Nayla’s English Blog

 My experience in AP Lang so far has been going well for me so far. I would say I understand most assignment's that we do, maybe an occasional question on it. I think the most challenging this so far has been timed questions and AP classroom checkups. Sometimes I take a long time to think about what I want to type out. I need to stop getting distracted and more organized.  In class today we finished responses to “good kill” in the writable application.  I learned that I wasted a lot of time not knowing where to start unfortunately. I really need to work on time management. 

 Once I told my friend, Grace, that school should start later. I explained to her that students aren’t focused at 7 A.M. in the morning. Teenagers go through many hardships during these years of development and need lots of rest. I explained to her how I have a job and balancing school which is hard. I showed her evidence to support my opinion. In class today we read a story called Ambush by Tim O’Brien and answered questions.  I learned that when it comes to AP lang time is crucial and I need to learn how to think faster. When making a claim it’s very important that I know how to match it up correctly. 

 Out of these options, I enjoy class discussions the most. I enjoy hearing what others think and it helps me learn more. Everybody had different perspectives, helping me to see things differently and expand my thoughts. It also makes the lesson more entertaining. It helps me to hear what others think! In class today we looked at prior AP exam and discussed different views.  I learned in class today that it’s very important to be specific when making claims. It’s also very important to source evidence. 

Something I think I will never understand is space and the science behind it. Thinking about how big the universe is and galaxies is very crazy to me. There are still many things scientists don’t know about space. I wonder if there’s another world of people outside of our galaxy. Space is infinite to me and will forever be a mystery. In class we discussed the importance of evidence and how to back it up.  In class today, I learned that I can use real life to my advantage and help me. It can help me with assignments.

Prompt Response: Something that makes me different from other people is how I make being stressed out really funny. Often when I´m stressed out I somehow make it into a joke and bring other people joy. All my friends will say that how I make funny faces. Sometimes it's annoying because it ´ s all I can think about and you can just tell by looking at me that something is off. I get stressed during school, work, and basically everyday life.  Summary: Today in class we completed a comprehension quiz.  Reflection:  We did a comprehension quiz that reminded me that I need to practice answering questions. It showed me that I need more review and prepare more for SAT/ACT skills. 

Prompt: Living around Atlanta has influenced the way I see things because it’s shown me how to be proud of who I am as a someone with immigrant parents. I love the fact that Atlanta has so many different cuisine restaurants and I’m always trying new foods. For example, I really love going to H-mart (Korean cuisine). I also know that Atlanta has a strong history, specifically with civil rights movement, which I think is super important. Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, and his speech still lingers in our culture today.  Summary: Today in class we talked about identity, context, purpose, rhetorical situation.  Reflection: Today I realized that when giving a speech to an audience if really matters where the speaker is coming from. It’s important because people take what you talk about for granted if you don’t have a good point.

 Prompt response: The most creative thing I´ve ever made is probably a scrapbook for my best friend Grace. It was for her sweet 16th birthday. I filled it with funny pictures and lots of colors. I followed a pinterest tutorial to help me, and I would defintley say it´s one of my works. I was really proud of myself because I usually don´t do arts and crafts.  Summary: In class today we watched a Donald Trump speech on borders and how it connects with the abbreviation ¨space cat¨.  Reflection: I learned that using space cat can help me see how a speaker makes an argument stronger. It uses the factors speaker, purpose, audience, context, evidence, choices, appeals, and tone

 Prompt response: A time I felt completely lost was when I transferred schools. Learning the halls and class numbers was already difficult, but soon after the first 2-3 weeks of school, I fractured my hip. Since I couldn’t take the stairs, I needed to navigate the elevator. Adjusting to school was already difficult, and dealing with my injury made things even worse. Eventually I had a buddy help me walk to my classes early, and everything was good.  Summary: Today in class, we discussed and wrote claims of policy for prompts.  Reflection: Claim of policy can make an argument strong by backing it up. It can also make it more convincing.

 When I was a little girl, I believed that swallowing watermelon seeds would make a watermelon grow in my stomach.Whenever I ate watermelon I always tried to pick out and avoid seeds. However, whenever I accidentally swallowed seeds, I would get super scared. I vividly remember crying to my mom and think something was growing in my stomach. I truly believed this for a lot of my childhood. Summary: Today in class we talked about Lakesides address and talked about arguments. We talked about how it can be backed up. Reflection: I learned that a good argument needs clear reasons to be strong.

Prompt Response: One disagreement I wish I could´ve handled differently was with my sister about whose turn it was to wash the dishes. I thought that it was her turn because I felt like I had been cleaning them everyday, but I guess she felt the same way since we have split chores. I also just came back home from a long shift while she was staying at home, so I was annoyed and started arguing instead of trying to come up with a solution. My goal was to prove to her that I was right by listing the days I did the dishes, but she ended up using other things against me as well. We ended up hitting each other, and I wish we just checked and asked my mom whose turn it actually was. Arguing should be about reaching a goal, not just pointless fighting and trying to win. Next time, I will do my best to stay calm, start a new pattern of taking turns to do the dishes, and refrain from violence. Summary: In class today, we read parts of the book ¨Thank you for Arguing about persuasion¨ and how...

Prompt response: One time I successfully convinced my dad to let me go to my friend's lake house. I explained to him who was going, who I would be with, how I was getting there, what time I would be home, and more! I used pathos to explain to him that being with my friends was really important to me. I wanted to make fun memories with them and I knew that if I didn´t go I´d feel really left out. However, I also used logos to convince him because I was giving him so much information and spent so much time reasoning with him that I was trustworthy. I think logos was the most effective appeal because I think giving my dad more then enough information made him more comfortable with the idea of me going.  Summary: In class today we watched political ads and discussed if they were pathos, logos, or ethos.  Reflection: I learned how these political ads take clips of politicians to persuade people usings ethos, pathos, and logos. Watching these videos showed me how these political fig...

Prompt Response: As I grow older and face new experiences, I think I will have to stand up for my political opinions. People tend to have different opinions on leaders, rules, government, etc. I may not always agree with others, so I have to learn how to stand up for what I believe. However, I do strongly believe that everybody has a right to their own political beliefs. In conclusion, standing up for my political beliefs while also being being cautious and respectful of other peoples opinions is important. Summary: Today in class, we discussed the origins of our classmates names and what an argument is.  Reflection: An argument is an opinion that is supported by evidence. Learning how to argue will help me defend myself and say what I believe in a respectful way.

Three goals that I want to achieve this academic school year is to maintain all A’s, stay organized, and stay positive. To maintain all A’s I will ask for help and complete assignments on time. To stay organized I will learn more and maintain good study habits. And lastly, to stay positive I will stop saying negative words to myself and learn from mistakes that I make. I am going to work hard to make this school year successful.