Nick's English Blog

  Prompt Response:  The word/phrase I most use right now is "I appreciate you." It has become a part of my every day vocabulary ever since I learned it in a business class I took at my job. I use it because it makes the subject feel better about themselves versus when I would just say "thanks." I also feel it because I always feel genuine appreciation when someone helps me out or does me a solid since I don't like to ask for help too often. This may reveal that even though I don't like asking for help, if I need it, I will ask, and I will appreciate the help that is given to me.  Summary: Today we reviewed our vocab and I wrote down the definitions and parts of speech of the words.  Reflection:  Today we did our vocab. I learned a few new words such as zealous and rife. I also made a quizlet for our vocab words.  

  Prompt Response:  Throughout our first 4 weeks in AP Lang, I have learned a lot. I really enjoy learning about arguments and how to build a good convincing argument by using strategies. Something that has been going well for me is that the class isn't too hard yet. Not much has been challenging yet. If I need to improve something going forward, it would be my writing skills. I want this to improve so I can do well on the AP test in May. Summary: This week, we talkes about the OJ Simpson case and we used writeable to write an argument on whether a "good kill' is really a justifiable claim for death. Reflection:  I have learned to manipulate the evidence provided to me to strengthen my argument the way I see fit (ex. OJ Simpson gloves). I have also learned how to explain my evidence through readings, experiences, and observations.

  Prompt Response:  The other day, when I was at work, a friend of mine asked me what my favorite soccer team was. She said that hers was Barcelona but mine was Real Madrid. If you don't already know, these two teams have one of the longest standing rivalries in the game of soccer. She had asked my why Madrid was better than Barcelona and I said three things - trophies, history, and team depth. With having more trophies and a richer history, one can easily see that Madrid is a better team, and then when you go look at the team, there's a lot of depth when it comes to positions as well as the difference in ages.  Summary: Today in class we did a murder mystery debate, talked about OJ Simpson's case, and read part of a text that we are going to write about on Friday. Reflection:  I have become better at being able to prove my point using evidence. I know how to use the evidence I have and manipulate it to how I want it to sound to my audience.  

  Prompt Response:  I enjoy worksheets the most because I don't like speaking in class. I like doing things on my own and I enjoy my own peace and quite. When we have class discussions, although I do listen, I don't like to answer. When we do worksheets, I like to have my own thoughts since that is what I'll have to do on tests. I also like to work at my own pace instead of slowing down to the rest of the classes pace. Summary: Yesterday in class we put 5 more pieces of evidence to a claim we made based off our observations, experience, and readings. Reflection:  I have gotten better at categorizing where I can put my evidence. I also have gotten better at identifying what evidence to suppourt my claims with.

 Prompt Response: I like the rest of the world will never fully understand the universe. I will never be able to comprehend how big it truly is nor will I be able to comprehend the slight details, that if they were different, we could be extinct. The universe is a place that scientists are actively trying to figure out completely. For example, we have figured out that gravity moves at a rate of 9.28 m/s but we recently figured out in the last century that this is not the case on some other planets. This shows us just how picky things can be in the universe and may be a contributor to us not being able to fully understand it.  Summary: Today in class we had to pick a claim and find 5 reasons to support it with evidence (experience, observations, and reading) Reflection: I learned how to use evidence to suppourt my claims. As well as where to categorize it.

  Prompt Response:  One thing that makes me different from other is my ability to read people and connect with them. Most kids my age do not pick up on specific details such as slight body movements or certain phrases that someone says like I do. This is one of the reasons why I am good at my job. Through tons of failed proposals and rejections, I've learned how to spot when someone is hesitant to sign for a deal or when a client of mine wanted something different.  Summary: This week, we learned about SPACECAT and analyzed many different texts. We also did a test on Friday. Reflection:  Our test wasn't too hard and I believe that I can get an A in AP Lang this year.

  Prompt Response:  Living in Atlanta as a kid has influenced me to to embrace the culture of the city. I have embraced the fact that when I am driving on the high way, I will most likely get cut off by a driver who is speeding to get somewhere or that if you are in Atlanta on a game day for sports, your 15 minute drive could easily turn into an hour. If I was speaking to someone about the community in Atlanta, I would tell them that you have to know the right people. I would state that in a city like Atlanta, knowing the right person could help you reach the goals you would want to reach but also knowing the wrong people could get you into a lot of trouble.  Summary: In class today, we analyzed a speech that Keisha Lance Bottoms had said relating to the violent protests related to George Floyd's death Reflection:  Today, I learned about the Rhetorical situation of a speech that someone writes.

  Prompt Response:  Although I can't think of the most creative thing I've made, the most creative thing that I've produced is my photos. As you may know, I am a photographer who works for quite a few big people. The proudest thing I've produced was a black and white photo of Run DMC which is now his album cover. This is one of my best pieces of work because DMC posted the photo and paid me for it. I also thinks it's my best work because I really like black and white photos. Summary: We used SPACECAT to break down a speech about Trump talking about the border. Reflection:  I now know how to use the components of SPACECAT.

Prompt Response:   Although this prompt may be metaphorically referring to being lost, I am not going to take it that way. Today, I'm going to tell you a way that I literally felt completely lost. It was my first time taking photos at an Atlanta United game and I had no clue where to go. I walked in through the media entrance and there were two ways to go, one left and one right. I chose to follow some other guys who went right... this was the wrong choice. I then tried to go the other way and got even more lost and ended up on the suite level floors which was the completely wrong place. I felt overwhelmed and slightly stressed but eventually security led me to the right media room and everything was ok.  Summary: Yesterday we had claims of value and we had to establish our criteria for each one. Reflection:  Each criteria must have 5 components and a claim of value can not be a fact such as "the earth is round"

  Prompt Response:  As a child, I believed in Santa Claus. I believed that every christmas eve, he would come down the chimney, eat the cookies we left out for him, and put presents under the tree. I would stay up all night and listen for him to put presents under the tree. All night long, my eyes would be glued to Googles, "Santa Tracker" so I could see when he was close to me. I believed he came every year on Christmas Eve. Summary: We talked about what a claim is and the three different types of claims Reflection:  I now understand the different types of claims and how to use them to strengthen my argument.

  Prompt Response:  An argument I wish I could've handled differently was with my coach. I was told that I would be on a higher level team and then the last day of tryouts he said that I wouldn't be on the team he had promised, not because I wasn't good enough, but that because they had messed up numbers and there wasn't enough space. My goal of the argument was to prove him wrong by saying that there were other kids on the team that weren't as good as me and that I should be on the roster instead of them. Looking back now, I should've accepted that I wasn't going to be on this team and to work my way up to it instead of creating a tense relationship with the coach.  Summary: In class, we talked about the book, "Thank You for Arguing." It taught me the difference between the different types of arguments (blame, values, and choice) as well as the fact that I need to set my goals at the beginning of an argument. We used both the examples of a cop pul...

 Prompt Response: I was trying to persuade someone to allow me to have an internship with them. I used both logos and pathos. I used a logical argument that we were both photographers and that if you want to get to certain places internships are a must. I used pathos to appeal to his emotions when I made him feel a certain way when I said I wanted to be like him. I think the logical argument gave me a good base but when I appealed to his emotion it really changed the point of the argument and he ended up giving me the internship. Summary: Emotional appeals aren't good to start with but rather finish, I got the internship, I can create a logical argument to help me prove a point Reflection: I learned how to use Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to help me prove my opinion in my argument. 

 Although I have many goals that I'd like to accomplish, there are three in particular that I'd want to complete. The first of which includes getting straight A's. This is important to me because I would like to keep my 4.0 unweighted GPA ahead of college. The second goal I'd want to achieve is getting a 36 on my ACT. Even though this would be difficult, I think I can do it. The last goal I'd like to accomplish is to do well on my AP Exams. I hope to get a 5 to exempt any college classes I can.

Prompt: I hope to accomplish a lot this year. I have very high expectations to do a lot of things and I'm excited to start the year off right. My first goal is to get an A in all of my classes. My second goal is to get a 5 on all my AP Exams. Lastly, my third goal is to build a good relationship with my teachers through interests that we both share.  Summary: All A's, All 5's, build good relationships Reflection: I am excited to start the year off on the right foot