We are coming to the end of the Introduction to the AP Test section of the 9 weeks. Blog about at least ONE "I get it" or "AHA" moment you've had since the beginning of the year. These moments could have occurred during class, during independent homework time, or during conversations with classmates. These moments can be big or small but are symbolic of some sort of mental victory!
Then reflect on something you're still concerned about. What's stressing you out? What lingering questions do you still have? Do you think/feel you need more practice with some specific task?
Then read and respond to at least two other classmates moments and concerns.
64 comments:
When I realized how easy making a thesis really was when you have the "what" and "how" questions made up, that was my "AHA" moment.
Connor Carlson
When i realized that finding the what and the how was the easiest part of the prewriting i was like "wowooooooaooahahahahoahoa". But I'm still kinda stressed about my thesis statements! I always feel like i find the right theme or main idea of the poem, excerpt, or novel but then I find out that there is a much more deeper meaning.
My first "OOOOHHHHH :)" moment was when we discovered the mechanical thesis.
Travis Amor
Making the actual body paragraphs is the part that is stressing me out, I can always get my introduction but the body is what usually hurts me. I need more practice with organizing my ideas throughout my essay.
Connor Carlson
Okay, Connor. A major concern should be how you're proving your thesis, right?
Elliott...so you're stressing about deeper meaning. Maybe if you use some of those reading comprehension strategies.
I am still concerned about writing all three essays in the given time. I need more practice with structuring my essay quicker and developing a better thesis.
Travis Amor
My "AHA" moment would have been when the what and the how just clicked. Last year I relied on you to do them for us when we did them in class and I wouldn't even try, but now I do it on my own and 9 times out of 10 I'm usually right. I feel like since I've got this part down I can now focus on my thesis statements and the way I want to organize my body paragraphs. These two things have got me stressed out. Although the thesis statements have a set pattern it's hard to come up with a theme. I'm still waiting for my "AHA" moment for them.
Thanks Travis. ANother huge concern...time restraints.
My AHA moment was when i started reading it slowly and interpreted more then what was really there. I underlined and notified my literary devices as much as I could. It helped a lot and I am more confident on writing my thesis. I am still stressed out about the AP test and the first essay which is the poem. I am not very fond of poems because i never truly get the full meaning. Ever since though we have worked and worked on it i feel a little bit more confident, but still the worry and stress haunt me.
~SHELBY~
My "I get it" moment was learning how to write a thesis. I was totally clueless before, but now I finally have some structure to write with. Understanding the deep meaning of poems or writings we have been reading is kinda stressing me out a little, but I'm getting better at it.
-Chelsea W.
I never thought I would say this...but I agree with Connor. Elliott, I have the same problem!!!
Travis Amor
My very first "AHA" moment this year happened not in the classroom but while doing homework. After reviewing homework i was uncertain about I went to Tania for help. She explained it again to me and helped me one on one and now I have a new better understanding of a thesis statement. What stresses me out still is structure. When there is at least one natural break it makes it so much easier for me to get it. But when it is all one big paragraph it is a little tricky for me to point out where it breaks. I think a little more practice couldn't hurt, but maybe in class practice, not homework.
Autumn
When we were doing the blackberry picking poem, when we finally got to the end of the poem and I was still a little lost. When we were talking about the theme, I just thought out loud and said "follow your heard, and not your mind." When I saw the look on Mrs. Matysak's face, I knew I had finally understood the deeper meaning of the poem and I had finally got it.
There are many things I am still concerned about. I still think I would not be able to get the deeper meaning of the passages and poems without the help of the whole classes ideas. I am stressed out because my what and how's are still not 100% correct.
One of my questions is about during the test. There have been many words that I don't know and have to look up or ask someone as a reference to understand the meaning of the word. Context clues are sometimes helpful enough to understand the meaning, but what happens if during the test there are multiple important "purple" words that I do not know, and cannot figure out the meaning to?
I think just practice at thinking outside the box with help me out with the deeper meanings, but what we have already done in class have helped tremendously.
--Chelsea Norem
My "aha" moment was when I discovered how simple it really is to see through prompt question to what it is truly asking me to do. That also goes hand in hand with my discovery of how to plan the structure of my essay.
These "aha" moments were brought to me by Mrs. Matysak and contributions from teachers like her.
Josh Fletcher
Chelsea..you're going to just use process of elimination to make a good guess. Also, remember, there are important clues to what the words mean in the sentence it appears, and the sentences before and after also hold important clues.
Shelby...so you realized that annotating helps!
One aha moment I had was with the what and how. At first I didn't understand it and honestly I didn't want to do it because I hate things that I don't immediately understand or catch on to quickly. However, while I was doing one of the assignments it suddenly clicked and it made me really happy. Actually I use it all the time now without even thinking. I'm glad it was taught to us and one thing i'm still concerned about is the thesis statement. I could use a lot of practice in this area.
~ Brittany Rowe
Elliott, I completely agree with realizes how easy thesis statements can be made with finding the what and how. It really doesn't take too much time, and your whole essay can be so much more easily done with finding these two questions, not even the answers to them yet.
-- Chelsea Norem
My "aha" moment was when I talked to Mrs. Matysak about the homework assignments, and I finally understood what was being asked of me...in that lightbulb moment of clarity, it "clicked" in my brain, and finally made sense.
Something I am still concerned about is finding the deeper meanings of different works/passages that we look at...the correct meanings, i mean. I can find what i think is what the author was trying to portray..but then when we discuss it in class, it seems like everybody else got something totally different than they did. Which isn't necessarily not unexpected, considering we all can interpret something differently than each other...but it sometimes gets me worrying that, if it happens on the AP test, I could miss the point and fail.
~Alyssa
I had an "i get it" moment when i could do the "what" and "how" after just reading the directions and I can do a pretty good mechanical thesis.
I am still very nervous about the thesis and of breaking up the paragraphs to make a body structure. Sometimes I think that I am doing a good job then we go over it and I end up doing wrong but i dont understand why its wrong when its how i want to break it up where i could write about it.
I do need more practice with my thesis's because to do my homework i keep looking back at the papers we worked on in class just to understand what im doing.
Tania
right...you might not know the answers immediately but at least you can go into reading the prompt knowing what to look for
I agree with Brittany! I felt the same way about what and hows but now it just clicked one day and it's easy now.
-Chelsea W.
I had my "AHA" moment when I realized the importance of pre-writing. I used to just glance over the directions and the excerpt given to me. This always left me confused about what exactly I was supposed to write about. However, after all the practice we have been doing in and out of class I feel I can better understand the prompts and write.
I still have fears that I will not have enough time to do all the pre-writing I feel necessary and still write a fully developed essay that covers everything the reader is asking of me.
Taylor
Also to add, I find it VERY helpful to add comments on my paper like we learned in class. It breaks it up and allows me to understand better. And I also broke the habit of just skipping over a word that i don't understand. Now I circle it, or just remember it and look it up if i can't figure it out!
Autumn
Tania...yes please refer back to work in class to help you...I hope that you and your classmates realize it's a resource t o help you.
Alyssa..remember, it's a "correct" meaning if you can back it up with textual support. IF there is something in the text that discounts your theory...adjust.
I would have to say that my moment was when I finally found out what the prompt was actually asking me to write about instead of me taking a stab in the dark and hoping that I get it right. After about two to three years I have grown tired of just barely getting the question.
The thing that I am stressing about is that I will some how stray off topic and never get back to the question because I am explaining my reasoning too much. Another thing is that I will take too long in finding the phrasing I want to say and how I want to convey my reasons. I need more practice in writing a full essay to gauge where my skills need to improve because I know that I do not have the writing skills that can give me a very exquisite score.
Brenden Owens
My first "AWWWWWHHHH" moment was when we started to break down a prompt question, and I realized how easy it can be to understand what the prompt actually asks for.
Thomas
Brittany, I find my self just automatically finding the what and how in passages too! Usually they are simply right in the instructions on the essays, and you can't help but thinking about it as you simply just read the instructions for what you would be writing about. I can definitely see myself doing it for other classes as well, or anytime I will be writing something.
-- Chelsea Norem
Brittany i totally agree with you.
i didnt like the what and how and everything else about it because i didnt understand it at first. But after i did it came easier to me. i also think i need more work with the thesis statement cause i never feel like its good enough
tania
My personal "AHA" moment came during the thesis writing. The thesis was always a part I either missed or just barely caught, but now it's a bit easier by incorporating some of the prewriting techniques to discover it. One major thing I'd say I'm still worried about is the speed of which we have to do the prewriting, unless it clicks in my head I would spend a good 10 minutes just figuring out the thesis if not longer.
~Aaron Shackelford
Taylor...so you have to focus on finding a pre-writing strategy/annotation strategy that is not too time consuming
I agree with Tania about the thesis! I also find myself looking back at in class work in order to do my homework correctly.
Taylor
I agree with Travis. Time limits are my weak point. I can write an amazing essay, however for me to do this I need a few hours of hardcore thought. Hopefully the structure planning will help out with this.
Josh Fletcher
It also seems like I never find the right meaning to the prompt, every time I break up a prompt by myself and then we go over it in class I never have the same things written there or the same breaks and it really bugs me.
~Brittany Rowe
some as a class we seem stressed about time constraints
I agree with Tania. I found myself drawing blanks when it came to the thesis writing. So I'd have to look back at the examples we did in class. This helped me a little bit and you could sort of say I had a minor "AHA" moment.
-Tori
I agree with Connor too, writing the actual essay or body paragraphs is what mainly scares me.
~Brittany Rowe
Much like everyone else, my aha moment would be dealing with the what and the how. I never paid much attention to it. But after all the extensive time we've spent on this critical part, it also made me realize that I never really analyze what I'm reading. I just get a basic understanding from what I read, and that's probably why I've haven't done well on these kinds of essays in the past.
And this ties in to the thing that's stressing me out. Much like Alyssa, it's making me realize that I have an awfully hard time analyzing things and have a hard time obtaining a deep understanding of what I'm reading. Like in the blackberry's prompt, when it also meant that the narrator was "biting into the heart of summer," that thought never even crossed my mind. It stresses me to no end when I'm unable to get this "hidden" meaning while everyone else can.
Julianna Richey
What I'm worried about is the fact that I know I'm not the best writer. I do not like to write a lot of information, that I feel is extra or not needed, just because it is what someone wants to see.
Thomas
I agree with Brittany, I never seem to get the breaks in correct spots and that affects some of my prewriting.
~Aaron Shackelford
Brittany...remember, there isn't one really "right" way to break up the passage. But there are some helpful tools to use as you break it. Remember when we're looking for places to break it, we're looking for places the author has made some sort of shift in tone. The more you read..the more these shifts will be noticeable.
I agree with Brittany, I do fine when i'm in the class. But going home and doing the homework on my own is so much harder. I go into class the next day thinking I did awesome but then realizing i missed the main idea, or i got a different meaning out of it. I think i don't get the figurative meaning out of the work as easily as the literal meaning.
Autumn
I'm also worried I'll spend too much time prewriting and run out of time while in the middle of my essays.
-Tori
I do that every now and then Brittany, but over time I have come to read the prompt over and over like five times then I slowly write out what I think it is asking me. It is a fun process because I think about the prompt more and find out more of what it is asking me to do.
Brenden Owens
Thanks Chelsea N! I believe i just need to slow down my reading and start to read between the lines!. The denotation and connotation work is really starting to prove itself to me. I'm more able to comprehend the hidden meaning of words and see how they can be related to negative and positive feelings. These hidden meanings of the words and phrases elucidate the desired meaning of the poem or excerpt much more clearly and i feel that more practice on these will strongly improve my comprehensive abilities.
have to say my "AHA" was when Mrs. Matysak broke down denotation and connotation with crayons and a child's book. This made understanding the words easier to relate to.
I am still concerned about finding the deeper meaning to a short story. I am always afraid I am missing the point or putting too much thought into it. When Mrs. Matysak breaks the story down together in class, her "mad lib" technique really helps and makes me feel like I understand it. But when I am doing it on my own, I don't have those empty spaces to fill with words, I simply don't have anything. So I have to be my own "Mad lib" and it's hard.
Janel
I think that my biggest "AHA" moment of the year so far would have to have been when we were in class discussing the first pages of books earlier this year. I thought it was amazing how one could know what a whole book would be about by the first page and I was glad for the practice.
As for the things that are still stressing me out .... well a lot actually. I mean I am glad for all the practice that we did but I think that I need quite a bit more. I do feel that I am the point where I can barely pass the test. And I'm sorry for saying that because after all that we have done I should be doing much better. Unfortunately I'm still struggling with freezing up when it comes time to analyze a work. I would like to be at the point where I am confidant about what I write.
I can say that I know my what's and how's for the most part and the thesis's are a little better. I do however cannot seem to be able to interpret poems, or passages as well as I'd like but I I am more confident about my breaking up the works so that I can do the body paragraphs. I also think I need a little more practice with the instant replay moments.
So overall I am definitely more confidant but I also know that I personally need more practice.
Mellisa Crisan
Brittany that also is a struggle of mine. It seems so easy in class when we all work together, but then when I get home it does not come so easily . It is very aggravating because I know I can do it . I just have seem to have a mental block when I get home.
Taylor
Autumn, I agree with you about the big paragraph ones those are harder to break and i DEFINITELY agree with more practice in the classroom than practice with homework!
And Mrs. Matysak I agree with autumn on more practice in class, because my mom a former teacher tried helping me with the poem for my thesis statement and she did not have the skills like you do to help me completely comprehend the meaning.
~SHELBY~
shelb, i agree with you with the reading slower and finding out the figurative language. it is the easiest thing for me to do. i just dont know how im going to include it in my writing.
tania
Tania...this is our goal for today!
Like everyone else, I'm worried about the time limit and I agree with JJ that the deeper meanings we talk about in class never even cross my mind if I'm doing it by myself, which worries me when I have to do it on the test.
-Chelsea W.
Tori I agree, we feel soooo rushed and afraid to run out of time! But I think if we can right a SAT essay in 25 minutes that we can spend ten minutes on the AP exam since we have more time. :)
Janel
Mellisa...good thoughts. DOn't stress yourself out..deep meanings don't normally just come to people. You're in the same boat as everybody else.
I agree with Mellisa. I have trouble interpreting poems and passages too! The poems I never really understand the deeper meaning they always seem to be asking for and with the passages I just don't have the attention span to read all those words and pick out the most important things. I feel like I need to rush through it in order to have enough time.
-tori
One of my huge problems is that when i try to think of a word to use or an example to support my thesis, I end up drawing a blank. I guess my vocabulary is a major flaw in my essay writing.
I would do that except after I read something once I find i pay less attention if I read it again than I did the first time. I like to read it once and the mull over how many different meanings the passage could have.
~Brittany Rowe
Tori, with more practice, and if you use those reading comprehension strategies, those moments will start to just pop out at you...you wont have to look for them.
Think about a football game. Every moment doesn't just pop out at you. You remember the parts that are meaningful. The more you practice, the more meaningful moments you have.
I agree autumn it does help us not skip over important words and when we use the essay as scratch paper it helps us understand and break up the story much better to help us find the deeper meaning.
Janel
JJ
Your not the only one not really understanding the deeper meaning .... I find myself in the same predicament as yourself. But I think more practice will help. :) We must have hope. :P
Mellisa Crisan
Autumn, I agree. At home, it seems twenty times harder!
--Chelsea Norem
I don't think that the time limit is that big of a stresser. We have had to do 25 minute essays and have really made a very good essay, even though it wasn't as polished as it could be, but we should be able to really have a very nice essay within 40 minutes for each essay. Even with all of this that I have said it is a little bit of a worry.
Brenden Owens
Like everyone else, time is also on my mind whenever I work on an essay. I know I can come up with great points, but just not with time constraints because I become more worried about the time than the writing itself.
Thomas
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