Marking Period One

Explanation

• The task of this assignment was to conduct research and make a presentation on the social, historical, and cultural background of Afghanistan. 

• The objective is to learn and teach peers about Afghanistan. As a group we had to help build an understanding of the country where the novel, The Kite Runner, is based in. As the first presenters we set up the groundwork for the following presentations that talk about the novel. As certain aspects of the novel are talked about in other presentations connections could be made to Afghanistan and its history. 

• The unit involved analyzing passages and novels in this assignment as a group we were able to investigate background information on a novel's setting to further understand it and analyze it on a deeper level.  

• By completing the assignment I learned about several key events that occurred in Afghanistan throughout its history. I understand why the country is in its current state particularly how major historical events unfolded. 

Reflection

• This assignment showcases my ability to thoroughly research and tie information together. I was also able to demonstrate my ability to present information in an organized way. 

• The assignment represents important themes in the course since it focuses on deeply analyzing aspects of a novel that we were reading. 

• I enjoy learning and investigating world history and enjoyed doing so in this assignment. I appreciate building on the knowledge I already have on Afghanistan and building connections to the novel we were reading. 

• The assignment connects to the larger world as it involves researching about a foreign country's history. 

Explanation

• The task of this assignment was to reread and annotate examples of imagery, word-choice, and selection of detail in the prompt, Snow by Julia Alvarez. Additionally analyze in one paragraph how the author creates an ominous mood throughout the story. Using our annotations several examples should be cited to support the thesis.  

• The objective of the assignment is to be able to create a thesis statement based on the prompt, how Alvarez creates an ominous mood surrounding her first childhood experience of snow. We should be able to provide specific examples from the text to support the thesis in one paragraph. 

• The overall unit focuses on analyzing texts and novels just like what the assignment focused on. The assignment specifically asks for analysis of literary devices much like the other prompt in the unit. This practice follows the structure of the AP exam writing section. 

• I learned how to write concisely. I found it hard to fit in all the points I wanted to make but in this case I was restricted to one paragraph which was helpful in practicing how to get to the point.  

Reflection

• The most challenging part of this assignment was starting off the prompt and fitting everything in one paragraph. Typically when analyzing prompts the introduction includes background information about the text but in this instance we only needed to write a paragraph and it could not be included. In future writing we can not spend time writing background information when timed on the AP exam.  

• I believe the thesis statement could be improved. The thesis is not very detailed, it answers the prompt by restating the prompt. The thesis does not explain how the literary techniques were specifically used in the text. 

• If I were to redo this assignment I would go back and fix the thesis statement. I would note how the mentioned literary techniques were specifically used in the passage to create the ominous mood.