#18 Final Portfolio Assesment

“The classes in which you struggle the most will be the ones you remember.”—Emily Hoffman

            Over the past trimester I have put forth some of the best work of my high school career. Specifically I believe that the Creative Project and the American Drama Project were my two most proud works in this class.

            In the Creative Project I was able to work collaboratively in a group; we promoted the sharing of ideas, context, quotes, and really valued one another’s efforts. From this came the game board, the text and a complex understanding of Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi.” A lot of group projects in the high school tend to be blown off onto one person to take responsibility for, but the environment A.P. Literature provided in context was a “weed-out” for those students who didn’t contribute. I thought the group dynamic was the best of my entire career. However, no project comes without a single flaw. Admittedly, I made a small mistake on the game board (forgot a piece), as well as an awkward topic sentence in the paper. While each was not a big mistake, I pride myself on the perfection of my work. This attitude allowed me to get the most out of this project. The intricacies of the book became more and more apparent as we had group discussions online. I understood the importance of religion in relation to the book’s themes, whereas before I missed the understanding. I got a better understanding of the purpose of the ending, in deciding which story was real and why. This project truly worked as it should, the highest level of Blooms Taxonomy is creation, and create we did.

            Additionally in the American Drama Project I valued how the collaborative efforts of a group come to undercover the meaning and style behind a play. For my American drama project, a group of friends and I selected David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” to be the play we concerned ourselves with. I worked my pencils to a nub working on drafting a thesis and drawing up storyboards. Then I witnessed my work pay off as the group agreed with the thesis and my storyboarding paid off in the filming process. We accounted for all my elements of mis en scene, the lighting was considered, diagetic and non-diagetic sounds were controlled, and the line splicing worked like a charm. The strengths of this project were the fluidity and control of the cinematography; however our project lacked in the department of our paper. So much time was devoted to filming that when it came time to produce a write-up no one wanted to bite the bullet. This procrastination leads to a less than perfect paper at turn in time. From this I learned the skill of time management and my understanding of mis en scene as well as meaningful quotations. A staple in our work was the use of a powerful short quote, a staple I began to add to my writing as the trimester progressed. Overall, the American Drama Project was a favorite of mine because it was enjoyable, fun, and difficult; and I would love to do it again.

            Progressing, a big part of A.P. Literature is being present and aware in the classroom. For my time at MHS I have always pushed myself to be attentive in the class room and stay organized as possible (I stress the “as possible”) because I know that what we learn in class will be directly reflected onto any test and quizzes we may take. To stay attentive I try to answer question, avoid those awkward silences and ask questions when I get confused. I stay up on my work because I know that the worst thing to do is skipping over an assignment, because you fall into the trap of repeating yourself. So, to keep myself focused I formed a study group. Jack, Megan, Jack, and I created the power quad, studying over the phone and on Google docs to better prepare ourselves. If there ever was a question about the homework or a misunderstanding of any of the literature we were reading I would go to the quad.

            In an assessment I would in hopes rate myself very high. For starters, I arrive on time everyday with a positive and willingness to learn, when I am absent I complete the nights homework not to fall behind, etc. Throughout the trimester I have only put forth a shoddy quality of work on one paper, forgive me, I procrastinated due to the fervor of the other courses in my schedule and in haste turned in work that was not the quality of my own. I hope to make up this error in the tasteful presentation of my blog. I have put forth the uttermost effort on my American Drama Project and my Hamlet blogs. Not to say that everything else is not quality, no, I just pride my performance in this class off of those works, I hope you see this too. In my group projects many will attest to the hard work I put in and out of school to see that the group project does not sink. I stay up past everyone logging out to proof over and make corrections. I was especially delighted when you commented on my storyboards saying how well I did with them. Thus, through time and time again I hope you can observe my effort and my learning in you class, all stemming from my drive to participate.

            While the first trimester has ended I realize that I will begin again with a clean slate in a trimester to come. In the third trimester I realize that the A.P. exam is approaching with most “wicked speed” so I must prepare. By the January I hope to have completed two more A.P. practice test. Throughout the trimester I found that completing the A.P. practice test and understanding my errors dramatically increased my score. The first practice test I scored a “C” and the final exam I scored a “A+”. However, these two scores come after the test corrections. I must strive to make my final grade the starting grade.

            Similarly I need to strive to become a more adept writer. My thesis has progressed leaps and bounds and my topic sentence stricter, a light year. However I must not settle to average. In the coming year I plan to begin reading for pleasure more. You absorb the writing skills of good author without consciously paying attention in reading. Like how a tutor rubs off on a student, a good book can perform miracles in advancing your writing. By February I hope to have re-read “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel, and the “Book Theif” with Lesil Memminger. Both books have been praised by a multitude of sources and critiques report that there is a significant complexity found in both books.

            Conclusively, my work as a student doesn’t ever end. I must continue to work towards “A” quality work and ultimately a great score on the A.P. exam. Yes, I have come a long way since entering the fire and flames of your class, but I don’t regret a moment. Thanks, and I am looking forward to the trimester to come.