Ap English Reflection

Throughout the course of this semester in AP Lang, my eyes have been opened to many of the weaknesses I never knew I had in writing. Coming into this semester, I had heard about the difficulty of this class, but was not unduly worried about not receiving an A; I have always considered myself as a competent if not strong writer. However, after failing to attain desired grades on several important essays, I was devastated, and realized that although I had mastered the basics of grammar and writing, there was still much for me to work on. Also, I did not understand that much of my grade in AP Lang would be determined by speaking in front of others, which is not my strong suit. What I have come to find is that writing essays containing all of the new information we have learned throughout the semester, such as requirements for different types of essays and good writing strategies, takes a lot of work, time, and thinking. Unfortunately, my procrastination caused me to only get done what had to be done instead of putting in the extra work and truly understanding everything.

Essays have always seemed like just another assignment. Rarely did I like doing them and most of the time I did not like the prompt. Essays were straight forward and very dull. You were given a question about something in class and told to write about it. So far college English has been different. The class takes an abstract point of attack. There is still a prompt but is about more complex and controversial issues. This would have to make me think critically and in an unorthodox manner. This, however, was not my main worry. At the beginning of the year I had two major concerns going into a college level English class. Grammar and mechanics, those are the two words that have always been brought up in parent-teacher conferences or written in red ink on my paper. I was not very worried about making a thesis or analyzing quotes. One thing I rarely did in high school was revision. It was either last minute or I thought the essay was already good enough. The first essay was proof of a lack of revisions. The prompt asked us to take our rough draft, revise it, than make more revisions to that paper so that it can become your final copy. I did not make an attempt to do a revised copy. I did however revise my first draft and went straight the final essay. During this process my analyzing could always be more in depth (clarity was also an issue through out primary and secondary education). Although receiving a slightly better grade on my first paper, it had more mistakes and had less

Alves. She mentioned how well I had done on the AP test in her usual Texan boisterous tone that could only be Mrs. Alves, and I folded into myself to admit that I never checked my AP scores because it gave me too much anxiety. Mrs. Alves is the teacher that brought me out of my shell and challenged my writing more than anyone before, so naturally I was pleased to learn that I had earned a 5! Mrs. Alves was a perfect vessel to deliver the news and I felt so happy to make her proud since she made such a positive impression and lasting impact on my high school experience. Going into AP 12 now, I grew a little weary as I saw AP 11 students drop like flies to go into honors this year, but was easily quelled at Mrs. Alves saying to me “I knew you were able to do this” and “your spirit has gotten so much lighter since the beginning of last year.” My goals for AP Lit are to write essays passionately and effectively, and to mature as a writer. My only concern for AP Lit is the difference between the approaches to writing and analyzing between last year and this year; I got very comfortable the way I was writing last year and it may be a little shell-shocking at the beginning. Change is good! Change is challenging! Challenging myself is good! Positive

After being in AP US History for almost a full semester now, I have seen myself developing so many new skills and talents that I didn't even know I had or was capable of accomplishing. For instance, I have always been a terrible writer and have struggled with it throughout my whole life. This class has really pushed me to go out of my comfort zone and write more essays than any of my other classes have done in the past. My English class that I am currently taking right now, AP English Language & Composition, has become easier and less stressful as the year has progressed. I know that this is a result of being in APUSH because I have discovered how to write essays more clearly and quickly and no longer stress about them as much as I used to. The essays we do in English are now a breeze and only take me a few minutes to complete compared to what normally would have taken me a couple of hours to complete. Becoming a faster and better writer has helped me with all of my schooling, not just English and History, and I know that the more I practice with writing, the easier it will become.

Starting this class, I’ll be honest, I was afraid when I heard about AP Seminar. I didn’t really know how I got into the class because I know my writing isn’t as great as most kids in my class. AP Seminar involves a lot of hard work, and I felt as if my writing wasn’t good enough. Out of my 5 essays from last year, I only got one A. That one A didn’t make me feel smart though, and I didn’t understand why. Writing this now is difficult for me because I don’t know how to explain things in my own words. I heard a lot about how hard this class is and about the speeches. I can’t stand talking about speeches because that is my greatest fear. I still haven’t figured out my main writing strength, but what I do know is I am taking small steps into

This year, AP English 3 has been my favorite class because of the wide variety of topics that we covered and the essay writing skills that we learned. By providing a large educational basis to students' writing, this class expands the learner's ability to communicate in a profesional, educational manner, a skill with which they will use for the rest of their life. As well as scoring eights (on a nine-point scale) on several English papers, the skills that I have grown and nurtured throughout the semester have helped me score fives or sixes on my AP US History essays (on a six-point scale). Through learning how to go in-depth and synthesize a topic, AP English 3 has taught me how to consistently score high grades on AP essays, as well as communicate

Before I enrolled in English 101 my ability to write specific types of papers (argumentative, rhetoric, narrative, etc) were mediocre at best. However, from reading The Norton Field Guide to Writing and They Say, I Say I gained a deeper understanding on how to better argue a point or write a narrative with a clear theme. Moreover, from my time of being in English 101 I have improved tremendously in the given areas: Rhetoric, Technology, Research, and Collaboration.

As I walked into the first day of AP English and composition I know I’m going to struggle. Knowing that I am not a very great writer to begin with, and hearing from some of my friends that had taken her class before, that she is one to give out long essay assignments. We begin going over the syllabus, and on the very last page I see in bold letters “10-page research paper due at the end of the year.” My heart just instantly dropped. Just the thought of having to write a ten-page research paper later in the year had me beyond stressed out. I couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the year knowing the task ahead.

AP Language and Composition was not the easiest course I have ever taken, but it was definitely the most beneficial. At the beginning of the course I was not the best writer. However, as the year went on I gradually learned how to correctly type college level essays. It took many trial and errors to get to the level of writing I am at now, but now my writing is better than it has ever been. On top of Mr. Hamilton successfully teaching me how to write, I also learned that it is very important to have good time management and to be able to finish homework on time. When I was not finishing my homework I would become lost in every group discussions. As the year went on, I began to sit down and do my homework thoroughly every night. Once I started doing that the course started to become less difficult for me. This class is still going to be a difficult, the only difference is whether a student is willing to put in the work it takes to make it a little less stressful than it is. While this class was extremely stressful and time-consuming, I am grateful that I was able to learn the lessons I did before I went off to

After I have completed the full practice test I think it was a fair test. Considering the fact I know I did poorly because I did not know what rhetorical strategies were, that is something I should learn by the end of the class. I think by the final test it should be easier than the practice test because I will have a better understanding and be readily prepared. Although I think the length of the test is rather long. If I make sure I am doing the test to the best of my ability, I think to finish I will be rushing towards the end. I think the final essay was rather easy, or easier than the previous essays. This is because it was mostly opinionated and based off of information only in the text provided. I have never taken another AP exam. I

I took AP English Language course during my junior year and-truth be told-the teacher, I took it with was probably the best and the hardest English teacher at school. He would teach beyond his English lesson plan because he believed we should learn as much as we can now and not "learn it in college later." Additionally, he would make us respond to college prompts and read brilliant works by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Bertrand Russell. Of course, this took me some while to get used to, but because I'd do anything but drop out of AP so I pulled through by making sure I had my priorities straight and did the coursework I needed to do, asked questions whenever I had the slightest uncertainty, and collaborated extensively whenever I could with my classmates

The knowledge of writing a good essay, speech, or article is important no matter what your life goals are. AP Language and Composition will help with all aspects of your schoolwork and eventually set the foundation of college writing. Anyone can create ideas and invent, but being able to communicate your ideas and beliefs in a strong, persuasive way will bring you success. The best businessmen, entrepreneurs, politicians, and even scientists are those that can communicate clearly and precisely. Knowing how to write a compelling essay will put you above your competitors in the coming years. Additionally, when applying for scholarships and colleges, over the next summer and fall, this class will help you immensely. To be successful in this class not only means getting a good grade, but also using this knowledge

English IV with Mrs. Parker has been a true seniority experience. Although it was not that much different from any other English class, I have learned many things that are going to help me now and also throughout my life. This class was not easy by any means, but it also was not over strenuous. This class helped me tremendously with my literary skills which will always be beneficial. English IV has been good to me, and also my peers.

Taking AP Literature and Composition will strengthen my reading and writing abilities, thus preparing me for future academic and career endeavors. Being an agent for social and political change, and other avenues of societal improvement demands that I have the skills to write with conviction and authority. Besides this, I love storytelling. If I take a regular English course, the paltry rations of literature and prosaic assignments will not be satiating, whereas an advanced course is a challenge to improve myself as a writer.

I understand your dilemma with the APA format requirements as it wasn't required in my past educational experiences, but if we continue to practice, I am sure we would overcome this obstacle. I also agree with you about providing adequate time to complete our assignments. By doing so, we can allow time to proofread our work and utilize the sources available. Time is also an aspect I struggle with throughout this educational journey. Being a fulltime mom and employee places a greater stress on me and limits my time to complete assignments. However, I know that with practice and time management we will be able to get through the semester.