Blog #15: First Semester Reflection

So this semester's largely over. It's largely been about poetry, which took up all of November and bits of October and December. Other than that, we've had a unit at the beginning looking at the AP test, the various essays on it, and complexity. I think I've learned the most about poetry this semester. Most of the English classes up to this have been about prose passages, and I've learned a lot about form, rhyme, etc. I felt particularly proud of dissecting Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn. Our group ran into a lot of logistical trouble on that one, but I think we pulled through alright. I do feel worried about the multiple choice. We haven't done much practice on it and it makes up a good chunk of the AP Test. I also have trouble with the standard forty minute essay time limit. Most of our work was in projects which spanned days. It's different to write something decent in forty minutes than to make something good in a few days. I think I can improve by practicing more under the time limits that the AP Test will put us under. I also think that I need to practice more with the multiple choice. It requires a different style of thinking compared to the essays, which we have been doing in class. Overall, I think this semester has greatly helped my presentation skills and taught me a lot about poetry. Looking ahead, I need to improve on timed writing and multiple choice for the AP exam which I think can be best done through practice.