Week 8 of AP Lit and Comp was centered around the beginning of our tragedy blogs but also included a thought provoking poem of the week and a segment or two of silent sustained reading. Also, this week we went as a class up to room 202 for the very first time this year. I really enjoyed that change because it allowed for easier conversation and when we began to discuss the TED talk there wasn't a multitude of computer monitors separating the speaker from the rest of the class. It was also interesting to see how different surroundings can influence the thought flow and I think it was also comforting for me because I have never had an English class only in the computer lab. I wish that everyone had access to a laptop and would be willing to bring it everyday to room 202, I really enjoyed the square format and access to a white board. This week, was a good week. I also enjoyed the beginning of our tragedy blogs because it is different than anything we have done in class up to this point. I like the individual style because it allows each member of the class to have and be able to express a unique opinion. I like the challenge to discover and support an individual philosophy and the assignment that asks us to muse over our thoughts. The tragedy has begun to and will continue to help me gain the skills to develop a stance of my own and back it up with legitimate thought and evidence I have found. A large emphasis in this course is put on the discoveries of each student. What the tragedy blog, and other projects like it, will teach us something that we could not get from a lecture. Uncovering our belief system about a certain subject is a type of learning that can stay with us past the test date. I find this challenge much more difficult than just regurgitating what the instructor talked about on to a test form; it forces us to focus all of our attention on thinking critically.