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. This and next week will be entirely devoted to writing, 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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First to comment fo rizzle this time.
May 12: A long weekend of studying, church, and studying some more. Topics from classical learning to signal transduction pathways to photosystem I and II in photosynthesis float through my head. I wake up at whatever time to eat a good breakfast and get ready for yet another AP test, third one within a week… Test over. Did well; it’s biology, easy as pie. Track until 4, good, early practice. Meet tomorrow. Atlantic City, I have to beat that stupid, amazing runner who I swear I feel like I can beat him every race but always lose. I beat him once.
May13: Atlantic City today, we (insert won/lost) but it doesn’t matter. I still have the language test tomorrow. Not a big deal, but it’s also CALs at night. I have the mile. Hopefully I got enough sleep and the test doesn’t kill me.
May 14: Test day. Feel confident…I did well. So sick of test, though. I probably gave up on my last essay because I couldn’t take it anymore. Now, I’m beyond nervous. People may get butterflies when a big event happens, I feel like I have to throw up every meet, all day. And I have to make sure someone can fill in for me at youth group if I’m supposed to be doing anything in the audio/visual. For nearly a month all I have had is stress. To add to that, my sister is taking finals and going through just as much. I just need to remember that after tomorrow, everything is practically over.
May 15: School, I don’t care anymore. Let me rephrase that, I can’t care. My mind has exploding twice over and it feels like my body is in the same condition. I haven’t driven at all even though I have a car because I don’t have time. But tonight I have the 3200 (aka 2 mile) for CALs. [That’s if I make it which I plan on.] Nine minutes of pure torture and boredom. I don’t understand why we put our bodies through it but I can’t resist. … All done. I go to El Patio and get a chicken parm and come home and pass out, after whatever homework I have if any.
May 16: Why am I in school? I have two periods of the day that I actually have to do any work. I’m tired. I might just read one of those books I’ve been trying to since March. Or just sleep. That sounds better. Zzzzzzzzz
There you go. There was no word count so I wrote whatever. I still have history to do tonight but o well. Obstacles in my way: being ready the day of the test. I know that the only thing that would hinder me from getting my best score is how aggravated I will be by May 14th (and maybe the time for writing, I still can’t think that fast for what I really want to write). And I guess that would be my weak area. And for review, you’ve got that covered, Bunje. Just practice timed writing and I will get it down. Maybe if we didn’t have school from May 5 to the 14 I would be perfectly fine.
As long as I am doing well in track and we are winning. And I get sleep. And I didn’t kill my knee again. And we don’t have any homework, at all. As long as all of that is fulfilled, perhaps everything will be fine. But I really don’t think it would matter. I like being busy, just not exhausted.
(Wow Gary. Just Wow) Anyway, I am absolutely horrible at taking tests. I stress until I cry and then forget everything. It's just how I have been with every big test. I have taught myself to not care so much, but for the AP test I have all the stress in the world. To help me, I don't know what to do. There is so much information that I have learned that has contradicted what I already knew. Also, the multiple choice! Don't even get me started! I always feel very confident in my answers but I always get them wrong and never understand why my answers were wrong in the first place. Help me Bunje! The problem is, I need help with EVERYTHING! So instead of saying good luck to me for when I take the test, I say good luck to you now. Good luck to try and help me with all my problems for the AP Exam.
The best ways to review are to go over everything multiple times, but I feel the tests and quizzes that we will face in the month of April will cause us to not even be able to comprehend what we are reviewing from all the stress. I understand that this giant load is meant to help us, but for someone like me, it will make my explode from stress, but that's just me.
I don't really know what I'm worried about..I don't think I'm worried about the actually questions on the test, just the fact that AP test day is like this dark, stormy, foreboding doom day. It was definitely like that on the AP Gov exam last year. I walked in there with Em Brill (we were late and Ms. Gatto was about to issue to tests without us, what else is new) and I swear I could cut the nervous energy with a knife. Nervous energy ruins hopes of a high test grade. Even today's vocab test had these qualities. We all knew the date for our first vocab test without a word bank was creeping up on us, and we were pretty much shaking in our boots. As soon as I got my vocab test, it took me a good 10 minutes before i could disract myself away from the ansy atmosphere and actually get down to test taking. I think the AP test should be looked to in a more positive light. Bunj, you've already made steps to doing this by renaming April from "death week" and I'm glad. I don't really have any suggestions as far as what kind of help we need for the actual questions on the test, because I know that no matter what you're going to prepare us in every way possible. I feel pretty confident about the test and that's a huge contrast from last year's AP testing. It's so much better that you're telling us that you're completely confident in all of us, instead of telling us how hard this test is and how fast the time goes by, and so on. I just want to walk in there test day, with my head held up high, knowing that I'll be as prepared as I'll ever be. And a nice, big, Bunje pep talk might be necessary for pre-testing, too. :)
I can definitely do that, JoJo!
When I first read this, I felt like I wanted to say, "let's review EVERYTHING in EVERY possible way." But then I thought about it, and I don't think there is THAT much to it. Sure, I'm not the best test taker like Erin, I stress, too and I remember being so scared come the government test last year. So I tried breaking it down. I need help withhhh -
*practice tests - definitely the multiple choice and all of those ridiculous types of questions, especially the roman numeral ones!
*timed writing - I like taking my time to write and let my ideas flow. obviously, I can't do that when I only have 40 minutes to write an essay on the AP exam.
*I NEED TO STOP PROCRASTINATING. I need to start reviewing things NOW instead of totally cramming the night before the exam. That's what I did for government and we all saw how that turned out..
But I totally understand what Joanna's saying, too. The nervous tension running through that room on the Government exam day was RIDIC. Bunje, you've definitely made us all feel pretty confident about this so far, so I do thank you for that :)
Okay, I definitely agree with Joanna on the whole pep talk thing. That will definitely help a lot of us, not just me. Now, on to what I'm worried about. I honestly believe I will be as prepared as I can be come test day. Right now, the anticipation is what's getting me. I'm just anticipating the test, and wanting it to be over. Like Erin, I used to be a horrible test-taker. I would study all the information and know it well the night before the test; however, when that test was placed in front of me, I would just freak and blank out. I learned after years in school to calm myself down and just close my eyes, take a deep breath, and have confidence in myself that I know all the information I need to know and I can ace the test. I know during the month of April and even the next two weeks, we're going to learn techniques and refine skills so we can take the AP test in the best way possible. After April and the first week of May, there is nothing that anyone of us will feel uncomfortable about, because we will have covered every single minute detail we learned this year, no matter how small. We're all going to feel so much more confident after April, even though we're all stressing and absolutely freaking out now (well, at least most of us are).
However, I am still freaking out about one thing- the essays. The multiple choice section I'm confident that I can do well. But the essays? No way. I feel like I'm going to be that person who's going to interpret something in the prompt totally different from everyone else, and it's going to be wrong. I don't know, it's probably a totally irrational fear. I really want to do well on both Lang and US History tests this year, considering I didn't do well on Government last year. These essays are just looming over me like a huge, black, thundering, ominous rain cloud. I know we're going to be improving and perfecting our writing these next two weeks, but I still feel like it's not going to be good enough for me to pass.
All I need to remember is confidence. If I have confidence in myself and know that I know everything possible for this test, I'll do fine. And the fact that you will be replacing Mrs. Gatto in the testing room will help too, Bunj. :)
Oh geez. I just read everyone else's reponses so far and all I have to say is, "Ok, Wow Gary. Jo, I did the exact same thing on my vocab quiz today, and Em, I was about cry in fear when Bunje mentioned what we're doing in April, too!" Sometimes when I think about the AP test this upcoming May, my birthday month, I get like freaked out. I really do feel prepared because we know the types of questions that we will be asked and we know that we will have to write. I don't know if it's just me personally that thinks I can't do it or what, but I do know that I can't think that way. These tests were like designed to freak us out and make us fail, but I really think I can get past that nervous feeling of failing and push myself to get a 4 or a 5. I think this writing week is going to help a lot. Since we've covered pretty much everything multiple times about the multiple choice part of the test, the only thing left to do is really focus on writing before we go back and review. What I really want out of this is knowing I can do something like this if I put my mind to it. You've done so much to prepare us that I won't doubt your torture month at all! I know we all can handle. I mean really, we're AP kids!
As the death month approaches I cringe my teeth but this time my jaw is a little more loosened because I feel confident in some areas. Vocabulary for one is probably going to be my strongest point. Yes we could do some old Costal review games but other than that I am ready to woo them with my astonishing use of big words. I am also getting a lot better at reading comprehension which has been my weakness since forever. We could defiantly do some more work on those. I love when we do them like the real test and the next day go into depth as to why an answer is right or why it is wrong. Things allows me to change my way of thinking and focus my mind on things a little better. I really liked when we moved from desk to desk and did each question. This was my favorite and most effective for me. If we would of went over each one the next day then it would of made it even better. My writing is a little shaky as well and could use some work. Right now I feel as though I am at a 3 which is not bad right now but come April I need to be confident about getting a five. I believe that these next few weeks of just writing will make everything better. So far you are seriously doing a really good job on preparing me for the AP exam and I know but May that I will walk into that room confident that you have prepped me well enough so that I get a five. Keep everything up. I don’t really know if there is anything else on the exam that I am leaving out. If so I will come back and add more.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! So tonight is probably not the best night for me to write this because I am fired up after one of the worst soccer games I have ever played in or one of the dirtiest. Lets just say I managed to get more than a yellow card and I played less than half the time. I would write this in an occasional paper but by tomorrow I will be calm, well hopefully. Any obstacles? Yes! One million different things. I probably need to take a breath and slow down and clam down but that isn’t happening right now. Gary only said some of the things that are going on during the AP week but he left out the week before the AP English Language test. The track meets the soccer practices, the soccer games, the prom, and the four tests I have to take. So I try using the phrase, “No Stress” but that isn’t working at this moment in time. I am over whelmed I feel like the beginning of the year again everything occurring at once. I will probably have no sleep during this two week time period and run myself on overdrive I love it but at the same time I can’t stand it.
Things I really need help on how about everything starting with claming me down and making me believe in myself. I have to stop thinking I suck at test taking and just do better on tests. We need to do more practices tests and more timed essays. As much as I hate to say we need to work on it, just makes me need to work on it more. Bunje help motivate and help me stay focused on English. I need help with staying focused as I read and keeping the point of the story in mind. I just need practice, practice, practice. I need your help. Right now I am overly stressed and I also have all my nerves coming out because I am fired up. I really don’t want to waste my parent’s money on a test that I should do well on. HELP! I need to calm down.
"STUDY! TEST! ESSAY! EXAM! STRESS! ARGH!!!"
This is what I hear every day. 24/7. "You know you got this huge test coming up in May." "You should be reviewing every day." "Don't forget all your other homework."
So what's going through my mind during all of this? "I wonder if I can lunge Owen today... I can't believe he went over a jump Thursday!...Do the stalls need to be cleaned?"
Although I'm sure most of you who just read that are now chuckling to yourselves (or not, whatever), this is my horrible, horrible downfall. While I'm supposed to be learning how to express one idea in three paragraphs, I'm thinking about adjusting Owen's bridle. When Mr. Cervi is babbling about Napolean and Roosevelt, I'm pondering ways to keep Owen forward. I swear it's a disease!
I am so worried about drifting off during the test. It'll be springtime by then, and the weather will be awesome. The whole time I probably will be thinking about Mom picking me up and taking me to the farm. I can see it now:
23.) What is the tone of the passage?
A.) joyful
B.) morose
C.) intellectual
D.) I cantered Owen in the big ring today!
...What? Oh, wait-
D.) hackneyed
...A hackney is a breed of horse! ...concentrate...
Concentrate? Did Sue buy a concentrated feed? Oh no! The horses will founder! Founder- that's a Vocab word! Hey! Hey?...Hay! Do we need more hay?!
Oh yes- it's going to be a loooooong test on May 14th. May 9th will be even worse- that's history!
In April I hope to cover more "passages". I want to practice reading at the speed of light, which is apparently what you need to do to finish. (SIDE NOTE: okay I just caught myself thinking about the farm now! That's how bad it is!)
Also, I'm still "iffy" about this whole "spread-your-ideas-out" thing. It's been ingrained into my head that one paragraph = one idea. I guess that will work out in time.
As far as the whole drifting thing goes, someone should just smack me upside the head every time I start thinking about the farm. Either I'll start to concentrate more, or I'll have one welted head by May 14th.
You know, the funny thing about Bunje is that she makes us learn it, whether we want to or not. I mean really. I'm not trying to be a suck-up or anything, but we should all probably just stop freaking out and let Bunje do her thang.
I think we'll be just fine.
I get a sudden cold, my mind draws a blank, my nose starts to run and my head starts to wonder from topic to topic instead of pondering on what sits in front of me. TEST, TEST, TEST! Four letter word but to most of us very important in our academic part of life. I hate taking them but I know I need them to evaluate how much I have learned on a specific subject.
Until this point of time in my life I never took a test that could have any effect on my future. I mean of course I took the GEPA which I had to pass to get out of eight grade and just recently I took The HSPA but come on who doesn’t pass those things. So now I have the AP Lang. test coming up and sure that counts for something but not to be brusque about it, but I think I have no chance in passing, when it comes to the level of confidence I have on passing it make that a negative zero!
I know you have taught us a lot and I definitely have learned a lot more that I have ever learned this year than all my years of history combined but theres stuff that I need to work on such as:
A.writing in general
B.AP multiple choice question
Not and except questions
Author’s intention
Numerals
Text says and text does
Guess what Bunje! I’m in a writing mood now and not a math mood. For me, and I’m sure for other people, I get nervous under pressure. At least I think I do. I do a pretty good job of keeping it under control most times. I wasn’t that bad during the government exam, but I think if I had taken it at the same time as everyone else and saw how freaked out everyone else was, I would’ve freaked too. Writing with that time limit is so hard for me. I can’t get all my thoughts together and organized and be able to make it sound nice. The multiple choice questions kill me too. Once I get confused, I can’t get back on track. I don’t even understand some of the readings so I can’t answer the questions correctly. I think for me, multiple choice is my main problem. Writing with the limit is getting easier and I know more big words to make it sound fancy. I agree with everything Em said. And a pep talk would be good too. K bye.
Well I definitely have some obstacles that stick out in my mind concerning the AP exams. None of them happen to be in your class quite as much. So far I seem to understand all of the content you’ve given us so far Bunje, and I am straining to find a specific area I know I desperately need to improve in. So far I’ve done fairly well with all of the practice tests, so I really don’t have any specific idea of what I need. If I think of anything specific I’ll let you know but at the moment, I’ve been racking my brain and I feel I really just feel I need to trust that you know what you need to teach us. I really feel you know the specifics we need for the test a lot better than I do. I suppose my biggest weaknesses are math and science. To my relief, I’ve heard that neither of these are involved in the AP Lang test. Most of my stress over AP exams will be focused squarely on Biology because quite frankly I suck at it. The only thing involved with your class I really feel I need to work on before the test is my imperfect use of transitions.
Speaking of not using transitions well. “Exam Review Month?” Seriously? LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME! Death Month is way cooler. New and improved my face. I propose a new name: ¡El Mes Del Diablos! You know that’s way cooler. I mean it does have an upside down exclamation point after all, and how can you beat that? This idea simultaneously strikes both fear in my heart and a craving for Taco Bell in my stomach.
I am sure your will happy to hear today I am in a much better mood. And your class today really really helped. I need that breathing task before everything. It helps calm me down and you helped build my confidence back up again. Thanks.
This is one thing I wish I could say and truly mean it. “I know I am going to get a 5 on the AP Lang test.” But it is not that simple. I know it may sound pessimistic, but it is not. And I am really going to work hard so I can say it!
The obstacles I foresee are just the test. I really hate these kinds of test that leave it up to me to answer stupid questions. Questions that are, for me, very hard. I guess the one major obstacle is breaking the hate and really learning how to understand the questions better.
My weak areas are the multiple choice questions and being able to really be able to understand the text. I just need to learn the tricks to the questions and how to quickly find important parts in the passages. My other weak area is being able to think of an interesting sturdy thesis statement right on the spot with the clock ticking.
The ways we could maybe go over these problems is breaking the test down and really focusing on main points in the passages and how they relate to the questions. And also taking a test or two as a class and discussing in depth how we should answer the questions. For the thesis statement I think we should learn a little more in depth on how to make a strong thesis. And how to come up with a strong thesis statements quickly, but still have them be as strong as possible. I am not sure of ay specific ways of dealing with my AP Lang problems, and this may be the reason I do so poorly on the AP tests. But hopefully, we can break these poor test results.
These answers might sound simple, but I just really want to learn how to master the test.=]
Well let me start by saying that the fact that we only have three more months with Bunje is completely and utterly depressing. This year has gone be entirely too fast.
This year has been a lot different than last year. Last year I remember stressing out about EVERYTHING! But this year, I have been able to stay calm. And I'd like to give some credit to you, Ms. Bunje. You have helped teach us and prepare us for the exam wihtout driving us completely insane. Your class has taught me to have faith in myself. Now I feel confident enough to say that if we were given the exam tomorrow I would get AT LEAST a three.
What have we learned? I really don't know. I don't mean tat in bad way. I know we have learned A LOT this year, but I don't remember precisely what we learned.
I do know that we learned a lot about how to use the English language more effectively and also how to interpret how the language is used. I know I can no longer read anything without mentally looking for syntax and diction and stlye, as if I'm reading for reading logs.
The thing I am most concerned about is writing. Especially since it's timed. Today I was told that my writing was decent and really good but I don't even know what I did. I think I just got lucky today. I have a hard time applying the new techniques to my actual writing.
The kind of excercise we did today really helped me. I don't know how, but I feel more sure of my writing. Not as comfortable as I want to feel, but a little more sure of it. Games and fun activities are a lot more efficient ways of review, at least for me, because they keep me entertained. Otherwise, I have a tendency to let my mind wander.
And just like Rachel said, that breathing excercise really helped. It even helped me later today when my activity bus didn't come until 4:20 and I had to cancel my babysitting job, which means less money, and then my car door wouldnt close, and I come home to an empty house and all I wanted was to vent, like I just did on here. Haha. Sorry.
As for he nervousness that Joanna and a lot of other people talked about, that won't hit me until I enter the testing room, and I know that I can't cram any more and it's do or die time. But I have full faith in Bunje that she will have us all prepared and ready.
Well after talking to you today in study hall, Ms. Bunj, I'm now trying to look at all of this AP testing with a new perspective...a more positive and optimistic one. Even though i'm the most nervous person anyone will ever meet in their entire life, I think that you're right when you tell us that we'll do absolutely fine. You have taught us everything that we need to know in order to achieve our goal of a four or five on the AP Lang exam. So i'm thinking that as long as we apply all that knowledge that is crammed in our bright little brains, we have nothing to be stressed out about. I definitely think that April needs to be full of review, mostly on literary terms in my opinion, because that is my biggest struggle. Definig and recognizing literary devices always seems to give me some trouble. But I know that you have prepared us in every way possible, and after a full month of review, we will all be confident in oursleves. I have quite a problem with getting stressed out and extremely nervous, as I'm sure you have taken notice of...so I still think that I'm going to have a nervous breakdown as usual, but I really can't help that. Just know that I trust you when you say that we have nothing to worry about, I really know that i'll do just fine. And I agree with Jo, a pep talk is definitely in need=] Other than that though, I can't think of anything to make death month (because it reallyyyyyyy is) any better than you could ever make it!
Well this year being my first year taking AP courses, I think that I am going to be rather nervous no matter how prepared I am. However, I think I am going to do quite well on the AP Lang exam due mainly to the fact that I have you for a teacher Bunje! Like Joanna I love the confidence you have in us because it makes me believe that I can do this and that it is not going to be that hard. I also like that fact (even though I dread it now) we are going to have a whole month dedicated to reviewing this test. I know that after April is over I am going to be ready to take the test and get a 4 or a 5.
The one thing I am least prepared for are the essays. When I get a topic the ideas swirl around in my head but I can never seem to put them on paper, well at least coherently. I like when we got the thesis ahead of time because I was able to think about it and take different approaches to the essay that I would never think of in class, even though I know on the essay I am going to be timed. So I guess more timed writing in class. Another area that I think I need work on is the multiple choice questions. I really think it helped me when we worked with a partner that way we could not only work together to arrive at the same answer, but we could see the different approaches or reasons for arriving at the same answer. Pretty much anything you do bunj is going to help.
P.S- the breathing exercises don’t help me other than help me get to sleep.
something that does help though is that no stress thing rachel told me that she learned from nick bliss!
Last year I spent long, tedious days, weeks, and months preparing for the AP Gov test. I was a nervous wreck, and had good reason to be since I knew barely anything. I didn't feel prepared, and I didn't feel at ease. After the test, class, and sophomore year was over with I was finally ready to get my results back. I did, and it was the exact grade that I thought I would get as I stressfully walked in to the exam room, a 2. This is what I'm scared about this year; preparing so much and taking so much time to learn all the material and then finding it was for nothing.
You, however Ms. Bunje, have actually made me feel more prepared, and I do feel like I will most definetly get a better score than a 2, but I still am a nervous, stressing, teenage student. After looking over our essays with the extreme bright highlighters I found that I used basically NO figurative language. WHO DOES THAT!? Already, I feel nervous about the multiple choice, mostly because I still struggle with text says text does. But, then when I found that my essay was ridiculously boring, I got nervous about that too.
I think once we start the tests and quizzes every week I will become much better at everything, but for now I want to keep doing the writing in class. It helps when you make us read them aloud so we can hear other people's ways of writing.
I think as long as you keep encouraging us, and throwing work at us we'll be less stressed in no time. Even if it is after the test is completely over with. =]
Last year I spent long, tedious days, weeks, and months preparing for the AP Gov test. I was a nervous wreck, and had good reason to be since I knew barely anything. I didn't feel prepared, and I didn't feel at ease. After the test, class, and sophomore year was over with I was finally ready to get my results back. I did, and it was the exact grade that I thought I would get as I stressfully walked in to the exam room, a 2. This is what I'm scared about this year; preparing so much and taking so much time to learn all the material and then finding it was for nothing.
You, however Ms. Bunje, have actually made me feel more prepared, and I do feel like I will most definetly get a better score than a 2, but I still am a nervous, stressing, teenage student. After looking over our essays with the extreme bright highlighters I found that I used basically NO figurative language. WHO DOES THAT!? Already, I feel nervous about the multiple choice, mostly because I still struggle with text says text does. But, then when I found that my essay was ridiculously boring, I got nervous about that too.
I think once we start the tests and quizzes every week I will become much better at everything, but for now I want to keep doing the writing in class. It helps when you make us read them aloud so we can hear other people's ways of writing.
I think as long as you keep encouraging us, and throwing work at us we'll be less stressed in no time. Even if it is after the test is completely over with. =]
The upcoming exam is quite intimidating, but I think studying language, whether it be from an AP book or looking over what we have been given, reading whatever we can, and paying attention in class are the keys to passing this exam. Personally I’m a bit more scared of the AP US History test because it’s all facts and past events that we have to memorize. I see the AP Language exam as a chance to show off how well we can manipulate the English language and show off our desire for knowledge. It’s not that I am not stressed for this test, but I like reading and writing so it’s nice to focus on the positive aspects of what we will be undertaking in May. However, where there is a positive, there is always a negative, and collecting all of my thoughts in a timely manner is the most challenging thing for me to do. It always starts with one great idea and as soon as I start to think about that idea and form a thesis, more ideas flow in my brain by the hundreds and I start to think “Do I want to word it this way?” or “Should I mention that?” or “Does this topic really fit my theme?” and “Is this going to help the reader understand my point more?” There is so much that I can share through my writing and so little time. When I finally decide on how I am going to write and what I am going to write about, the time seems to have flown out the window. Maybe it’s tough for me to focus or maybe I think way too hard about what I am doing, but timed writing is definitely one of my weaker points. Even on the HSPA, I didn’t finish my first picture prompt because I was writing so much and getting lost in the details of my narrative that when time was up, I realized “Oh. I didn’t end my story.” Timed writing is difficult to prepare for as well because it is not fun and it is time consuming. I can take papers, books, flash cards, and all that jazz to work and study in between ringing up customers or with a partner, but I can’t sit and write an essay in 30 minutes at work or with someone else beside me to talk about it. I can’t let that get me down though, so until May I will hanging on to every piece of advice I can get towards improving my timing problem and putting use that old cliché “practice make perfect” with these timed writing homework assignments that we will be receiving.
Obstacles (from previous experience):
* Timing and Pacing. Still
* The multiple choice.
* The multiple choice.
* The multiple choice.
Obstacles (predictions):
* Test taking strategies specific for the Lang exam, not AP and other standardized tests in general.
* Writers block, as pertaining the kind of pre-planning our new no 5 paragraph structure writing requires. The carful position of words, ideas and vocabulary.
* What do the essay readers want. Really. Simple steps to follow to guarantee the highest essay score possible.
* AP stressed out (but this might be the reverse since seeing cirque is a reward after the lang test)
My weak areas:
* Timing/pacing.
* Compound questions that require more than a simple thought or the recollection of a lit term.
Best ways to review:
* Emphasize the various question types, identify the weak ones, and work on them. Keep working to figure out which questions are the hardest, which will help us identify which questions to skip. (Because, skipping strategically on multiple choice really really really helps maximize our ability to score higher.)
*** However, I must point out. Having Ms. Steinacker instead of Gatto will increase the "you can do it" vibe in the room, relieving stress.
Well this year I up’ed my game and am taking 3 Exams. For my macro/micro test I’m not too worried about. English, however, is the tyrant keeping me awake at night. (I usually still end up going to sleep though ;) ) But yea, I’ve got this really nervous feeling in my stomach and I recognize this nervousness because I got it like a week before the Gov’t exam. I think it’s because before I got here I thought I had an idea of what good writing was suppose to consist of, but then I got here and I feel like I’ve been stripped everything I’ve ever known and now I feel like I don’t know where to go with my ideas anymore. I like that in class we have the exercises with the note cards and we come up with ideas and brief writing examples. As far as the exam goes I think the time constraint will be the hardest for me, especially on the writing part. The multiple choice will be a little hard only because sometimes I don’t know where to read an entire passage then answer the questions or review the questions and then read over the passage. I know it’s about finding what works for me, but I guess I just haven’t found it yet. I would say that my other weak area would be in the multiple choice because I know there’s a time constraint and I can’t really take my time. As far as the essay part goes I would like to work on how I make everything kind of “jell together”
I feel that we know all of these vocab words and all of this stuff but really we just learn all of this stuff but than we don't really know it until we have a test in which case we only need a few. I'm not knocking all of the words that we learned because i'm really happy we know them but it's just that it's hard to find out how all of these words can be used in our writings. I understand if you don't want to do this Bunje but mabey we should do some exersises with word because i think that would really help me.
The only reason i like it when you make it seem like no one is going to get through april is because of the fact that that makes me work as hard as i can to show everyone that i can do it. That might be what acutally gets me through everything.
No matter what I know I will be nervous when walking into the AP exam just because that is the day that we have been working towards this entire year. I was feeling really questionable about the essays and how we should write them and how to with the time restriction. This is where most of my worries come from when thinking about the AP Lang test, but I’m sure these next two weeks will help alleviate all of those worries. Now it comes down to the multiple choice, something I am frankly really nervous about. Not because I don’t feel I am prepared for it, but because I have some natural block when it comes to reading comprehension. Maybe it’s because I was forced to read as a middle schooler and now hate the thought of picking up a book for school. Even leisure is well, hard for me to enjoy. Christine is working hard to change that I might add. =] I guess my weakness would be that I find it difficult to read and comprehend and answer the questions in the allotted time. I know I have ample amount of time, but knowing I have multiple passages and only so much time always gets my heart pumping faster. I guess the only way to work on this is to practice. I liked having one passage and then directly getting the answers and going over it because I knew exactly where I stood and knew what I was doing wrong, I think more of that would be beneficial.
Other than that, I think just more practice overall in any way you seem fit would help. Maybe more focus on the harder types of questions such as the Roman numeral ones since we all seem to be wary of them. Overall, though, I think we are all well prepared it’s just time to tweak what we have learned and get better at it, quicker and with more ease. I’m sure this month will help us greatly.
It's surprisingly hard to say what I'm most nervous about. I think being able to write consistently good essay will be the problem, esp. with 3 essays in a row to write. I think just being able to get through the whole test, with all that intense reading and writing, is going to be the hardest part for me. I'm sure the Bunje-method won't fail us, and I think the plan for "exam review month" will probably be ok. I'd really like to practice writing more for each type of essay, esp. with the time constraints. I like those short multiple choice things we do, too. I'd rather not do a ton of all the vocab stuff, not only are those new vocab quiz/tests intimidating, I a little afraid I'll lose my focus. I have so much stuff to learn and study for my 4 ap tests this year, and I'm really afraid I'll be totally stressed out trying to do it all the weekend before (which is prom, of course). I think everything will be ok, though, and I don't think we have anything to really worry about.
I'd like to second Erin on her comment, Wow, Gary! That’s some heck of a schedule you got there!
Well I have to say that my weak points lie mostly on the whole writing part. I mean, I’m pretty good at writing in my opinion, but when it’s timed or in school then I’m absolutely horrible at it. I don’t know why, but that’s how I work somehow. I’m alright with the multiple choices as long as I don’t fall a sleep during the reading section. So I need to get focused on the reading section and work more at the timing. However, I think my proof reading skills are a bit off. I was never fond of grammer when I was younger, I didn’t know how to speak English until after 1st grade so it makes me a little shaky at it.
And I agree with Laina that it's going to be hard writing good essays constantly and the whole test is going to be pretty overwhelming.We're going to need a lot sleep before the Exam.
I think that stress might also be a factor that will probably get in the way of getting a 4 or 5. Another factor might be the lack of confidence, Growing up in a non-encouraging family isn’t really helping my confidence. The only reason I’m actually taking the AP English Exam is because my dad wanted to prove to me that I’d fail and flunk. Last year he wouldn’t allow me to take the Government Exam, I got into a couple of arguments with him, but all is well. Let’s see, I’m also a bit of a procrastinator, and I really need to work at it. So the more practice the better, the more work the better for me. I’ll push myself further, so bare with me Bunje. I know I’m a horrible student and I don’t talk much but I’m trying if people are willing to bare with me.
Well in my opinion, I think the whole station thing really helps me, maybe we can also practice study skills. I also like the working in groups, because it helps me think better when there is more than one brain working together. Maybe more timed writing might help, I think the more we do it the better we might become. Other than that I think you’re doing a swell job at teaching us all we know! Thanks Bunje!
Dear Ms. Bunje,
I have just arrived home from track practice and I am now working on my blog. Soon, i will have to eat my delicious Chef Boyardee dinner and leave for Hess School to help out with Mr. Oakcrest. So, I just want to let you know I'm choosing you over Mr. Oakcrest and food right now.
Okay. So the AP Lang test. Last year, Mrs. Finn pushed us very hard in AP Gov and the majority of us felt unprepared and that we didn't know a lick about the government. But, as it turned out, the AP test was actually very easy compared to the work that we did during the year, and most of us actually were prepared. That being said, I do not think that anyone will have trouble achieving a 4 or a 5 on this AP test.
However, I will say that my weak areas are writing under time constraints. While I dislike writing undwer these conditions with a passion because it gives me limited time to think of allusions or witty remarks, I will say that we should practice this a bit more.
I think that we should review our rhetorical modes as well during April and play that "I have, who has" game...or whatever it's called...in order to gain a better understanding of the terms and have fun at the same time. I think it would be better than a big, fat, hairy test.
Which brings me to those big, fat, hairy tests. I think that the practice AP tests really help me get a feel for what the real test is going to be like and see what kinds of questions and (boring) passages we will have to read. As much as my fellow classmates might hate it, I think that we should have more of those.
So, more writing with time constraints, review of the rhetorical modes, and slightly more practice AP tests. That's it. Oh yeah! And stuff involving candy too...I mean, healthy, school-approved snacks.
Now, I am off to the Chef and about five minutes later, Mr. Oakcrest.
P. S. - Wow, I wish I could write like that when you ask us to write on notecards during class!
Well, well, well. Where can I start? AP tets in general are overwhelming and daunting in combination with the various other sports/community/school work we do. It is easy to just blow it all off and either procrastinate or completely ignore it. I don’t think anyone just plainly ignores it, because I know everyone procrastinates, myself included. Hoever as much as I do not follow this little strategy I have planned out in my head, it definitely hrlpd/ I always tell myself in my head to get over it, stop complaining, and just do it. It really works out for the best if you just do something and get it over with. And plus, 9 times out of 10 when you “just do” something, we do better on it than if we were to worry about it.
Therefore I think a major thing we can do to not worry about is to just chill. Here is a challenge to all my fellow classmates. Every time you catch yourself stressing out over the AP Test, or anything for that manner, think to yourself of something totally ridiculous. Like Zander in a penguin costume on Halloween, and it will ease you up instantly.
What im trying to say is that we are ready for this, especially with Bunjes help. We are the cream of the crop, and are capable of wrangling anything thrown our way. Then you add in the help and words of wisdom from bunjecord, the only thing that can come of it is success.
And as for review, I like the writing exercises we are doing now. Personally I need help on transitions and syntax. Maybe if you (bunje) could formulate some mathematical equation, jk, just some exercise that incorporates the two, which would be nice. And the group thing we did the one day for the SAT prep worked wonders. Im going to the olive garden tonight!!! Remember, When in Rome…
Bunje this is a man's world, haha j'k but i dont know the points of the masculine statements for everybody.
As most of you know at this point in time my confidence level is at a low concerning the AP Test this may. I feel that my biggest obstacle from insuring myself a four or five on the test would be my nerves. For some reason I feel like when the time comes to prove myself I will fall short and forget everything I know, like all my knowledge will spill out of my head and on to the floor. With that said my weak areas are
• Multiple choice
o Except Questions
o In your Opinion Questions
o Text Does Questions
o Author Intention
With that said I want to feel comfortable I want to review in a way that will prove to me that I do in fact know the material thus building my confidence. I know that if I am sure of myself then I can better approach the test. My nerves won’t help me achieve that five!
So in reviewing I feel like it will only discourage me, instead sometimes we should have reviews that act as confidence builders.
I’m not aware of my essay performance level. But as you probably know I’m not confident there either. I feel like wit my essay it’s a hit or miss. I don’t want to go into the AP Exam wondering whether I can do well or not. I enjoy they exercise we did today in class it allowed me to break my essay down and see where to improve, which is only 2 out of 5 areas and in my book that’s not too shabby!
I also think that we will need an outlet. Between our other classes, sports, and activities we’re going to burnout. So Bunj we’ll need some time to re group before the exam.
I hope this is helpful I just want to get a five on that damn exam, so let’s make it happen!
Death Month approaches. i liked death month, Exam Review Month is bland and so cliche. Death Month was more suitable. The only problems for me for this exam is my writing and comprehending the readings. I've seen my writing when i am at home and i have a while to devoting the essay, my writing is 10x better then when i'm timed. My timed essays is horrible. My comprehention of the readings sometimes are way off. i just dont understand the way some of the people write. i exspect in the upcoming months to improve my timed writing and over the last few days already i think the notecards helped. i especially think we will have more readings to help us comprehend readings fasters and more accurately. i thinks these notecards are helping and i liked the group rotations. Death Month lives on though.
First off Ms. Bunje, I’m pleased to see that you’ve swapped the April’s ominous nickname for some thing a bit more bearable. Honestly, I was becoming quite downhearted, considering my birthday would be in the deep abyss of Death Month (April 11th!yay!).
Anyway besides this little slip-up involving simple labels, I’m feeling pretty good about the AP Lang test. Ever since September you’ve drilled into our heads that we are going to get a 4 or a 5 on our exam in May. It’s simply a given. And that sure has played into my confidence level. Despite this fact, I still know that there are some hurdles on my track to success. Time has always been a vital factor with me. I like to contemplate questions on my own time, and not on the clock of some rule-makers I don’t even know. But this isn’t how it works in real life. I have to learn to overcome this weakness and I really think these AP tests every Friday in “Exam Review Month” will help me improve this skill—that is if I’m not overly apprehensive (Bunje, I’m counting on all that meditation). The worst part about those tests is that there’s so much to comprehend in so little time. Again, I’m relying on those tests to further hone my time constraint abilities. Come April, I would also like to review our literary terms extensively, but most of that, I understand, we have to do on our own. I will admit that I’ve become a bit rusty with these. I need to know those terms like my best friend (I’m refusing to use that hackneyed phrase “know it like the back of your hand”). I think complete understanding of all the terms will make it easier to pick apart the passages. If we all put effort into it, I know that when the test come around, we’ll all be able to bound gracefully over our personal hurtles and dash across the finish-line in record time.
Wow, the AP test is just around the corner. Woo! I would like to think I'm ready for it but in reality, I'm not really. I think that my biggest obstacles sort of ties in with my weaknesses. I am terrible at the multiple choice sections and I guess the synthesis essay since I'm 100% sure what that exactly is. But mainly multiple choice. i feel that my writing has improved a great amount so Hopefully I don't have too much trouble with that. So i'm guessing that the EXAM REVIEW MONTH will help me with my weak points so that'll be my ways to review, I suppose. I think the best way to review would be the good ole' fashioned AP practice tests. That way I can look at AP type questions first hand. The only way to get better at something is to practice so that's what my goal is.I really would be disappointed not getting a 4 or a 5 but If i don't i know that it'll be my fault since I'm being taught every way under the sun how to pass. It's basically all on me and I need to knuckle down and get to work.
Today in gym class Leslie was freaking out about school. She had her high pitched voice going and everything. I was listening of course because we’re BFF. Suddenly though, I hear her say, “I’m failing everything. I feel like Monica.” Or something like that. Now, this is not the first time I’ve heard this type of deal recently. Whenever a friend of mine is feeling like they’re failing at school they somehow relate this struggle to me. And let me just tell you, every time it gets more and more flattering.
Currently in school I have about a million and one assignments to make up. I have no work ethic anymore. I lost it at the start of the third marking period, and I haven’t been able to find it. (I’ve even looked under my bed where I generally find everything else.) This, Bunje, is my biggest issue. I don’t doubt my intelligence for a second. Maybe that sounds cocky, but I don’t. I am more than capable of passing this test with flying colors. However, I am having extreme issues with applying myself. I know what I need to do. I think about it constantly, but I can’t make myself take any action.
Actually, just this second my dad brought me my interim, and it is not pretty. WHAT AM I DOING!? Ugh. I need to get serious about this stuff. I need to learn my freaking literary terms, and stop writing 5 paragraph essays like it’s my job, and stop missing assignments and not making them up in time (sorry again Bunje). I just need to stop. Okay, I’m going to stop this now and get to the point of this blog.
I’m not that scared for the test actually. Well, as long as I get my act together realll quick. I am completely confident that you are giving us everything and MORE than we need for this test. I know that if I do what you say to and do it the best I can this test is going to be a breeze. I trust you bunje. Haha
As for weak spots, mine is probably writing. The multiple choice I think is an easy fix. I need to learn my terms and practice some questions. Writing though isn’t multiple choice. I have to come up with my own ides from scratch in 40 minutes. I don’t know how to get my thoughts organized quick enough in 40 minutes and make it make sense, and be structured without making it a 5 paragraph essay. I have to work on that a lot. I have to work on my attitude too. I can’t do anything when I’m in the state of mind I’m in right now. Help me stop, por favor.
first would like to applaud Ms. Bunje with the vocab she used. Second I would like to say that the saying “separate the men from the boys” is said because most people think of men as the stronger ones. And they associate “boys” with undeveloped, young guys. No offense women but using men and boys make it sound better.
After having almost a full year with Ms. Bunje and learning AP Lang material, I have gained a lot of knowledge. Out of all of my years, this class taught me the most material. I don’t know whether it was because of its AP level or the teacher, but I like to think the latter. Anyway, when I think back and wonder what material I most likely need to review, it would have to be multiple choice questions and certain literary terms. I have a stronger grasp on the multiple choice but I am still not where I would like to be. Also there are many questions that ask to pick out a literary term. I know most of them if I saw it but when we take practice tests, the examples do not look like any of the ones we have up around the room. Maybe it’s just me but I would like to review that area.
I think for the multiple choice we should be given a passage to do in class and then when everyone finishes, go over the answers. This is what I like the most. I get a better understanding of what is being asked. I think if we do get it wrong we should say why we picked the answer we did. For identifying literary terms, I think the best way is to give us some easy examples and then some more complex examples and discuss why and how they are related. And as always, I would like one of your pep talks too like Jo said. Today and the other day were nice. We sat and relaxed and could gather our thoughts and it was just all around nice. That would allow me to walk into the test room really confident and relaxed.
When I first read the blog so many things popped into my head that I needed to work on. I am so not confident in enlgish. I don't know why. I have to be in a weird creative mood to write, and unfortunately that doesn't happen alot. I feel I do good on mulitiple choices, but then we go over the test and I do horrible. Needless to say, I was feeling completely imncompetent. I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Everyone else is completely confident in what they're doing and I am stuck here in the dust. However, I read what everyone else felt and I don't feel alone. Turns out that everyone else is just as nervous, just as stressed as I am. Like Hannah, I lose my knowledge right before a test. It's horrible. I, however, am unlucky with calming myself down. I still get worked up and subconsciously convince myself that I can't do it.
So, Bunje, I need confidence. I need to believe that I can do this. I need to learn to get in touch with my creative side. Other than that, I really need help with the mulitple choise questions, especially the inference questions.
My biggest obstacle in the up coming month will definitely be time and lack of motivation. It is not as though I do not want to succeed, I would just much rather go to bed then stay up an extra hour to study mind numbing topics. And time because I have just started crew, I have choir, and I have other classes. I know Miss Bunje, your probably thinking well DROP THE OTHER STUFF THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT, and it is, but I would be lost without the other things. They keep me half sane.
Lastly is fear. Bunje says I can do it. My mom, through her screaming tirade told me I can perform much better then I have been. And I guess I know I am pretty smart. But then I get my grade back and it makes me feel like I need to go back to second grade and learn to read again or something. I feel so confident in myself when I am taking it and the BAM I get eleven wrong...
For the next month and a half I will whine and complain and fuss and moan, but I can do it, I just need that little AP LANGER boost.
Well, to answer your “sidebar” from my strictly chauvinistic and old fashion view point, I don’t find it odd at all that so many adages exclusively use male pronouns. I mean it is a proven fact that men are just simply better than women at nearly everything, except cooking, cleaning, and tending the children of course. After all, as Zander said it is a man’s worlds.
Anyway, I don’t really understand what was wrong with “Death Month,” I mean I liked it; it gave me warm tingly sensations every time I heard it. Speaking of sensations, worry is a sensation, and the thing I worry that will keep me from getting a 5 is my total lack of ability to decipher tone and theme. My major obstacle is myself. I have no doubt in my mind that I can get a 5 on this exam, but I doubt that I will because I procrastinate too much. My very cavalier attitude about this whole AP process is going to cost me, I can already foresee that.
Today in class you preached the virtues of the hook being in our writing, this is a fundamental part of writing to get the readers attention. Similarly, I need there to be the said hook in my review. I find the whole process dreary and I lose interest quite quickly, which is invariable affecting the quality of the review I’m receiving. So, what I’m trying to say is the whole review process needs to be spiced up a bit, or it would have been appropriately named “Death Month,” for it will surly be the death of me.
If I don’t right a wrong from the beginning of this blog now, however, my death will come much sooner than April, it will be tomorrow at the hands of some very upset females. By no means am I a chauvinistic pig, I believe in equality, and don’t believe males to be any better than females. In addition to that, it actually pained me to fabricate such fallacious facts.
For those of you females who still don’t believe that I’m not a chauvinistic pig, it’s obvious that you don’t know me very well, so shut up and go back to the kitchen where you belong.
To be honest, I think that April is not the time when we need help, I think it is the time when we have be honest with ourselves and study ourselves. As for in class, I would like to do maybe a couple practice essays, but not just like one type, maybe all the types that they get to choose from just so that we can get an example of everything that could be thrown at us. As for critical reading, I think that it will come down to how much we study our literary terms on our own. Maybe we could do a literary terms study thing after school like we said we would with our vocabulary list. I do however want to do some more practice tests with a lot of not, except, and Roman numeral questions since those were the top 3 questions that I had problems with during the previous practice AP tests. The biggest factor is the nerves and stress that come along with the test, but there is really nothing that we can do about that. I can not pinpoint the one key to a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, but I think that you have done your part and now it is our turn to return the favor. So I think all we have to do is what we have been doing and hope for the best.
test test and more test. i need to master the guile that the AP testers have so cleverly made an art form by making up this test i always get caught between the two most possible answers and that really burns me and the only way i think i can improve is if i really see the way the test makers set up because they usually come in th e same form all the time.
seconldly this time writing hoop la i dont know about them but i do not write my best under alot of pressure but i think that if i practice and really get to see how my time pans out i will be fine. what i'm really starting to realize that i like when at first i thought it would h=be the death of me is the upside down triangle it aloud me to write a somewhat descriptive paper and wrap it up tight at the end and with a few more of theses i will have this skill down well enough to write aleast a 6 essay but i'm not aiming for a 6 my goal is a 9 but imma need your help bunj to attain this umm thats basically it really.
if there is any really good cheating strategies you could give me that would be helpful to you know me lookin for anyway to try and beat the system j/k =) love ya bunj
test test and more test. i need to master the guile that the AP testers have so cleverly made an art form by making up this test i always get caught between the two most possible answers and that really burns me and the only way i think i can improve is if i really see the way the test makers set up because they usually come in th e same form all the time.
seconldly this time writing hoop la i dont know about them but i do not write my best under alot of pressure but i think that if i practice and really get to see how my time pans out i will be fine. what i'm really starting to realize that i like when at first i thought it would h=be the death of me is the upside down triangle it aloud me to write a somewhat descriptive paper and wrap it up tight at the end and with a few more of theses i will have this skill down well enough to write aleast a 6 essay but i'm not aiming for a 6 my goal is a 9 but imma need your help bunj to attain this umm thats basically it really.
if there is any really good cheating strategies you could give me that would be helpful to you know me lookin for anyway to try and beat the system j/k =) love ya bunj
Because I am absolutely awesome, there aren’t many things I see as obstacles towards myself achieving a score on this AP Lang Exam. Almost 100% of that previous statement was a flat out lie. I believe I will be more or less prepared to take this exam, but there are several things I hope you do in exam-prep month. I would really like to take several real time practice exams, but that aren’t graded. This is so we don’t have to worry about our grades and concentrate on just taking the exam. I personally will probably have a breakdown if I have to concentrate on stressing about my grades and not failing the AP exam(s). I think I just need to constantly take tests in order to be more comfortable with taking the test. Another problem I know that I have is my essays. Despite my classes view that I “always write brilliantly”, most of the time I do not. I can not do well under the whole timed writing thing. I can not be creative, and witty, and show my style, and brilliant all in a restricted amount of time. I believe the index card writing step by step writing is really helping me out, so I wish we can do more of that, but I definitely need more practice because I want to get 8s and 9s on my essays. I feel like you have prepared and taught us well, but I need to practice.
I am quite nervous about taking all of my exams. I have my History on the Friday before, then I have prom on Saturday, Biology on Monday, and English that Wednesday. I plan on taking off that Tuesday before the English in order to prepare and to not be distracted by stupid school relating things. I am worried that I will not have prepared enough for my other exams and it will throw off my focus and I will bomb my English because of it.
By the way, I am really excited Gatto will not be in the room this year. Hopefully I will not have a nervous breakdown this year. Just as we “broke the seal” for the Government exam last year, I almost went into a nervous fit. I will just need to do some breathing techniques to calm myself this year.
oh, and Joe Camp, you are a jerk so make me a sandwich.
To be 100% honest I am scared of the AP test in general. I am not sure how well I will be able to do on it. I know there are three main things which scare me more than the other stuff does...
I'm worried about the essay, probably a lot more than most people. Writing was never my strongpoint. =/ I never know where to begin or how. Once i get started I can usually get it together and make things sound decent.
The literary terms I feel 5% confident with. I do not think I will be able to remeber each one and tehn identify it in a reading. I could easily remember the definitions of them but the application is what I am not good at.
The last one I should be ashamed of lol. I do not know why but tone is so hard for me. Everyone else can get it so easily but unless it is completely obviouss I will not even come close.
I am sure that even with these three major worries and weaknesses now, I will work past it all and get a four or a five on my AP Lang test =D (that was for you Bunje)
PS Joe is just upset about the holes in our relationship so he is taking his anger out by talking down to those who are 1000 times better than him (women) =P [just kidding]
Well coming into this test with no prior AP test experience makes me a little weary. Although this test is a "big honking hairy" test, I do have some confidence I will be prepared. You couldn't haven’t said it better,"You all know this stuff, you just got to be able to use it." I think something that will help is just getting familar with the style of the test. If we pound out a bunch of practice tests that would really make the big test a little more familiar and easier. Some of the trouble is not being used to the style of how the stories are written.
To be specific some the questions that stump me more than others are tone questions. Working on seeing as many different tones as possible would help(if that even sounds right).I think it was a good call to make these next two weeks devoted to writing. Being able to write at a higher level allows you to read and understand at a high level. Another thing is practicing using the literary terms and recognizing them. You have that covered though by having us take literary terms test. Seeing examples and being able to recognize them and practicing with pressure on us will be the answer.
I hope the work pays off, I think it will.
I am not quite sure about the most effective ways to review are, quite frankly because I am not someone who studies much or reviews my school work on a regular basis. This is not to say that I do not care about my school work, it’s just that my whole school life since 4th grade consisted of winging it and just remembering what I had learned in school. There are some things I suppose that I study for, such as Bunje’s cursed vocab tests and other assorted tests, but for the most part studying is not my thing. As far as obstacle go, I don’t believe that I will be unprepared; I just think that I will blank out the moment I receive the test and not live up to the 4 or 5 I am expected to get. I know that I will not be happy with a 3 on this test because this is one of the few classes I enjoy and usually I try to do better in a class I like as opposed to something like AP government, which I hated and still got a 3 on while never opening the book. My weak areas are most definitely going to be the multiple choice questions, probably the Roman numeral ones at that. Also that my essay writing skills are slowly waning and I will not do too superb on the open ended part of the test. I just always get confused with those stinking roman numeral questions! I believe that my dear Bunje will do what she does best, which is teaching. I know that we will be prepared for this test no matter what cause this teacher is no joke, and she is equipped with the knowledge necessary to lead us to our amazing AP Language test scores. So show us the way, and I will follow because I know I will get something out of it one way or another!
First off, I just want to say that the reasons that all the old adages use masculine terms are 1) In olden times, male was the only gender that matter, sorry ladies and I think it's wrong, but you guys didn't matter in the grand scheme of things at all. 2) Masculine terms can be applied to both genders, while feminine terms can only be applied to females.
Gary told me what the blog said today during second period in the locker room, so I've been thinking about this topic, and I realized, "Wow, this class is utterly and completely inconsistent [in my opinion]." So I guess what needs to be worked on in my opinion, is determining ways to find consistencies from reading to reading. In one reading, a sentence can mean one thing, and in another, the sentence means something completely different. In one reading, the "text does" is applied to "the grand scheme of things" while in another, the "text does" has nothing to do with anything but what is stated in the paragraph or whatever length is being viewed.
Another thing that I think needs to be reviewed is all the tones we could possibly see, and what the words mean. We wouldn't have to review all of them, like "angry," but then there are others, such as "pedantic" which can be confused with something that has an almost identical definition, but apparently that nuance makes one answer correct and the other answer incorrect.
Thirdly, how should we write essays? I think I missed that boat, because I still have no idea what is expected. Are we supposed to use one (or more) example for each topic, transition from topic to topic with short transitions? Aren't we supposed to explain all of our positions in depth? That yellow essay about the 15 actors didn't explain its ideas in depth, and yet you said it was great writing. It was discursive, and although it flowed, most of the topics it flowed to were not related to the original topic. So should we not worry about relating all of our points to the thesis or should we? As for the thesis, I never really figured out what the thesis of that yellow packet was. In my opinion, there was no thesis at all. Can a thesis be a string of sentences rather than a single sentence? Do we need a real thesis at all? Every time I've seen a thesis, it detracts from the rest of the passage. How do you work in three reasons (because the human brain works in threes) when the thesis is just after an exemplification of just one aspect of the argument? It seems almost stupid to throw in a statement about three things at the end of an introduction that was only discussing one thing. I know the five paragraph essay isn't excellent writing, it is alright and safe. But if we take a risk and it fails, isn't that worse than playing it safe?
These are the things that I haven't quite understood, and that are frustrating the hell (sorry for that diction, but I needed an emphasis on my frustration) out of me. I don't see the point in not approaching an essay as one would approach any problem in life: one step at a time. It seems that this new technique doesn't do that, but rather randomly starts in one place, trying to explain how to solve a problem by skipping from step 1 to step 5 back to step 3.
You keep telling me that writing like the upside triangle is best, and I completely believe you are correct, but it seems that this contradicts other things that are being told. The upside down triangle method implies that the thesis is at the end, when I know that is wrong. So is it more like the diamond method? or the house-shaped pentagon method?
How do you write a good conclusion? Do you bring in a new example? Do you end it with a philosophical statement that could bring about some universal truth? Do you make yourself sound smart by throwing in some words like "eternity", "infinity" and the like to help bring about that philosophical aspect to your writing? I know it's an art, and artists are born, not made, but there are artists that have been successful through learning rather than natural talent, and I think that I have the ability to be one of those artists. The only problem is that I feel like I'm being given the secondary colors rather than the primary colors needed to turn a work of art into a masterpiece.
Sorry for using so much second and first person in this blog, but I feel as though this would have sounded a bit too discursive if I had broken the flow of the reader's mind by using words such as "one" and "a person" and "he or she" and so on.
But anyway, I guess I just need to be taught the "WHYs", because then everything would click better,
because when one understands why something is done, doing it becomes much easier.
I'm a good test-taker.
I don't know what it is about tests, but I like them. A pervasive feeling of calm comes over me when I know I'm ready to tackle it. Deep breath, concentrate, and do.
That being said, I would love more multiple choice practices, not so much for the questions but for timing purposes. I'd like to be assigned more essays (please don't all start yelling at me now) so I can continue writing because I feel like I'm rusty of late. Analyzing essays gives me a headache. I know this is a key component of the AP Exam, but I much prefer writing them myself, dissecting them smacks of science to me. (I know dissecting essays is never going to stop, Ms. Bunje, I'm just saying it because I'm me and it's how I feel. ...Actually, I don't mind dissecting well-written essays so much. I enjoy that. It's the bad essays that kill me softly.)
I just need to know, for myself, that I know the material and have "got this." I also, as Emily Rheault said, need to stop procrastinating in every facet of my life. (That's kind of a general statement and doesn't apply as much to English as History.) I'm going to.
Well, I truly believe in what we have learned this year and that it has helped me prepare for the AP exam. What I do not know so much about, is how well I will be able to prepare myself for this upcoming Exam Review Month.
As many people know, I am a procrastinator. It is a horrible habit that I absolutely despise. The problem is this habit is like smoking cigarettes, it is incredibly hard to kick. Hopefully I can find a way not to procrastinate and discipline myself enough to sit my lazy ass down and study. This is surely the most frightening peice of the whole ordeal, because I know that without studying, one my grades will plummet, and two, I will never reach my goal of a 5 on the exam.
Another, much less frightening aspect of the test, is my confidence in my writing. I am not completely inconfident in my own writing but I tend to second guess myself. So hopefully we can practice our writing techniques some more and I can find a way to study by my own disciplinary means.
Other than these I believe that I have acquired all of the tools I need to succeed and snatch that highly regarded 5 right from out of the college board's nose. No problem with the MC, but how do I improve my writing?
2008’s Teacher of the Year goes to….Ms. Bunje!!! Honestly, you are hands down one of the most dedicated and hard working teachers in Atlantic County, let alone just Oakcrest. Somehow you have to ability to find time to care and learn about each and every one of us on such a personal level while still grading everything we’ve ever been assigned and you still come up with new interested things in class to teach us and discuss with us. You are the true definition of a teacher and ever since that blog about that being what you really are in one word is easily proven with this weeks’ blog assignment. Most teachers would plan out their little teacher plans and just do what they feel is necessary to help their students but you are different. You understand that we excel and struggle in very multifarious areas and you are reaching out to everyone of us, hoping to grasp some sort of placement as to where you need to share your knowledge and experience and help us.
With all of that being said, I personally, still find myself having trouble with the multiple choice. I wish I could give you precise examples of the types of questions that bother me the most but I don’t want to pick one certain question over another because, overall, I do not feel confident in any of them. whether they are roman numerals, “least/best”, “except”-it doesn’t matter. All questions make me think and I tend to get all sorts of different types wrong when other times I’ll get them correct. As for the writing, and as much as I hate to admit it, every painstaking minute spent on RRL’s has helped me on so many different level. They really were great preparation and gave me more confident whenever I begin to tackle on a piece of writing to read.
Moving on to another topic, I know I am not speaking for everyone, especially Monica after reading her blog (whoa), but I personally, in a weird way, looked forward to “Death Month.” I have been preparing myself, making myself VERY aware that it won’t be easy, I will have to put A LOT of work and time into every night, and I will complain and maybe even cry. BUT, I am ready for that. I am ready for the challenge, ready to feel the overwhelming relief once it is over. I can’t describe how accomplished I am going to feel once April is over and I do not really mind how much it’s going to stress me out. I know I need that extra help badly and I am willing to devote every night of April towards getting closer to a 5 of the AP Exam because it will all pay off. All of the writing assignments we have been doing in class and are continuing to do have made me realize that my writing has improved. Not to put myself above an average student, but I always thought that most classes were a waste of time because everything would seem to just be a re-cap of all that we have done in the past years. But here I am, towards the end of my junior year and I am being introduced into a whole new world of writing. It is a bit intimidating but really exciting. I can’t wait until the day my writing ability naturally writes in this new, improved way to where I can never go back to the amateur style. This class is making me anticipate the new concepts I will be taught in college.
Regardless of what 5 I get on this exam, 1,2,3,4, or 5, I am making a promise to myself that I will not and can not be disappointed as long as I know I truly tried my absolute best and put all of my best efforts forward. No mater what, I am 100% walking out of Oakcrest, ending my junior year, with a whole new level of knowledge I didn’t think I would reach for a long time. I have matured, I have grown-up, and most importantly I have learned. I have been taught. I have been taught by a genuine teacher. So, Ms. Bunje, I trust you. Make us do anything and everything you feel will help us and I promise I will not complain. I will openly accept all you assign to us, knowing you have our best interest in mind. =]
Sorry that this is late Ms. Bunje. I now realize yet another reason why Mullicans have it bad; we get home at 10:37pm from ridiculous Mr. Oakcrest practice instead of 10:15 like everyone else. I know that isn’t a proper excuse because I asked for a library pass this morning, but of course I was sidetracked and got roped into helping with more Student Council stuff. Sorry. But anyway…
The first week of May: AP Stats and AP History. Prom. Second Week of AP Tests: AP Bio and AP Lang. I think I am fully starting to understand what people mean when they say I was neurotic and honestly had something wrong in my brain when I chose 4 AP classes this year. It is almost physically impossible to devote the time and attention needed equally to all of these. I, like Alli, studied a lot for the AP exam last year and went into it really nervous, and did just how I expected. I got a measly little, not-counting, waste-of eighty dollars, 2. But beside the point, this blog is focused solely on Lang, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
I also feel like Alli has my same mind right now. I read her blog and completely agree with her point about my writing not being filled with enough figurative language. It just doesn’t happen. I guess since I was so focused on making sure I had good transitions and that it didn’t turn into the now-hated and infamous 5-paragraph essay that I didn’t concentrate on making sure my actual writing was good. I need to learn how to divide up my focus equally on all the important parts of the essay. I am pretty confident about vocab because that is something that is simply you know the word or you don’t. I want to keep up with the words of course, though, because otherwise I will forget about them by focusing on other things. The other obstacle I see in not passing might actually just be being stressed. I will most likely overload myself going crazy with everything those first couple of weeks that I’ll just give up studying and stop. That is just a mindset, which can obviously be altered, so that isn’t something that should be your main priority Bunje.
I think that the best ways to review could possibly be these quizzes. I like the idea of being FORCED to study the vocab words and lit terms because our grades depend on it. I mean, you know us AP kids…if our class rank and GPA count on it, we will most likely work harder at it. Also, as much as I complain I never have enough time, working with the notecards has actually helped. I can think quicker whereas before I thought and planned much longer since forty minutes sounded like an extended amount of time. I’m not really sure what other ways there are, so it’s really your call. Just do what you think is best and I’m sure we’ll learn something from it.
Here I am, 11:32 am on Thursday. I'm so pissed, my terrible day continued when I got home. First, I stayed after for Interact Club Election, Drama meeting, and MCIC meeting. As soon as I woke up from a well needed nap, I jumped on the computer...I didn't understand why it kept going to www.comcast.com. Little did I know, a freaking stupid technician would come over to try to fix it. So it was about 5 something and the stupid man came over to replace our "internet box", what ever it's called. So long story short, he said he'll be back...that never happened. So there I was on my computer without an internet to do my Blog. Pissed was an understatement. So here I am, in computer graphics, trying to hurry and complete this. But, I just read the question and it's going to take more than 15 minutes to finish it. I would say that I could do it in study hall, but I was invited to listen to a Holocaust survivor. So, boo hoo. I have to finish it as soon as I get home. I hope the stupid man bought the "internet box". So, I will do my blog asap!
Ok, the box is here. Topping off my extremely long day, after late detention, I had to stay after for late night study with Mr.Matlack. Finally, I busted out around 7:15. After driving around for a while and walking my dog, I can do my blog!
Ok, the obstacles I foresee are especially the essay. Since we have to do well in order to pass, no matter how well we do on the questions, it's a little scary to imagine. I think I'm a fairly good writer, but I would like it if you could personally help me with what I don't do well. Since you're such a fine writer and teacher, and I'm none of the above, you can see my flaws way before I even realize them. I want to know if I should abstain from anything that could possibly get me caught up on the test. I want you and the "judges" if you will, to be blown away from my writing. For the most part, I think you've done an excellent job with teaching us the vocabulary we need to know, as well as the literary terms. I'm just tired of not doing as well as I am capable. I want you to be proud of me, and it seems as though I am just performing mediocre work. Do you think so? For review, I would love to go over ways to create amazing writing, as well as review on terms and practice AP exams. A lot! I can't wait for the day when I actually find it some what easy to take an AP test! I yearn for the feeling that I get when I get a good grade because now, it worries me that if I'm not doing well with the AP tests, what makes me think that I'll do good on the "real deal"? The best way to review for this is practice test. For class work, for homework, just practice tests. We should do those again and again and again until we get better at those.
I have hope for the "poppet’s" in f=room 204. LOL! Wouldn't it be amazing if all of us passed! Bunje, you'd be so proud. It would make me really sad if I didn't pass. Then, when I came into class, everyone would boast about how they passed while I pouted about me failing. But, we'll get there. It's time for me to start being positive. Being positive, having discipline, and determination= success!
I posted last night after soccer but it isn’t up on the site which has me pondering what the hell happened. My internet connection isn’t stable so maybe as I was posting my internet couldn’t connect? I dislike my laptop with a burning passion. What I tried to post last night:
There are so many things wrong with my writing skills. I write how I talk, which is horrible. I use commas and semi colons incorrectly. I feel like I need to put my whole idea into one sentence that runs about seven lines long (ok, not seven but they are long sentences). Mr. Costal always said that writing is rewriting, I agree but I don’t do which is another check against me. I can’t seem to have my essays flow, I’m an unorganized writer.
I have zero confidence in my writing abilities which contributes to my lack of rewriting because I figure that if I try and fix my errors the paper wouldn’t be any better. Wrong attitude, I know. I think if I start brainstorming and actually work off of my brainstorming material, my papers would be better. I’m sorry this is short, but I didn’t want to post this even later.
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