Jude's English Blog

Prompt:  Think about the word or phrase you find yourself using the most right now. What is it, what does it mean, and why has it become part of your everyday vocabulary? Explain when you typically use it and what your choice of this word or phrase might reveal about you. Prompt Response: The word or phrase I find myself using the most right now is "bro." "Bro" is short for "brother" and it has become part of my everyday vocabulary because so many other people say it. I typically say "bro" to address my friends or even random people. My choice in using this might reveal that I want others to think they are close to me by addressing them as my "brother." Summary: Today in class, we learned vocab words and did exercises to help us remember them. Reflection: I think I could use some of the words we learned that I didn't already know in a sentence, but I don't think I'd be able to define them.

Prompt:  With 4.5-week grades posting on September 2, reflect on your experience in AP Language so far. What has been going well for you, what has been challenging, and what is one thing you need to improve moving forward? Prompt Response: My experience in AP Language has been good so far. I think that learning rhetoric will actually be useful in the real world. Part of this class has been challenging, which is good because it means that I am learning. I like having class discussions because I get to see the perspectives of others. Summary: Today in class we wrote paragraphs defending our claim on whether or not there is such a thing as a "good kill." Reflection: In a lot of prompts I'll want to choose an answer in the middle, but I need to pick a side so I'll just pick whatever I think will be easier for me to write about or defend.

Prompt:  Think about a time when you made a claim or gave an opinion, but someone asked you, “Why?” or “How do you know?” Describe the situation. What evidence did you use to support your point, and why is explaining your evidence just as important as providing it? Prompt Response: A time when I made a claim or gave an opinion, but someone asked me "Why", was when I was trying to convince my dad to get me a MacBook for my birthday. I started by telling him that I wanted it now so when it's my time for my birthday he'll know that I have wanted it for a while. Then explained to him how having one MacBook instead of two PCs and chromebook will better for productivity because the I have and the accounts I need to login to won't be fragmented across separate devices. This reduces the barrier to start working, and for me getting started is the hardest part. Explaining your evidence is just as important as providing it because it ties the evidence back to the claim thro...

Prompt:  Which learning method do you enjoy the most? Class discussions, worksheet work, or hands-on activities. Select one and tell why.  Prompt Response: I enjoy learning via hands-on activities the most because I am engaged in them. In class discussions or worksheet work I can either not participate/zone out or participate without really thinking. When I'm doing a hands-on activity I'm forced to pay attention and I learn better. Summary: Today in class, we made 5 claims regarding what it means to own something and then supported our claims using our experiences, observations, and readings. Reflection: When doing an AP Lang assessment I should always choose the topic which will be easiest for me to write about, rather than the one I like the most,.

Prompt:  Describe something you will never fully understand. Prompt Response: Something I will never fully understand is why God created the universe. I don't think I would be able to comprehend his reasoning or the true meaning of life. I've wondered about philosophical and theological things like this before but had to set them aside because there is no one provable true conclusion. Summary: Today in class, we went over how to answer a writing prompt by breaking it down and using our experiences, observations, and readings. Reflection: I should get better at defining groups or cultures I want to write about.

Prompt : Describe one thing that makes you different from other people.  Prompt Response: One thing that makes me different from other people is that I want to start my own business in the future. I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I might work for a very small business, but I could never see myself working for a big corporation. I definitely don't want to work in large bureaucratic organizations. I want my work to directly impact me. Summary: In class today, we identified the rhetorical situation of scenes from movies and then took a quiz. Reflection: It was hard for me to identify the scene with Leonardo Dicaprio as an argument rather than a fight because the husband and wife were yelling so much.

Prompt:  How has living in or around Atlanta influenced the way you see your community, culture, or identity? If you were speaking to someone unfamiliar with Atlanta, what would you want them to understand about your community? Prompt Response: Living in Atlanta has influenced the way I see my community by giving me many different perspectives. Within a 10 minute drive of my house I can see very rich neighborhoods littered with mansions or poor tenement housing. The area I live in is also very diverse ethnically. Being surrounded by very different people and hearing their opinions everyday, lets me see topics from multiple different viewpoints. If I was speaking to someone unfamiliar with Atlanta, I would want them to know we live in a place full of contingencies and it is hard to come across one singular correct answer for a question regarding Atlanta. Summary: Today in class, we analyzed the rhetorical situation of Keisha Lance Bottom's "Go Home" speech. We learned ab...

Prompt:  What is the most creative thing you have ever made? Share what it was and explain why it stands out as your best work. Prompt Response: The most creative thing I have ever made was a spider chart maker that shows how good a lacrosse player is based on selected stats. I chose a spider chart because it's the best way to display how good something is based on multiple different attributes at once. For each position, I had to select to show the stats that I thought were the most important. It stands out as my best work because it could actually be used in the real world to see how good a player is at a glance. Summary: In class today, we learned about rhetorical situation and then practiced figuring it out based on a text.  Reflection: It is important to eliminate bias when analyzing an article. I think a lot of people in our class struggle because they can't look at documents without their preexisting biases.

Prompt:  Describe a time you felt completely lost. Prompt Response: When I first started thinking about what I wanted to major in in college I had no clue what I wanted to be. I thought about my interests, and I decided that I wanted to do something in the fields of STEM. After doing research and talking to my Dad, I narrowed my top two choices down to industrial engineering and computer science. I still don't know if I want to do either of these, but at least I have some direction now. Summary: Today in class, we found claims in an article based on a topic and identified what type of claim they were. Reflection: At the beginning of class, I struggled with identifying which type of claim a claim was, but now I am confident in my skills to accurately do so.

Prompt : Write about something that you believed as a child. Prompt Response : As a child I used to believe in the Easter Bunny. Every Easter Sunday my brother and I would wake up at the crack of dawn and go to our yard to look for our Easter eggs. Then we would go to my cousins' house and do an Easter egg hunt there. Once I got older I stopped believing in the Easter bunny and stopped caring about getting candy. Eventually, I started celebrating Easter for what it's really about. Summary: Today in class, we discussed the three types of claims which are fact, value, and policy. Then we did an activity where we had to make a list of 5 or more criteria to evaluate a claim of value on a topic. Reflection: I should start using criteria to evaluate claims of value, especially when it involves sports.

Prompt : Think about an argument or disagreement that you wish you could have handled differently. What happened, what was your goal, and what would you do differently now? Use at least one idea from Chapters 1–3 of Thank You for Arguing in your response. Prompt Response: My mom and I had an argument over whether I should have rushed home from golf to feed the dog or not. We ended up somewhat arguing and somewhat fighting, but in the end she won. I tried using logic to win points, but she only wanted to fight. If I were to have this situation happen again I would concede points in order to achieve my new goal of not getting in trouble instead of my old goal of winning the argument. Summary : In class today, we discussed the art of arguing and the importance of setting a goal for our arguments. In order to win an argument one must not try to dominate the other person, but instead come to an agreement. Reflection : I found the book "Thank You for Arguing" very intriguing and I...

Prompt:  Think of a time when you tried to persuade someone to agree with you, change their mind, or do something you wanted. What were you trying to persuade them to do or believe? How did you use ethos, pathos, or logos to persuade them? Which appeal was most effective and why? Prompt Response: When I was in elementary school I persuaded my parents to buy me a computer. I used pathos to convince my mom because she is emotionally oriented. I told her something along the lines of it was the only thing I wanted. I used logos to persuade my dad because I knew he would listen to logic and reasoning. I convinced him that it would help me with computer literacy, productivity, and school work. Logos was the most effective appeal because my Dad was compelled by the facts of how getting me a computer could benefit me in the future. Summary : Today in class, we presented the origins of our names and discussed how we would use logos, ethos, and pathos to persuade people depending on the aud...

Prompt:  As you grow older and face new experiences, what issue or topic do you think you'll have to stand up and debate most often, whether with friends, family, or society?  Prompt Response: As I grow older and face new experiences I think I'll have to stand up and debate my faith most often with friends or family. There are a lot of people in my family who are not Christian and might be upset that I am. I've already had to discuss it with some of them. It will be challenging but I can use argumentative techniques to support my claims with evidence. Summary: Today in class, we discussed arguments, persuasion, rhetoric, and ethos, pathos, and logos. Reflection: I had trouble choosing the best answer for what technique the advertisements used between ethos, pathos, and logos.

 Prompt Response: The first goal that I want to achieve this year is to get 4s or 5s on all of my AP Exams because doing so will give me a lot of college credit. The second goal that I want to achieve this year is to get my sleep schedule on point as this will improve all aspects of life. The third goal that I want to achieve this year is to get all A's so that I have a high GPA. I want to prioritize academics this year to prepare for college.