Day 43

Overview of the Period

Today in class we took the information we’ve been researching and turned it into a piece of writing. I enjoyed this activity because it gave us the opportunity to showcase what we’ve been researching, while still practicing for the AP Test. In the past when we’ve researched our own topics, we would put the information in a slideshow and present, but I never really felt like that was preparing me for anything, and I never felt that I got to truly test my knowledge on the topic, because anyone can read an article and pick out a few key points from it. But, you have to actually think to write about it when we do it this way. In the past when we’ve done research projects, I wasn’t able to get the full meaning out of the articles and documents I read. But this time, I chose to research the Atlantic Slave Trade. I was able to learn a lot about the poor conditions the Africans were kept in on their way to the Americas, and I feel like this information will be able to stick with me because I was able to utilize it in writing.

If we were to do this again in the future, which I hope we do, I would make it so we know the important information to put in our writing, like our point of view, claim, transitions, and tone, because through my writing and the writing I read I felt that we didn’t know where to start and just started giving out information, but not with any clear purpose. I know on the AP Test what we need isn’t going to be spelled out in front of us, but for a practice exercise it would be nice to have it so we can get used to including all of the information necessary in order for us to succeed. But at the same time I don’t want us to have super strict guidelines, because on the AP Test it won’t be like that.

AP World History is actually one of my favorite classes this year. When I walk into class, it doesn’t really feel like we’re working, but at the same time, we’re still learning all the information and preparing every day. I really like the way we learn the information outside of class through the checklists, because it allows everyone to go at their own pace, and doesn’t waste the class time we have. Because we learn all of the baseline information at home, we’re able to focus on adding on to our knowledge and our writing. Something I struggle with in this class is how much information there is. Don’t get me wrong, I love that we can choose what we want to learn about and pursue that topic. But, with all of the events that have happened throughout history, how am I supposed to just pick one? At the same time, the large amount of options is what I love about the course. We’re able to learn about the way the world has developed and changed in the way we want to, while still focusing on events that interest us.