Chris Beebout Assignment 26

Oops. I somehow got it in my head that this was a make-up blog. Sorry!

Nonetheless, I recognize the value of student feedback and had intended to complete it anyway, just after the chaos of AP's, debate, and finals had passed. Speaking of this chaos, junior year is full of lengthy, time-eating assignments (looking at you, key terms) so the focus this class had on classwork rather than homework provided an invaluable respite for my weary mind and failing motivation. I didn't like the timed writings, but they were highly useful in developing a reliable intuition for the AP test, and the revision process definitely compounded upon that effect. The ACT prep was essential; you can't find good practice tests just anywhere unless you are a teacher. The vocab tests were very enjoyable as a lover of words; however, I cannot speak to their "usefulness," as I have not yet taken the SAT. The visual literacy regimen served as a more unorthodox method of examining English. I'm not sure how much I learned about advertising from it, other than how to fabricate poor attempts at an art form I largely couldn't understand, but the projects were not a burden, so it didn't make much of a difference to me. I very much enjoyed the speech; it was a great way of exposing students to public speaking who didn't like it, and was a pleasure to complete for those who did like it. I learned nothing from the textbook, so perhaps a greater focus on Trimble, who changed my writing style forever, might instead be in order.

Overall, this was a great class with a wonderful teacher. Thanks, Mr. Logsdon!

Assignment 26 Elle Varner

Mr Logsdon. You have taught me so much about writing. From simple things like varied sentence structure to big ideas like creating a picture with words. I appreciate you and your relaxed teaching style and I loved coming to your class every day. I believe the only think you could improve on is engaging your audience more by switching up the cirriculum sometimes but other than that I really enjoyed your class. It was a refreshing break from the seemingly endless amounts of work put on our backs. Writing all of the essays really helped me focus and know what I was doing on the AP test. Thank you so much for a great year, Logdog.

Assignment 26 - Matthew Kingkade

One thing we did in class that helped me a lot were the ACT practice tests. At the time I didn’t really want to do them and may not have put my full effort into them but in the end they paid off and even helped to improve my ACT score. Along the same lines, the practice AP multiple choice tests helped me to feel extremely prepared for the AP exam this may. One thing that may be done to improve the class is to break down into small groups more often similar to what we did with the last essay of the year. However, it may be less awkward in the small groups if our own essays are not included. The small groups help some to feel more comfortable to talk and speak rather than in front of the whole class. Overall this class greatly improved my writing. Thank you for a great year!

Assignment 26 - Isabella Matthews

I enjoyed this class. It was entertaining and challenging and helped me to become a better writer. It was exactly what I needed. As much as everyone protested with each new essay we had to do, it was what we needed to pass the AP test and it was what we needed to become developed enough writers that we were ready for college. I wasn’t such a fan of the socratic seminars, which is why I think we should have done more of them. I had a hard time in that area because I’m an incredibly non-confrontational person, meaning that I wasn’t going to interject and cut somebody off if I had any option of it. With each socratic seminar I felt my confidence grow ever so slightly. But we only did 2 or 3. This activity is a good one because it pushes students out of their comfort zone and for that readon should be done more frequently.

Blog 26- Julia Meadors

I think that one thing that you could do to help improve the class is to connect the Visual Literacy assignments to things that we do in class. We had two video projects but yet we never went over anything about video editing which would have helped a lot in the process of actually completing this assignment. 

I also feel that the ACT word test were a bit unhelpful. While we did learn the words for the tests, I don’t feel that I can recall many of them at this point in the year. I don’t know if there’s a remedy to this problem but it is something to think about. 

I felt prepared for the AP test. I feel that over the year I learned how to write to an AL prompt which helped for the test but I will probably never use it much after this class except for maybe other AP classes. 

Cate Clay- Assignment 25

Family has always been the most important aspect of my life. The role my family members play in my life has been the biggest factor in the shaping of my identity. From them, I have inherited a lot, including a unique sense of humor, knowledge of Eastern Kentucky, and a love for board games. Spending so much time with my family for as long as I can remember allowed me to inherit a little bit from everyone. I try to embody my aunts’ strength, my mom’s intelligence, my dad’s positivity, and my grandmother’s dedication in all that I do. Those who know me but don’t know my family won’t really understand my sarcasm and my willingness to hangout with family over my friends. Without the strong bond I have with my family members, I would be a completely different person- a worse one. I’m fully aware of and thankful for their influence on my development.

Assignment 26- Katie Demos

I think that would could’ve probably done better with the ACT vocab tests. I do find them useful but I definitely forgot almost all of them after we finished in the fall. Additionally, although I did find the times writings to be helpful, I almost felt like we did too many. We didn’t really have any variation because we did timed writings almost every week. I feel like we could’ve really expanded on the inner/outer circle activities and reading the essays in the books. I definitely found the timed writings to be effective, however I just wonder if maybe we could’ve done even more. I really enjoyed having the speech and psa as finals instead of other basic tests, however I didn’t appreciate the visual literacy projects. I recognize that they’re meant to teach us skills of advertisers and manufacturers, but ultimately they felt a little irrelevant and not important to the class because we only discussed them right before they were due. The blog posts are good. It’s nice to feel like your teacher appreciates you as a person and more than just as a number.

Luke de Castro Assignment 26

Overall, I have enjoyed my experience in AP Language and Composition. I felt well prepared for the test, and I was able to improve my writing abilities. I thought the repeated practice with timed writings and multiple choice. On test day, I was comfortable with the questions presented because of this practice; nothing surprised me.

I liked the way we graded our timed writings. I had never received that much feedback on a piece of writing. Yes, people will always slack off and deliver poor comments, but I appreciated most the feedback. I especially liked the one timed writing where we graded the essays in small groups. I thought it was interesting to see other class’s writing. I think next year, that activity should be expanded.

Although I liked the repeated timed writings, I always felt like I could do more with a prompt than the two hours we would spend on it. I wouldn’t want to detract from AP test prep, but I would’ve liked to spend a little more time on maybe one timed writing. I was interested to see what else I could do with more time.

Griffin Coates Assignment 26

From the students point of view, I liked the practice AP Tests and the practice ACT. They helped me to improve on those skills for the multiple choice sections of the test as best as I could. The timed writings got repetitive over time, but they needed to be done in order to prepare for the test. I like how we could listen to music during timed writings at the beginning of the year, but the rules gradually got more strict as time went on. Teaching to the test was beneficial, but I did not feel likes the socratic seminars we had really benefitted me. I don't think they had much influence on my AP Score. Overall, I thought I performed well on the test, and this class prepared me well

assignment 26 - lindsey angel

For me personally, your teaching style was very beneficial and effective. While some teachers oppose teaching to the test, I think for A.P. English Language and Composition teaching to the test is necessary. I felt extremely prepared and knew exactly what to expect going into the actual A.P. test, and would attribute that to your teaching style. However, I will admit that at times throughout the school year, the constant writing and grading of timed writings became monotonous and felt a bit redundant. I think the time we spent actually writing was substantial, but I do think that it would be more beneficial to spend less time grading. The group grading style we used at the end of the year worked really well, and in the future, I think that style could be used more frequently to cut down time spent grading. Perhaps, after the first semester when the class has begun to understand the grading scale a lot more, this strategy would work well. I do, however, think we spent exactly the right amount of time on the multiple choice. Practicing the multiple choice so often was not only extremely helpful in preparing us for the A.P. test, but it also gave us some extra reading practice for the ACT. Thanks for a great year, Mr. Logsdon!

Assignment 26- Cate Clay

All in all, this class has contributed to huge leaps in the development of my writing skills. Although it sometimes felt a little redundant and boring, I realize now, our constant practice with AP-style prompts provided me with confidence that I carried with me on the day of the AP test and that I will continue to carry with me in all of my future writing endeavors. As you pointed out, although "teaching to the test" is sometimes looked down upon, often times the skills necessary for the test are important skills for life in general. Being able to effectively argue claims and analyze the arguments of others is not just useful/necessary for the AP Lang test. My improvement upon these skills throughout the school year has made me better equipped for the writing I will have to do in college and even in my future career. Being "taught to the test" this year felt tedious, but I know now that it paid off and I am a better writer because of it. You should continue with this method as it is the most effective in preparing students for the AP test while also achieving the basic goal of any high school English class: improve students' writing. 

Assignment 26 - Will Graves

Although I learned a lot in AP Seminar Sophomore year, I felt out of practice in terms of writing anything other than research papers. As a result I struggled throughout first semester, but with the year coming to an end I feel much more confident in my writing abilities. More than anything the “no no” words help me the most. Although very frustrating at times that list forced me to restructure my sentences which completely turned the style of my wiring around. I went from writing inadequate essays to effective ones, and on occasion an 8 or 9. The vocabulary quizzes were also beneficial in my writing as they helped improve my diction and voice. I wish I had more practice with the rhetorical analysis essays as that was what I felt least confident writing on the AP test. Learning more about the specific rhetorical strategies authors use would help me write more effective essays. Also, If there was any way to learn time management when writing essays I feel like that would be beneficial as I felt pressed for time on the writing portion the AP test. I spent the majority of the time trying to think of an amazing introduction and then rushed through the body of the essays. Overall I felt well prepared for the AP because of all the practice we had writing essays. Reading them aloud and getting immediate feedback was very helpful. 

Assignment 26 Harris Hawkins

In August, as you were describing the course, I felt completely overwhelmed. I think I was scared because I was foreign to all the things you described; never had I made a movie or completed an analysis essay. Looking back on the year, your class was one of the most worth while classes I've taken. Writing is a HUGE part of college and it wasn't until the first time writing that I realized how horrible mine was. Boy was I surprised to learn the 5 paragraph essay couldn't get me through life. Luckily, through the blog posts and timed writing my writing improved.
The practice ACT English helped me tremendously. I went from a 26 to a 31 in the English category. This, as well as the vocab quizzes, were extremely helpful and productive. I also appreciate you forcing us to public speak for our 1st semester final exam. This being something I struggle with, practicing in front of the class was beneficial.
 My only bone to pick would be the summer assignment. It hung over my head all summer and stressed me out towards the end. I was glad to hear you took Writing With Style off the list, but I believe The Teenage Brain was beneficial.

Assignment 24 - Isabella Matthews

Everything is fine.

So many times throughout this year I have uttered the words "everything is fine" in an effort to convince myself that yes, it was all okay and yes, I would be fine getting through junior year. I didn't want anyone to see how this year had shaken me. I didn't want to admit the fact to myself. Junior year wrecked me a little bit. It put me face-to-face with challenges I thought I might never experience, certainly not in high school.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret a single moment of my year. Everything that happened helped me to grow as a person and therefore was vital in my particular "growing up" experience, helping me to become who I am.  The good, the bad, all of it has made me into the person I am. That being said, this year kinda sucked. Between new struggles with academics and procrastination and more issues outside of school than can be counted, it sucked. But through all those struggles I found two of the best friends one could ever have. Junior year brought us together as well as brought many other little groups together.

Without this year I would not have the amazing Junker Photo Squad. A group of incredibly talented individuals devoted to helping each other create their art, whether that be a film project or a photoshoot or anything. They've helped to make this year bearable–enjoyable even. Without the friendships this year created I don't think I would have been able to handle junior year. Without them I would be terrified for senior year and graduation and life after high school.

Assignment 26 Lucy Ferguson

I think that overall I enjoyed AP Lang and the way that you taught it. Even though at the time we were doing it I thought it was the worst thing ever, writing the essays that are on the AP test was really helpful for me. Grading them in class helped me a lot by familiarizing me with the rubric and I went in the test confident in what i needed to do to get the score i wanted and knew pretty much exactly how my test was going to be graded. I think the multiple choice tests were also helpful but I feel like it might have helped me more if we went over the answers together in class or maybe just the most frequently missed questions or something like that because Im better at learning by hearing something than just reading it on a piece of paper with answers on it. The first semester final speech was the scariest part of the class for me because i get really anxious about public speaking although I do feel like it was good experience for me. It might be less scary for students like with me who are terrified of public speaking if the speech doesn't count as your entire final grade in the class because then it not only made me scared of public speaking and embarrassing myself but also of bringing my grade down in the class if I failed. It might be more helpful to make it a big test grade or just put it as a big grade in a different category and make something else the final. I think that this class has made me a better writer overall though and really prepared me to my best ability to take the AP test.

Assignment 24 Lucy Ferguson

I'm not going to lie junior year has been a hard year for me. All of my classes were hard and overwhelming and I think it really got to me. Some of my grades have struggled but I'm pulling myself together at the end of the semester to try and get my grades back up by the end of the semester. I think the best decision I made this semester was to take photography class with Mr. Junker because it has been such fun and interesting experience and a nice break during my long school day. Although I did struggle through my other classes, I'm proud of how AP Calculus went for me this year and i feel like that was a big success for me this year to be able to understand all the content and feel like i did well on the AP test. If i could go back and change one thing about this year I would go back to the beginning of last last semester and fill my time with more homework and focus more on homework than social activities and not over book my schedule with cross country, dance, and friends and set aside more time for myself and homework. One thing I don't regret about this year that I was scared i was going to regret is quitting dance in December after doing it for my whole life. I think it was a good decision for me because it gave me so much more time to do other things and just overall made me a happier person. This year was definitely a long journey but i feel like it overall taught me a lot about myself and ended up not too bad.

Assignment 23 Lucy Ferguson

This is my perfect playlist of throwback songs to listen to in the car to get you in a good mood. I like to listen to these songs in the car with my friends and just yell the lyrics and not care how bad we sound.
1) Year 3000 by the Jonas Brothers. This song is just fun to sing and reminds me of when I was younger. I remember when this song first came out and singing it with my friends and just having a good time.
2) Mr. Brightside by The Killers. This song is one of my favorite songs and is one you can just scream at the top of your lungs and just always puts me in a better mood when I hear it.
3) Superbass by Nicki Minaj. I also remember when this song came out and trying to memorize all the lyrics with my friends and feeling to cool and rebellious because I knew all the words to a "rap" song.
4) Hot and Cold by Katy Perry. This is just a fun song to sing with my friends in the car and you can always turn it on in the car and everyone will enjoy it.
5) Your Love is my Drug by Kesha. I love this song because it is very upbeat and also fun to sing and just can always put a smile on my face to sing it as loud as I can.

Assignment 23 - Isabella Matthews

We're all at the age where we're beginning to dive into the world of "adulthood" and in doing so beginning to experience large gains in freedom and independence. One way we can see this change in action is through everyone starting to drive. I created the playlist "night driving" in an attempt to encapsulate the feeling you sometimes get when you're driving through our tiny city late at night. The feeling you get with the windows rolled down and the music blaring through the speakers as you pass under the streetlights, the rest of the world blurring together until all that's left are the street lights and the orange glow and you in your car. This is when I'm reminded most of how much everything is changing, how much change is coming, and how much I love this city despite how much I want to leave it.


#1 - Hwy 18 by Mark Diamond
"If I had it my way I wouldn't be lost and alone driving down this road"
As we approach college it isn't uncommon to feel lost in all the decisions. We must choose where we want to spend the next four years of your life and what you want to spend them doing, decisions that could greatly impact the rest of our lives. This song gives the allusion of being lost both physically and metaphorically and serves as a reminder to stay grounded throughout all the confusion.

#2 - I Call to You in Dreams by The Brazen Youth
"Wanna let go, wanna hold on, wanna take a second but it's already gone"
A 10 minute song full of key changes, interesting rhythms, and lyrics that are perfect for getting lost in any activity, particularly driving. It talks about being lost (in the world, in your mind, in decisions, anywhere), growing up, and getting over things.

#3 - Going Back to Bowenville by Stu Larsen
"Now I'm a little older and I feel more like a man, now I'm a little wiser and can find my way back home again."
I've always known that I wanted to leave Lexington for college. But this song reminds me that even if I don't live here, Lexington will always be a home to me and will always be a safe place, as any home town should be.

#4 - Please Notice by Christian Akridge
Although this song doesn't add much to the theme of changes and leaving and small towns that the rest of the playlist has, the raw emotion evident in the singer's voice during the chorus radiates whatever emotions you're feeling.

#5 - Cool Blue by The Japanese House
"These things, they slow. Maybe, they should"
High school passes by so fast. These are days we will forever look back on fondly but for the time being we must focus on what's happening in the moment and relishing all the memories we are making in our youth.

#6 - Idle Town by Conan Gray
"We all vowed that we wouldn't stay... in our idle town"
Listening to this song while experiencing the feeling I previously described brings up an indescribable love for this town. It's small and beautiful and perfect and despite how trapped it sometimes makes me feel it has been the perfect place to grow up and I have so much more love for it than I realized.

#7 - True Care by James Vincent McMorrow
"Used to feel so much that it would ache"
The year is over and it's nice to look back and see how much we have changed since it started. I'm not the same person I was going into junior year and I laugh thinking that less than a year has changed me so much.

Assignment 26 Danielle Dutton

As far as teaching to the test goes, I think the teaching this year was very effective. Walking into the AP Lang exam, the PSAT, the ACT, the SAT, I felt very prepared and knew exactly what to expect and had no doubts I could get a good score. I knew what kinds of questions would be on the AP multiple choice and knew how I needed to manage my time to be able to get to them all. I knew exactly how to approach each of the three essays and was confident in my ability to meet the time limit because I had practiced it in class multiple times. The bad part about teaching to the test though was that writing and peer grading essays over and over got a bit boring and even at the end I wasn’t entirely confident I knew the grading scale reliably (I discovered this especially during the small group grading activity). But I guess it’s also a bit of personal preference since I’ve never really found English classes super interesting (science and math have always been more my speed).

Assignment 24 - Will Graves

I have always been told that junior year would be the most difficult year of my life in terms of academics. I have found that to be true in some case, and not in others. I have struggled my whole life with procrastination by have gotten by okay for the most part. But first semester of junior year was a wake up call to me in that I can’t go through life waiting until the last minutes to do my work. A year from now I will know where I’m attending college, which to me is a scary notion but at the same time very exciting. While the last three years of my life have not been a breeze I’ve heard that people coming out of the Liberal Arts Academy at Henry Clay are well prepared for the work load in college. Overall junior year has taught me many lessons with the biggest one being procrastination. Staying ahead in my schoolwork is very important to me and I hope to carry that through to senior year. This summer I will be visiting colleges and trying to narrow down my choices as to where I want to go.

Assignment 23 - Will Graves

When do you find yourself listening to music most often? For me its while I’m driving. I’m usually listening to rap but on the rare occasion that I get tired of it, I turn on my driving playlist. This is mainly for when it’s been a long week and I just want to get home. This playlist helps me relax and focus on driving. These are a few of the songs on the playlist:

1. Iconic. Classic. American. The first song on the playlist is “Life’s Been Good,” by Joe Walsh. This song has always been a favorite of mine because I love classics and I haven’t overplayed this one (yet).

2. The second song on my playlist would be “Body Like a Back Road” by Sam Hunt. Most people I know hate country music but I’m one of the few who actually like it. I love this song because it’s upbeat and always puts me in a good mood.

3. Another Classic. “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits. I don’t really like the whole song but I cant get enough of the guitar solo in the beginning which is the sole reason I listen to this song.

4. “Low Rider” by War. I my love and passion for the automobile is what makes me love this song and makes it perfect for a driving playlist.

5. “Sweet Emotions” by Aerosmith is another great one. I have always loved Aerosmith and the guitar in this song compliments the solo in “Money for nothing” making it the perfect addition to my playlist.