Dante's English Blog

Prompt: Clustering was somewhat helpful when generating new ideas. Although it's a bit messy, it created a structure that can be easy to follow. The most annoying obstacle when clustering was simply finding ideas to write down. However, that seems like it wasn't an issue with the process itself. I can see myself using clustering throughout AP Lang, but I'm afraid it will be too much when pre-planning. Summary : Today in class, we took notes about brainstorming, and we came up with ideas using the clustering practice. Reflection: During the AP exam, I've noted time as my enemy. In order to plan out each essay, a solid process and routine will create consistency, and it will hopefully reduce the time spent planning.

Prompt: I can envision a world where I consistently use the word "metamorphosis." It resembles a change in a physical form, structure, or character. Whenever this word is used, my mind darts to Franz Kafka's story, "The Metamorphosis." It is one of my favorite shorts, and the word "metamorphosis" strangely holds a close place in my heart. Since it has a heavy connotation, whenever I will use it, it will hopefully hold a lot of power too. Summary: We inspected another set of vocabulary by doing sections of the College book and defining them in our notebooks. Reflection: I was shocked to find the word "consommé" in the vocabulary because I knew it was Spanish. In reality, it will be important to know about cuisine, culture, and customs from all over the world.

Prompt: Once the timer began, I wrote down all the pieces of evidence I could. Surprisingly, I think I was able to identify specific pieces of evidence. Although I struggled with it in the past, I jotted down six different pieces of evidence. However, it became difficult to write everything down because time was my enemy. Without even realizing, there was only twenty minutes left. In order to combat this, I have to start being certain about all the choices I make. Summary: We constructed an argument essay as if we were taking the AP test. Reflection: When writing, the hardest obstacle I came across was time. In the future, I will have to stop second-guessing myself because the timer looms over one on the test.

Prompt: Last weekend, I felt a unique sense of belonging as I danced and sang on Piedmont park's muddy grass. One of Atlanta's most infamous musical festivals, Shaky Knees, flooded Piedmont park with people of all ages. I was fortunate to be one of them, and while my legs were tired, my arms heavy, and throat sore, I felt like I belonged. The humans around me listened to the same artists I spend my days obsessing over, and they were filled with as much passion as I was. I sang along to my favorite songs with strangers, but it felt like I'd eaten dinner with every single one of them. Summary : I was absent today, but we did a Commonlit regarding the importance of belonging. Reflection:  The Commonlit asked questions as each student read the passage. This placed an importance on reading comprehension, which has woken me up a lot. In the future, I now know to properly dissect what I'm reading to fully understand it.

Prompt: Through the "so what?" method, I've understood the commentary part of the AP exam a lot better. It has helped me identify what a piece of evidence actually says, and the significance the evidence has in the prompt. The highest scoring essays had this sprinkled throughout. In particular, the essay about the Electoral College included the "so what?" method. However, it did not have it in the same order I am used to finding it in. This has showed me that as long as it is there, I can get points for it. Summary: In class, we broke down and graded a few essays from past AP exams. Reflection: Today taught me that it is a lot easier to get certain points than I thought it was. The AP graders don't want me to fail, so it can be difficult to get points knocked off.

Prompt: More often than I would like to admit, I am put in a situation where I don not understand an assignment. Being a naive middle school student, I assumed I submitted my magnum opus. In under twenty-four hours, I typed up a play script about the life of the mother of science fiction: Mary Shelley. I spent a lot of time on the assignment, but critics argued that I spent too much time on it. After seeing what everyone else did, I was appalled the rubric only required very little to complete the assignment. Summary: We begin to deconstruct the rubric for the argument essay portion of the AP exam. Reflection: Today, I began to understand that the AP scorers want students to do well. This doesn't mean putting in minimum effort, but instead, it turns into placing the seeds that the rubric requires. Simply having a thesis is already worth one point, so it has made conceiving the essay a lot easier.

Prompt: Typically, when I receive a rubric, I examine it thoroughly. A rubric resembles a cheat code in my eyes because it leaves out speculation over what is required of me as a student. The AP Lang rubric, prior to looking at it, felt monumental. I was afraid to start looking into it, but now that we've dissected it, it feels achievable. Hopefully by the time of the exam, I'll be comfortable with the essay. Summary: As we answered the prompt, we wrote down five claims, and we added two pieces of evidence to each claim. Reflection: When we jotted down five different ideas we assumed "overrated," Mr. Rease used marriage as a way to make a point. As a student, I haven't had experience within a marriage, which lets me realize it's best to take from my own experiences.

Prompt: A lot of times when I speak with my dad, it's as if I'm walking on eggshells. He's really particular when deciding whether something is rude or not. In his eyes, I wouldn't be described as rude or disrespectful, but there's one time in specific I remember being scolded by him. While we were arguing, a "dude" slipped out of me. In the future, I now know that I should slow down to prevent any more alterations. Summary: We looked at when to use formal and informal language when writing. Reflection: During today's lesson, we established that formal language should always be used when speaking with anyone in a position of authority. This is a valuable thought because it's easiest to stay out of trouble this way.

Prompt: My teachers keep telling me that I'm going to tell my kids about Covid-19 in the same way they told me about September 11th. Over the last few years, I've thought about how Covid-19 changed my generation. Many of my teachers constantly chatter about my graduating class being the worst grade they've handled. Since we missed our last year of elementary school, I think it changed how we developed socially. I don't think September 11th changed an entire generation for the worst though. Summary: We revised and submitted our paragraphs. Reflection: When receiving criticisms about our paragraph, everyone consistently cited our second piece of evidence as clearly stronger. However, one response told us it was underdeveloped and poorly constructed. This has taught me to evaluate each piece of criticism with nuance.

Prompt: When constructing our paragraph, Ashlyn provided us with our second piece of evidence. Her personal experience strengthened the argument as a whole. She described her time in a relationship her freshman year, and how it distracted her from the lessons in class. It helped us make the issue a lot more local and personal than it previously was. This strengthened our ethos within the argument, making it more credible than it originally was. Summary: We finished and submitted our argumentative paragraphs. Reflection: When finding evidence, it's become easier to find specific pieces from personal anecdotes. These personal anecdotes should still be applicable to a larger audience, so that it can generalize itself for the argument.

Prompt: There's one question I keep finding myself coming back to: where do babies come from? I know what sex is, even though my parents never gave me the talk, but how do the cells in our body just know what to do? What warranted the human species the opportunity to function how we do? I paid attention in Biology, sure, but evolution isn't the answer I'm searching for. I just want to have a concrete answer as to why we're here, and our purpose is here. Summary: We got into separate groups and created a claim together based off of controversial topics. Reflection: It became clearer to me today that even though I may not agree with a claim, it might be smarter to push a certain perspective. This makes it easier to find evidence because the stance should be based in evidence, rather than beliefs. Lawyers don't fight for what they think they're supposed to fight for; they fight the side that's putting food on their table.

Prompt: During AP Seminar last year, we drilled argumentative writing. The entire course is built around arguments, persuasion, and logical fallacies, and even though AP Lang has similar aspects of that, it feels completely different. When constructing a strong line of reasoning, I've struggling with finding evidence. In AP Seminar, that was one of the easier elements because all the evidence you needed to use was typically given. If the evidence wasn't provided, we were allowed to research and cite evidence from many sources. This has sort of made it difficult to pinpoint specific pieces of evidence from the top of my head. Summary:  In class, we looked over the scores we received on our quiz and Writable prompt. Reflection: When it came to the quiz, I got a 100, which I was happy about. However, I struggled with the Writable paragraph because all the pieces of evidence I provided were vague. In the future, I now know I need to sight inarguable pieces of evidence in order to...

Prompt: In elementary school, there wasn't much that concerned my pebble brain, but there was one guy on my mind almost every day. Colin Knittle was allergic to everything: peanuts, apples, popcorn, and so much more. That wasn't the problem; the problem was that all these things made him throw up. There was vomit at lunch, during recess, and it was the worst when the bubbly orange liquid stained our classroom carpet. It took me a while, but as I entered high school, I overcame my fear of throw up. It was a sticky and dangerous thing to me, and I'm glad I don't have to worry about it anymore. Summary: We took our yearbook photos after lunch. Reflection: I realized I should stand on my ground more because my photo with my glasses looked better than the one without. I shouldn't have let them retake it, even if there was glare.