to know. Or for every passage, pretend that it is an exciting new story. It doesn't really work for me, but maybe it'll work for you!
Devon - Yep, I did Remember the Titans. I would say it's top-3 on my all-time favorite movies list. Anyway, how the heck do you remember 400 numbers of pi? I don't know if I could do four. And as far as the exam goes, I agree that this is the one time that i don't want any surprises.
Well, first of all I would just like to say that the hairs on my arm are standing straight up and my heart is beating uncommonly fast. I just watched the Inch by Inch speech for the first time and had chills running down my spine. I know that Al Pacino and all of the football players in that room were actors, but the atmosphere of that scene and the intensity of the moment was breath taking. I understand why Meagan wanted to do this for her declamation. It was quite a powerful speech, especially if you are an athlete.
Personally, I liked the declamations. Reciting things in front of a room doesn't really scare me anymore because I've had experience in drama class. ;) Ha ha. I would be more nervous, however, if it were my own material. But since it was Romeo and Juliet written 500 some-odd years ago, I didn't mind. Ms. Bunje assigned this project to work on eye contact and public speaking. It FORCED us to look up, because obviously we did not have any note cards to shove our noses in or paper for us to hide behind. It gave me confidence to speak in a classroom setting.
I think I need to read quicker while taking the AP test for Language. The practice multiple choice test we took the other day... It took me FOREVER to read the passage, and then I had little time to actually answer the questions. That was quite stressful. And that was only six questions. I wonder how 239847 of them are...
I think my essays are crap, too. The one I sentence-analyzed didn't have any literary devices in it and it made me upset.
The best way to review, unfortunately, is to practice. Practice makes perfect, especially when writing. I'm not going to magically acquire supreme writing skills overnight, so it is my job to take advantage of "Exam Review Month" and trudge through the not-fun parts of English.
I also need to learn the literary terms INSIDE and OUT. I have a general idea, but I need to be able to spot it in a passage or explain it.
I need to be able to learn how to relax a little.
I get all sweaty when I start thinking of exam day, not even kidding.
My typing fingers are sweating and it's very strange ha ha.
Breatheeeeeee.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
To Dan:
Your fatigue just seeps through your writing. But yes, stuff to calm us down would definitely help us the most. That said, what ability did Megaman take from defeating your brain in a boss battle?
Oh and the dreaded C word Alice was talking about is obviously "Chocobo", not cake. Your logic glands aren't working.
Oh, and I may as well post what my original idea for my declamation was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlvlMJUjpqo
Starting at 5:24. Not over the top at all... at all... Though I doubt I could match Crispin Freeman in voice acting.
I loved the declamations, I think I enjoyed it more than I imagined. I think it was assigned to help with public speaking, obviously, but more in depth. To learn HOW to speak something seriously, with the right diction and speed, tone and precision, takes a lot of practice and it can be difficult. I’m not one to freak out in front of people, so it was fun for me to learn the monologue I recited. Honestly, I don’t think it did anything for me because I am pretty confident I know how to talk, or speak rather, it just comes naturally. It was just a way to get up in front of the class and have everyone listen to me.
I know, for me, getting a 4 or 5 on the AP test will be difficult. Whenever I write for this class, I feel like I’m being too wordy or not talking like a real person. I think the only way to really go over this is to write something and have it literally pulled apart line by line. And I’m pretty sure that everyone has issues with understanding the questions on the test. Most of the ones where I think I have the right answer, I second guess myself because they always try to trick you. It’s hard to know when there is foul play. The only way to help with this would be practice, practice, practice. (Which we will be getting plenty of in death month!) I’m not too worried about the essay where you have to pull information from the documents, I forget the name, but they are pretty self explanatory. I’m not really frightened of this test, and my life isn’t revolving around getting a 4 or 5. This is not the reason why I took the class, I just wanted the experience, and trust me I got it. I think the experience of the test will also be good for me, I really learned a lot from this class, mostly about myself, but many important things dealing with English as well. But im not afraid of this test, I just want to get into Bunje English.
Myra: You're right. "Exam Review Month" has no ring to it. Since we'll all die from over-studying anyway, we might as well keep the title as a monument.
Tarrrraaahhhh-
"I have tried to get over that and just do my best work, but I still find myself sitting and staring at the page like “Really? Why did they pick this crap?...” for a longer time than I should."
Ha ha ha ha I completely agree! It's total crap.. the AP people are out to get us. I try to imagine writing the essay like I've been interested my whole life.. sometimes my "interest" in my writing could be seen as sarcasm. :)
I think that you assigned the declamation project to help us with memorization and mostly to let us hone our public speaking skills. Unfortunately, this did not entirely go well for some of us (that means me). I was nervous and shaky and I stammered a lot. I forgot everything that I had memorized.
Ok, so I will tell you the answers to your next couple questions—but my answers may just make you want to punch me. Well, I think the obstacles that stand in the way between me getting a 4 or 5 on the exam mainly lie in the fact that my heart is not totally in it. I used to think I was so smart, mainly because I used to be when I was in junior high; I was up there with all of the people that I’m currently in English with. I never even stopped to think that I had changed and maybe that had to do with the fact that I was in the English general cohort- which I did ace out of- in freshman year…but maybe also it’s just because I never worked hard enough to get to this level. I love this class because being in it taught me more about who I am and it helps me realize that I’m really not that extraordinary. But if we were to strictly stick to AP test speak my obstacle to overcome is my writer’s block or my uncertainty when it comes to wording phrases. Honestly though, I don’t plan on stressing myself totally and completely out over this test—if I pass, I pass but if I don’t I won’t be too crushed.
Again, strictly speaking my essay writing (despite my feelings about the test), I would say that my sentence structures need work i.e. I need more vivid verbs and more of a variety than just simple sentence after simple. Or, you could even go with the opposite and say I run-on too much. In any case, I think, as bad as I might have been at it, the verb and sentence type chart really helped me see the issues with my writing. Come April (now actually), I would like to review…hmm…establishing pathos, ethos, and logos within your writing. I’m not really sure what the best ways to review are but can I just say what I don’t think helps as much? I think that individual group assignments help. Oh, I think I got one! Taking a piece and dissecting it as a class to define literary techniques, devices, or themes is rather helpful.
Sara C
You are so correct in saying that you can practice all you want but it all depends on individual personality. And nice simile! “like Lindsey Lohan fleeing an AA meeting” I can’t say I’ve heard that one before!
Oh my goodness, you and I have very similar sluggish writing issues and I hate people hovering, as well! Luckily, no one hovers over me since I get to enjoy the solitary confinement that comes with taking tests in a cement room all alone (did you get the sarcasm there cause it totally was). All in all, I feel for you!
The declamations are among the most valuable assignments we have done this year. Coming into this class I always thought that learning literary techniques, vocab and writing techniques would be the most important tools I could take from the class. While these are important factors, I realized that after reading this week’s tstd that those skills will not help as much as being able to speak well. Interviews and speeches will undoubtedly take up a large portion of work that we do in the future so it’s great that we are building those skills now. Like College Pressures mentioned, employers are looking for people who can think and talk, they do not want a report cad showing straight A’s. I think you gave us this task to balance out the learning we’ve been doing with a more practical task. An although I feel like I am a strong public speaker when I have to be, I am sure this did leaps and bounds for those who are less confident in their presentations.
But sadly this class isn’t all about preparing for the work force; we have a fairly important test to take in May. That being said I really think that the biggest challenge is simply getting motivated to work. I can safely assert that everyone who has lasted this long in AP Lang has got what they need to get a 4 or 5. I have seen many of my piers write and think beautifully if only for a brief moment. We are all capable of this level of literary expertise but the problem is finding it and activating it. Almost as if we each have a “muse on demand” that we should be able to call up and force to give us brilliant ideas. But with the pressure of the test and the stress that many of us will be feeling I doubt we will be able to find our muses in that short period of time. So the biggest problem will be not freezing up o we can apply what we know we have the ability to do.
Personally I feel that my weak areas are very faint when I apply myself. That sounds a little bit ridiculous but it’s true never the less. Laziness is going to be battling me at every turn for this next month. You see I know that if I really try I can answer all the multiple choice spot on every time, but usually I get bored with the question, haphazardly pick an answer and then move on. Somehow I do not see this as a strategy for success on the P test. I’d really prefer just to do more public speaking exercises and projects on one to help develop our speaking ad speech writing skills. Those will be more helpful than any AP Test scores will.
And while it may seem dull and cliché the best way to study for an AP test is just studying from an AP test booklet. The problem that many teachers have is that they want to enrich or minds with knowledge to make us better people. The AP test however doesn’t want that, they want us to be little robots of grammar and mathematics. Don’t get me wrong I am completely psyched for Bunje English but I think just plain black and white by the book English recipe for success is what we need. More specifically we should be taking multiple choice tests and analyzing how to answer the question, what to look for in the text and what answers the AP graders want to see. We should also as a class try to develop some essay formula that will fit most AP essays just so we can appeal to those Nazi graders.
I know most of what I’ve said here has probably broken your heart Bunje but sadly this I the world we live in and to succeed we might need to drop down to their level for a month.
In Response to Janiru:
After reading your blog and many others I think the pattern is that we’re all afraid of having the intellectual stamina to make it through the test, not to mention the 3 or 4 others we have before it. And for those with little intellectual stamina already they will be in for a rough time. And although I hate to say it I think this might call for drastic amount of back to back timed testing to get us prepped for what we may see come test day.
The reason I feel as though the declamations were assigned is mainly to exemplify to us just how much more effective a speech/body of text is, when recited rather than read directly off of a paper. For me at least I noticed a drastic difference in the effectiveness of the declamations in comparison to the speeches and to occasional papers. Eye contact and body language are both extremely powerful tools when it comes to delivering a speech. When people make eye contact with their audience rather than reading it makes the reader seem more knowledgeable and make it seem as though they are better prepared, which they are. As for what I learned from my declamation, despite the fact that someone who need not be named stole my thunder, is that Samuel L. Jackson is badass. As well as learning this I realized that under pressure and stress that I tend to forget things that have become second nature. I say this because I had been reciting my declamation numerous times a day yet still managed to forget part of it.
As for what I learned this year in AP Lang I do not even know where to begin. This is the first year out of the three I’ve been in high school that I have actually learned ANYTHING. Due to the fact that I was in college prep English classes both freshman and sophomore year I literally learned nothing. The only work that got accomplished last year was the reading of The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, Tom Sawyer, and a poorly written term paper. When I first arrived in AP Lang, after waivering in I was not sure what to expect, I knew it would be completely different, but what I discovered was nothing what I had expected.
The most obvious thing I have learned thus far is all of the literary terms. It was bad enough that I learned absolutely nothing about writing in the past two years but the introduction of all these terms at once was a little more than overwhelming. Trying to remember all of these terms is easily going to be one of my biggest obstacles on the AP test. The other part is those damned multiple choice questions. On both the SATs and on AP practice test I always seem to fail miserably, which ultimately stems back to my difficulty in trying to remember all those tricky terms. So in terms of studying I realize that I need to buckle down and take as many practice multiple choice tests as humanly possible.
As well as the practice multiple choice tests I need to practice writing. Writing, writing, writing. As much as I dislike the cliché “practice makes perfect” (due to the fact that perfection is impossible for humans, therefore practice does not make perfect) I realize that I need to write as much as possible. In doing so I hope to ultimately attain either a 4, or more preferably, a 5 on the AP test.
Alison-
“My Achilles heel exists right where the writing muscles are found. I can work my way around the multiple choice through studying question types and taking practice exams, but writing presents challenges when one is self-evaluating, as you naturally do your best and am thus unable to grade.”
If only I could manage to make sense of the multiple choice I might have a chance. And I completely understand your feeling about not being able to grade your own essays. This is a big pet peeve of mine and part of the reason why studying ultimately leads to frustration.
Ah. Declamations. Something I failed at. I see why you assigned the declamation project. You assigned it because it was suppose to aid us in our stage presence and the ability to be comfortable with public speaking. It seemed like it should have been easier presenting someone else’s words and not your own because someone else’s words hides your own thoughts. Personally for me, it didn’t do this at all. I had the greatest amount of anxiety that I’ve had in a while. Usually, I’m great at memorization. I don’t have the much of a problem talking to people or putting myself out there. I love eye contact. In fact, I think eye contact shows you respect the person enough to look at them dead in the eye unless there are confidence issues. I think it just made me the most nervous wreck ever. I had my declamation memorized. I recited it to several. I practiced in the mirror. I even practiced my tone of voice and how I would say the poem. When I stood up in front of the class, I just went blank and all I wanted to do at that point was run out of the room or just sit down. It was the most embarrassing thing ever, especially it wasn’t that long of a poem. The declamation project just made me realize that I’m much better at being myself even if at times my words jumble. I rather have my words jumbled with my pure thought than jumble someone else’s words.
Hm. Obstacles. Multiple choice will be an obstacle. I think we should thoroughly do multiple choice tests and then go over them in class. I think there should be a lot more emphasis on multiple choice. I’d also like to somehow learn how to quickly read a passage and be able to comprehend it while reading fast. Even though writing essays may not be fun, I need more familiarity with the type of essays we have to write for the exam. Exercises with the literary terms could be fun and beneficial, too. These are all my weak areas and areas that I’d like to review. The best way to review is in a creative way.
Linds
"When it comes to getting a four or five on the exam I am afraid I will freeze up. Tests are not my friends, they are more so my enemie"
I agree with you. I tend to freeze up under stressful situations. I go blank and just totally forget everything. It stinks. I hate tests. I do so much better when performance isn't being graded directly. You did a good job on your declamation, too.
I lost it. Gone. Forever.
It's happened before, which is why I usually type these things up in Word. This time it's different. I was proud of what I had tapped into this piece of plastic. Then, when I went to put a star-line at the bottom so I could put some meaningless comment about someone else's post, I pressed ctrl instead of shift. gone.
I have no idea what I wrote, but I think I can remember the bare bones.
Declamations improved memorization, confidence, and delivery.
Our society has been sexist for millions of years.
[Extended metaphor about Ms. Bunje providing us with the writing "tools."]
Now it's time to reorganize and galvanize the cluttered, rusty toolboxes.
Writing is most important to learn.
***********************************
(SHIFT!!!)
Jani:
I agree about maintaining the status quo.
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I enjoy public speaking so declamations were a memorable assignment. I liked hearing the different poems and monologues that other people chose. I wasn’t stressed or nervous when it came to declamations or any of the speaking assignments this year, like debates. I did theater and drama from third grade to eighth, have given various speeches, and currently I do falcon TV for media. Speaking in front of people is not a problem for me. AP Lang is one of the few classes I’ve taken in high school that gives me the opportunity to use my skill. Chemistry, algebra, and history don’t require much public speaking, so it's nice to have a class where my ability is useful.
My biggest obstacle in getting ready for the exam will be the amount of time I have to study by myself. In class, I’m sure there will be plenty of preparation, but I also need to study outside of class. April and May are crazy months for me. Not only am I at six flags the day before my Ap History exam, but the weekend before the AP Lang exam is also prom which equals weekend shot. When it comes to improvement, I need to work on my literary devices. Especially memorization and usage. My goal is to be as prepared as possible for the AP test. If I know information like the back of my hand, study time won’t be as big a concern. This month, I’d like to see essay analysis. I think an understanding and evaluation of existing essays will lead to better-written essays on the exam. If I could see common mistakes made on AP essays, I’d have a greater chance of reaching that 4 or 5. The TS/TD has made a huge improvement on my comprehension of essays. Going through each paragraph, line by line, decreases the chances of missing a main idea or example, which leads to a better understanding of the essay.
Erik-
BTW. I loved your declamation.. even though I SO gave you the idea. You're welcome!! =P
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