Tenzin's English Blog

 The idea clustering technique allowed me to develop ideas by creating visual representations of ideas and identifying their connections. Branching out to specific examples from more general ideas was helpful in determining whether there was enough material available for making arguments. This strategy would definitely be helpful when preparing an AP Lang essay since it helps structure complicated ideas in a quick manner and avoid getting bogged down in a fixed outline. Today, we took notes on essay brainstorming techniques with a focus on clustering. As a class, we practiced this by exploring the best ways to get a job, mapping out key reasons and supporting details for each bubble. Clustering will be especially helpful for long-term writing assignments rather than quick in-class prompts. Although mapping out ideas takes a bit of time upfront, it provides a strong foundation for organizing my thoughts and writing well-structured paragraphs.

 The part of the process which was easiest for me was formulating a strong thesis statement, since by taking a clear position on the topic from the very beginning, I was immediately able to have a clear focus for the essay. The most difficult part of writing this argumentative essay was finding specific evidence that would support my points and connecting it back to the thesis via commentary, since this involved analytical thinking as opposed to summary. The easiest part was writing a clear thesis since picking a side gave me direction. The hardest part was finding specific evidence and connecting it back with good analysis. Next time, I'll outline first to make it flow better. Outlining before I write will help me organize my thoughts faster and build stronger arguments on future essays. It will also save me time during timed writing tests so I don't get stuck midway through.

 I really felt like I belonged when I was a sophomore and joined the lacrosse team. I did not know a lot of people at first, but by practicing with them every day and cheering for them during the games, I began to feel like I was truly part of the team. This sense of belongingness was because of the camaraderie that exists in a place where everyone works towards a common objective and accepts you as you are. Today in class, we read a CommonLit article about the importance of belonging, which supported its claims with credible sources and studies, and then we completed the accompanying multiple-choice and written response questions. The interesting article offered great insights into our inherent need to belong. Working through the questions helped me organize the information and improved my analytical writing.

The vocabulary word that will be of most value to me in the future is resilient. Resilient, in my definition, is the power to recover, adjust, and continue whenever things don't go as expected. A realistic scenario in which I would apply the above word is when I receive poor grades for a test or lose a crucial game. Instead of just accepting defeat, I will be able to tell that I was resilient, learned from my mistakes, and became better the next time around. Today in class, we wrote down vocabulary words, created our own sentences for each one, and completed two practice sections from the textbook to use them in context. the assignment for today really helped expand my vocabulary. This will help me identify more words on the AP exam.

Prior to the practice of using the "So What?" technique, I did not know that the commentary has to go beyond simply repeating facts and should explain the significance of the evidence presented. Previously, I thought it would be enough to throw in an important fact or an example, however, I have come to know now that the actual argumentation is done in the commentary through asking "so what?" after each piece of information. In my next AP Lang argument essay, I will implement this technique through including two sentences of commentary for each piece of evidence. In class today, we worked on a packet with four different claims and evidence sets, practicing writing commentary that included all three required components. It was helpful to practice commentary and learn what components to include. I'm still not sure how to start each portion or how to avoid getting repetitive. This will ensure I get a 5 on the AP exam. 

 Having evaluated the work of other students and scored their arguments, I realized that good commentary and "so what?" explanations make an essay stand out. When I read the essays of my peers, I saw that those who did not comment on examples or current events were merely summarizing, which limited their scores to Row B. The most outstanding essays featured the writer's explanation of how each of the facts supported the argument and why it was important. In order to improve, I will incorporate comments after each fact and explain how it is relevant to my point of view and what impact it has on the general idea. Today in class, we reviewed more about essays and how to get full marks on them. I will use what I learned today to get full marks on the AP exam. This will ensure I get a 5 on the AP exam.

I would always refer to rubrics after receiving my grade and realized my mistakes in retrospect. However, now, by referring to the AP Lang rubric, I check off every row while writing. For example, Row A ensures that there is a thesis, Row B confirms that I explain the significance of the facts, and Row C helps me think of an interesting development or counterargument in advance. By referring to the rubric in advance, I can be sure that I write my essay for top marks. Was Not in class Today

Reading everyone's work made it clear how differently people can interpret the exact same topic. Some classmates shared personal stories, while others built precise, analytical arguments. It was interesting to see how unique word choices and writing styles completely changed the tone of each piece. Seeing those different perspectives helped me think about the topic in ways I hadn't considered before. Today we reviewed our piers’s essays. I will use what I learned today to strengthen my argument and claim. This will allow me to achieve a 5 on the AP exam.

 During a class presentation, a teammate said an old idea was "totally trash" in front of the teacher. The room got awkward because the slang sounded unprofessional, which distracted everyone from our main point. He could have said, "This method has major limitations," which would have sounded much more respectful. That moment showed me how fast casual slang can ruin a serious moment. I learned that matching your words to your audience ensures people actually listen to your message. Today in class we finished our essays and when over them with you I will apply what I learned tdy to use it for the ap exam in may.

  A group member suggested that I include a counterargument—the opposite point of view—and explain why it was wrong before writing my conclusion.  At first, I thought mentioning the other side would make my argument look weak. But adding it actually made my paragraph much stronger. It showed that I had thought the topic through, listened to different opinions, and could fairly respond to people who disagreed with me. Today the wifi was out, so we worked on new vocab words and wrote down their definition in our notebooks. I will use what we learned today to understand new words from the passage. This can help me in the future by helping me understand these new words by AP exam day.

From my early years, I was always amazed at how deep-sea organisms managed to adapt to the conditions of absolute darkness and extreme pressure at the bottom of the ocean. What fascinates me the most is that creatures find themselves in such different and alien environments to us, and yet use bioluminescence as a means of communication and hunting instead of sunlight. It is amazing to see what these creatures went through throughout millions of years to adapt to these conditions. Today in class, we wrote our line of reasoning on a whiteboard. Writing my group's line of reasoning really opened my eyes to what we did wrong. This will allow me to see what I am doing wrong come the AP test.

Commentary has been the most difficult for me when it comes to creating an argument. Claiming an argument or citing examples is easy; however, with commentary, I need to show why the example supports the claim. This is where I have to put my critical thinking into words. Today in class, we wrote a clear line of reasoning from our unpopular opinions. I think writing unpopular opinions can help me argue my reasoning better, since it is hard and gives me good practice. I will use what I learned today to better back up my claim on the AP Exam.

For most of my life, I have been afraid of losing who I am and becoming a fractured image that only a piece of me shows from person to person. I used to fear that changing how I acted around different people meant losing myself. Eventually, I realized that showing different sides of who I am doesn't make me fake. Each piece is still a real part of me, and adapting is actually a strength. Today in class, we worked on our claims and backed them up with evidence. I will use what we learned today to figure out how to piece my evidence together with my claim. This will allow me to better back up my argument on a deeper level.

​ The word I use most right now is “fascinating “,  which means extremely interesting or cool. It is part of my daily routine because I get to read so many unique questions and creative ideas every day. I usually say it when someone shares an clever thought or a fun problem to solve. This choice shows that I am an eager, curious listener who loves learning new things. Today in class we reviewed our quizzes in ap class room from a few weeks ago I will use this information to better strengthen my thesis on the ap test. This will ensure I will get a high grade come test day.