The AP Lit teacher came into our 11th grade honors Eng class to talk about the her class today. She said that she tries to mimic a college class, which means there will be a lot of discussions and seminars. She said basically the class would be leading the course.
The thing is I’m really shy and don’t like to speak in class. Do you get graded on these seminars and class discussions?
Generally, yes, but you can always ask the teacher.
Oh… I feel like I might do really bad in the class next year as I suck at speaking in a large group :(.
I had her 10th grade year for Honors English 10 and she never us graded on class discussions, as it wasn’t mandatory to participate.
Is it mandatory to talk, like raising your hand to answer a question? The only time I talk is with my friends, otherwise you won’t hear anything from me in class.
It’s not really Q&A. More like, “OK, let’s talk about Act II of Hamlet. Who wants to begin?”
@skieurope
Yea I know, she said one class discussion was about “why some stories end the way they do” to know how a great writer thinks.
She said that she doesn’t get involve with much of the class and just sits there while everyone makes a circle with their desks and talks.
I’m horrible at class discussions, I can’t say anything more than a sentence. I’m not a talkative person. I’ll be so mad that the reason I get a bad grade was because of my speaking skills.
Sadly my school doesn’t offer AP Comp anymore and AP Lit is the only English AP class.
@EYeager I’m currently taking AP Lit, and although discussion and class participation is a big part of the overall grade, there are a few people (2-3) in my class that are clearly uncomfortable speaking and they have been maintaining A’s through the year. My teacher understands their discomfort - she often tells how introverted she was when she was our age - and so gives them opportunities to get their participation grade. We have had to do 2 10-minute presentations this year, so those have been the only times that those who are shy have struggled, but even then they got through it. Overall, I’d say that having trouble speaking and being shy will make getting a higher grade harder, however that alone shouldn’t decide whether or not you take the course. There are plenty of writing and reading related grades that accumulate over the year as well. Finally, improving your speaking skills will come in handy in the future, so taking the class may actually help you!
Talk to the teacher. If it’s a subject where you are strong but for the participation there should be a way to make it work. I don’t think D’s class required participation and her writing stood on its own.
I have the same problem, except I’m in AP Lang. It caused me to get a B last semester. In 9th grade, however, we had some discussions that weren’t graded. So I think it depends if the teacher decides to grade it or not. If it is graded, perhaps you could talk to (or send an email to) the teacher explaining the problem. Or even the school counselor, if that’s easier.
That in a nutshell. Public speaking is a skill which will be needed in life regardless of which English course you take in HS.
We had a teacher in a discussion class who kept track of student contributions (only meaningful / additive ones). After the class she would figure out the average number of contributions per student (usually 3-4). Any student who was more than a certain amount over OR under the average got marked down. The idea was to partly to encourage students to learn to pay attention to the rhythm of the class; to encourage the over-contributors to be more selective about what the say; and to encourage the ones who tend to sit back to engage. My one who was inclined to not speak knew that if she contributed three things to the discussion she would be fine, and would prepare for class by having (say) half a dozen thoughts ready (in case of duplicates with other students). By the middle of the year she no longer stressed about it, and by the end of the year she was really comfortable with it- and now (3 years later, as a college junior) says that it was wonderful preparation for college.
@EYaeger, if the teacher is overall a good teacher, this could be a great opportunity for you. The class gets to know each other and if a discussion format is new to you, you may find that it can be more interesting and more fun. This is one of those moments where you can stretch yourself- and maybe surprise yourself!
Lol, look at the date of the thread.
Yes I ended up taking AP Lit. It ended up being one of my favorite classes. Participation is mandatory and apart of my grade but it is pretty easy to participate. I ended up getting an A first semester so it was well worth it.
@EYeager This is really good to hear. I am also pretty shy in school and was thinking about taking AP Lit next year. I despise doing presentations (I get all nervous and start to sweat/stumble on words), so I guess I’d just have to power my way through them.
Yeah there is a fair amount of presentations since there won’t be many tests but you get use to it since you will have a Socratic seminar every week. You will pretty much know everyone in class really well so you won’t be nervous at all.
It sounds like you might have social anxiety. If you get a doctor’s note saying you have it you might get excused or you might get treatment (cognitive behavioral therapy or medication) that could help.
@EYeager- my bad! glad it worked out though-- well done 