This final blog post will be worth two points. Reflect over the last four semesters of IB HL English: what was your favorite part (why?) and what was a part you would change or alter (why?)? Keep in mind that the major assessments (IOP, Written Assignment, IOC, Paper 1, and Paper 2) cannot be changed, but the ways in which we prepare for them can be tweaked. We are limited to the approved books, but there is some flexibility to possibly change out a book.
56 Comments
Neha Gandra
4/27/2016 07:45:57 pm
LOL this is a very loaded question, but honestly, IB HL English has by far been my favorite IB class over the last two years for a multitude of reasons. I loved how this class (although frustrating at times) seemed to be less about the points and more about actual literary discussion. My favorite part was definitely the book selection; I felt like most of us genuinely enjoyed the books and looked forward to reading them. It didn't really feel like homework which was great! If there was one thing I would change, as superficial as it sounds, it would be maybe include some more opportunities for points in the grade book. Especially last year, I remember feeling stressed out grade wise, because even a minor slip up had huge impacts. Also, if this helps in any way, the only books I wasn't a total fan of were Dorian and Midnight's Children. Overall though, I loved this class because it opened me up to new genres. I've always loved reading, but I usually stick to the same genres and authors, but this class made me realize that I can like international/educational types of literature as well. Thanks for a hype two years Mr. Stetson :)
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Divya Gumudavelly
4/28/2016 04:50:58 pm
I completely agree, Neha! My favorite part is the book selection as well. A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Thing Around Your Neck are among some of the best books I've ever read!
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Stephania
4/29/2016 10:06:00 pm
I hadn't even remembered the book selection, but I do have some favorites that emerged from our required reading. The grade thing is real; I know that my performance on the MC reading quizzes really didn't help me.
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Reeshma Kumar
5/1/2016 12:22:14 pm
Me too Neha, more points in the grade book would make me feel a little safer grade-wise so I could focus on other things in the class. And I also realized I also enjoy some more international books and am a fan of the short-story writing style.
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Deanna
5/1/2016 12:41:52 pm
I completely agree about the points. I would have felt better if there was more opportunities to bring up your grade.
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Lauren
5/3/2016 04:18:18 pm
Ooo I agree Neha! Adding some more points in the grade book is probably the only thing that could make this class better
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Anna Mae
5/6/2016 07:59:14 am
I totally agree with getting this class more points. I understand that the quizzes are supposed to do that, but maybe some other assignments here and there? (participation points????)
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Neha Kishore
5/6/2016 12:13:46 pm
Neha, I think you make a valid point with the points. It would definitely be nice to have more but at the same time one of my favorite parts about the class was that it was always a more discussion based/seminar type class instead of a typical English class with numerous quizzes and tests.
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Sarah Ptashnik
5/12/2016 09:57:54 pm
I also really really agree with adding more points in the grade book. I was always very nervous about making even the slightest mistake and having it have a fairly large impact on my overall grade.
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Divya Gumudavelly
4/28/2016 04:48:52 pm
IB English is most definitely one of my two favorite IB classes and even among the best classes I've taken at NHS (I'm not just saying this!) From the beginning of junior year to the last days of senior year, I've enjoyed every discussion and loved analyzing some of the great books we've read. This class truly challenged me, but not in the traditional sense. Never once have I felt that the work load was overbearing, yet the way we discussed the characters (especially during The Great Gatsby and The Things They Carried) was very insightful. I actually enjoyed the internal assessments; they are very unique ways of assessing knowledge of literature and they were really fun to film! Though I enjoyed most of the books we read, I wasn't a huge fan of Dorian Gray and reading Midnight's Children became very taxing after a certain point in time. I also feel that this last unit seems a little rushed, and I would have liked if we spent a little more time discussing the Awakening and The Thing Around Your Neck. My favorite part of the class is definitely the wide range of books we've read. They were all culturally very eye opening and completely different from what I usually read. Overall, I will really miss this class!!
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Oliver Daniel
4/30/2016 10:35:13 pm
I also enjoyed the wide range of literature that we've read, and I agree with you on your opinions of Dorian Gray and MC. If I could have one wish granted from an IB English Angel, it would be to have your MC video uploaded to YouTube!
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Camille
5/1/2016 01:07:48 pm
I agree with you on spending more time on the last 2 books! The thing around your neck was probably my favorite book and I think we should've had a little more time to discuss it
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Lauren
5/3/2016 04:20:35 pm
I like how you mentioned the class changing you Divya, I feel this way too. I not only broadened my perspective on literature from other parts of the world, but I also got to experience a tight-knit group of peers within the class.
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Anna Mae
5/6/2016 08:00:50 am
It does stink that we weren't able to focus more on this last section. I would have really liked to dive into The Thing Around Your Neck and The Awakening more
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Molly Bis
5/9/2016 09:37:28 pm
I agree with you about enjoying the wide range of literature we read! I like your point about them being very culturally eye-opening, reading them has caused me to want to read other types of books I never thought I would be interested in!
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Sarah Ptashnik
5/12/2016 09:58:41 pm
I also wish we could have spent more time on the last books.
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Stephania
4/29/2016 10:02:08 pm
This class has always been a good one, despite my occasional dramatic angst. My favorite part has always been the discussion, hands down. It's why I joined the class, and it's why, in the end, I don't regret sticking around. They have been really fun to participate in, and the fact that I'm comfortable expressing my opinions around the class (and hopefully the rest of the class feels that way as well) really says a lot about the depth and breadth of what we say.
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Oliver Daniel
4/30/2016 10:36:39 pm
I do remember having to force myself a bit to read Song of Solomon over the summer, but I'm glad I did. I also struggle with writing skills, but I think it's mostly my fault for not putting enough effort into essays and such.
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Divya Gumudavelly
5/1/2016 09:38:32 am
Unfortunately, the IB Angel isn't a real thing, and the video will never be uploaded to youtube!
Camille
5/1/2016 01:06:52 pm
I agree with you on more essay work!
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Neha Gandra
5/5/2016 09:01:24 pm
Stephania, I love your point about discussions in English this year. I honestly enjoyed how we would get off topic, but still have an amazing conversation on a very relevant/important issue.
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Oliver Daniel
4/30/2016 10:32:55 pm
I feel that I gained a lot from this class, and I'm really glad that I took it!
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Divya Gumudavelly
5/1/2016 09:40:43 am
I totally agree, this class helped improve my presentation skills as well! Often times English classes focus on written communication and forget that spoken communication is just as important!
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Reeshma
5/1/2016 12:28:44 pm
I agree Oliver, I feel like we could have watched some better film adaptations and spent a longer time on the poetry unit and on some discussions near the end. The workload was definitely a plus and the projects in this class are the first ones I can remember that I actually enjoyed doing.
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Deanna
5/1/2016 12:43:21 pm
I completely agree my presentation skills and my ability to analyze literature has improved immensely over the course of the last two years.
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Neha Gandra
5/5/2016 09:07:01 pm
Oliver, I agree with your entire post, especially the parts regarding the movies and how we were never BOGGED down with work at any point! s/o to Mr. Stetson for being so understanding :)
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Molly Bis
5/9/2016 09:39:23 pm
I like your point about feeling like we got an adequate workload! It was just enough work to give us an incentive to do well in the class but not too much work where we were overloaded.
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Reeshma Kumar
5/1/2016 12:12:23 pm
Wow the last IB English blog post ever :( I've enjoyed this class immensely and I love how it differs from all the other English classes I've taken. It's great that the focus of the class is not on the memorization of events in the books but on an analysis of the book's themes, characters, significance, purpose, and writing style. I recommend to everyone that they take it because it gives you a chance to delve into other genres of books and poetry and helps you figure out how to dig into literary works and find a deeper meaning. I really enjoyed this weekly blog for one, as well as reading Gatsby, The Thing Around Your Neck, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kafka, and Brave New World. Some of these became my favorite units not just because of the reading but because of the accompanying discussions we had in class. You really learn about other people's perspectives and are able to understand different ways in which events can be interpreted. If it helps, I wish we had a more discussion-type way of analyzing the poems for the IOC, in that we would analyze it by ourselves for homework and then discuss in class what we and others picked up on; I feel like this would make it easier to see what to look out for and to see what other people would have to say about the same poem. Also, we would be somewhat familiar with all the poems so that it wouldn't be a mad rush at the end to understand them all. Also, if it helps, Midnight's Children was just difficult to read in such large intervals. If we maybe had fewer pages to read each night I might have been able to focus on it and analyze it more. I also think that if we could read something different other than Song of Solomon because I don't think it had much to do with the rest of the books we read this year. Maybe changing what genre it was? or maybe introducing a play over the summer which would introduce us to the writing style and what to look out for when we read Macbeth come fall. I really liked the open-ended project you gave us second semester senior year as it actually turned into a lot of very creative projects and informational presentations. As a sign-off, thank you Mr. Stetson for putting in all the time and effort you did to pull off such an informative, eye-opening, and many times entertaining class where we were encouraged to speak our opinion, no matter how strange our connections :)
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Zahra
5/3/2016 10:52:04 am
The idea you mentioned for the IOC is great; I feel like I struggled with it a lot as well and having more of a discussion instead of just a presentation would have been helpful. Also the final project was also a very entertaining way to end the school year XD
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Alex Breuhan
5/4/2016 08:07:22 pm
I enjoyed reading Song Solomon, but you're right that it did not fit in much with the curriculum. If I recall correctly, we didn't spend much time discussing the book and it didn't come up at all once we got into gear. I agree that the summer reading assignment should be changed because of this.
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Deanna
5/1/2016 12:51:11 pm
I can't believe this is our last blog post ever. This year has gone by so fast. I have never enjoyed an Englisg class as much as I have enjoyed IB English. I have learned a lot in this class. My presentation skills, essay writing, and ability to analyze literature has improved immensely over the course of the last two years. I particularly enjoyed all the presentations and learning more about the background information related to the book. The only thing that I would change about this class is the lack of points available. I felt like I was always concerned about my grade because I would always be like 1/2 a point away from an A.
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Ramya Erasala
5/5/2016 08:29:32 pm
I agree Deanna, I think my essay and analytical skills have improved so much from taking this class. I enjoyed learning about the backgrounds of books too.
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Zach Pozsar
5/7/2016 04:56:19 pm
I completely agree Deanna. I am not an English person but I really enjoyed this class.
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Camille Tish
5/1/2016 01:06:05 pm
I really enjoyed this class and how it was like a Socratic seminar every day. I loved our discussions and how we were often able to link topics in the book to real world issues and that we were always encouraged to share our opinion and felt like it was an open environment. I loved having really open minded classmates as well and I feel like we were all pretty non-judgmental, which made for great conversations. Though the discussions were great and the highlight of the class for me, I would actually suggest that there be some variety rather than discussion every day, just different activities to change things up. Also, as I think Stephania mentioned, I think the class could use more essay writing/development, as essays don't really go away and I always think there's room to improve in that area. Overall, this class was really interesting, fun, and thought provoking. Thanks for a great 2 years Mr. Stetson :)
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Zahra
5/3/2016 10:54:07 am
I totally agree with you about the Socratic Seminar thing - we had the same discussions but without the pressure of having to get enough words in to get the points. Also I swear I didn't copy the end of your blog post, but it has been a great two years
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Neha Kishore
5/6/2016 12:16:11 pm
Camille, I also loved our classroom environment and daily discussions! I really thought it made me enjoy the novels more and opened my mind to perspectives I would have never seen on my own.
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Zahra
5/3/2016 10:46:23 am
I think basically everyone has mentioned this already, but my favorite part of this English class was the structure. I loved the discussions that we had about the books, and how we were able to dig even deeper in the story by bouncing ideas back and forth off of each other. I also like how we varied the discussion so that some days we (the students) would come up with the prompts or topics of discussion, and other days it would be more teacher led. On the topic of variation, I also liked how we weren't just constantly writing papers or taking tests, but we mixed it up with presentations and videos and skits, just always keeping it interesting and hilarious.
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Alex Breuhan
5/4/2016 08:13:18 pm
I loved the structure of the class too and the discussions wherein we exchanged ideas. This really was helpful and sometimes allowed me to consider themes and symbols I never would have considered. I also loved that we did not just do essays but also did skits and more interactive projects.
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Ramya Erasala
5/5/2016 08:28:30 pm
I agree Zahra! I think the variation made this class different from other English classes we've taken and made it more exciting.I wasn't a fan of the Macbeth movies or Dorian Gray either.
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Lauren
5/3/2016 04:15:57 pm
I honestly loved this class and all of you guys in it. I feel like the best part of English over the last two years was how close we became. By being that close, I personally felt more comfortable presenting or discussing things in the class. My favorite project was the A Thousand Splendid Suns choice project because the requirements were vague allowing for uniqueness of each project. I don't think I have a least favorite thing in this class. I thought everything we did in class was beneficial to some extent for the IB requirements and preparing us well for IB testing, as well as future English classes.
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Alex Breuhan
5/4/2016 08:04:01 pm
I really enjoyed this class overall. I agree with a lot of you that the book selection was excellent. We read books by authors from all over the world and through class discussions interpreted the deeper themes and meanings of said texts. I wish we discussed the last two books more in depth, though, because it felt kind of rushed. When I was studying for paper 2, I flipped through some of the google presentations we made on the various themes of The Things They Carried. It would have been great if we did this for the Awakening and The Thing Around Your Neck because revisiting the slideshows of the themes of TTTC helped prepare me for paper 2.
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Madeline
5/6/2016 07:52:02 am
I also think my analysis skills got a lot better and the interpretation of deaper meeting was important to this class. Also, your stop motion was awesome!
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Ramya Erasala
5/5/2016 08:27:19 pm
It's so crazy and sad to think that this is the last blog post I'll be doing for this class. IB English has been one of the best classes I've taken. Before being a part of this class, I never really loved English and discussing books very much, but the discussions that we were able to have in this class were much different and more interesting with a smaller group. I liked how it was different from a regular English class structure-wise and we were able to read such great books that I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own. Even though the assessments were a little stressful, I think that the class was enjoyable and I liked watching and doing different presentations like our IO's. Like a lot of others, I think the only thing I would change is to have more points so that losing a few points doesn't make grades change drastically. I'm really glad I was in this class!
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Madeline
5/6/2016 07:50:31 am
I also really liked this class and how it really got me into English. I loved the conversations and thought the books were for the most part very good.
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Zach Pozsar
5/7/2016 04:55:31 pm
Haha I definitely agree with the points thing too
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Abhi
5/15/2016 10:46:53 am
Ramya, I too never had really enjoyed english because before this class, it seemed like all we did was just listen to the teacher talk but now finally i was able to contribute to the class itself!
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Madeline Chen
5/6/2016 07:48:23 am
I really enjoyed this class. I think the highlights were the conversations we had. We had lots of great literature conversations, debates, and etc. I found this very helpful in understanding and enjoying the book, as well as with enjoying the class. If anything could be changed I would not throw in a random book over the summer. I'm sure it wasn't intended to be random, but it ended up going relatively untouched once the year started. Also, I know Novi has their IBHL kids turn in (at least a rough draft) of their essay at the end of junior year. It probably would have been helpful to have a draft or something due at the end of junior year so that way we had something to work off of over the summer.
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Neha Kishore
5/6/2016 12:35:57 pm
Looking back, I don't think there was a moment where I began to regret taking the class. Yes, I don't doubt for a minute that the regular honors english class would have been easier, especially during junior year, but I genuinely accredit this class for giving me a new appreciation for literature and writing. I was never a fan of reading and before this class could probably count the number of books I read on two hands LOL, simply because I found all books to be boring and a waste of time (just being honest about my previous thoughts). But, after reading books like a Thousand Splendid Suns, Kafka on the Shore, A Brave New World, Song of Solomon (which I actually really enjoyed to the point where I looked up analysis's out of my own curiosity...ik I was surprised too), the Great Gatsby, and Things they Carried, I found myself having new perspectives about war, life in other countries, life through the eyes of other races, life through the eyes of a thief, life dominated by technology, and a billion other things. Each book shed light on a new world and brought forth a new perspective. I actually enjoy reading now VOLUNATARILY and even our blog posts opened me up to articles and interesting debates I was oblivious to before. Our class never felt like just another boring school class where the sole motivation was getting the A. That being said, there are a few things that could be improved. Our poetry unit with the presentations, I think it'd be much more helpful if we all took the time to read every poem on our own. Second, it'd be nice to have more opportunities for points. I felt myself feeling worried about minor slip ups because I was scared I couldn't recover. Lastly, I felt my writing improved tremendously over the four semesters, but I think we stopped focusing as much on essays senior year. It could be helpful for college if that emphasis on writing carried over to the last year as well. Over-all the class did wonders for me and I not only loved it but truly learned so much. Thanks Mr.Stetson! :)
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Zach Pozsar
5/7/2016 04:54:54 pm
My favorite part about HL English was the basis of the class being discussion topics. I think that some of the most valuable learning experiences I have had in English have been when I've listened to what other people think about something. Understanding multiple perspectives and other ideas has been great for better understanding literature. If I could change anything, I would possibly change the order in which we read the books. Even though I specifically didn't use the later stories in The Thing Around Your Neck, it would've been nice to have had the entire book done before testing on it. But, honestly that is a very minor gripe and I can't really complain. Not being a huge English person, I really enjoyed what we have done in these past two years and I definitely learned a lot.
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Abhi
5/15/2016 10:45:30 am
I agree Zach, I think that the discussions were some of the best parts of English and truly helped me broaden my horizons.
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Anna Mae
5/9/2016 08:47:06 am
THIS CLASS LET ME TELL YOU. This class kept me going while exposing me to amazing pieces of literature. I found my new favorite book (obviously Kafka) and a bunch of runner ups. I enjoyed our projects as much as one can enjoy a school project, especially the last creative project based on Midnight's Children. However, my absolute FAVORITE part of the class was the discussions we had about the amazing literature. These exposed me to everyone's viewpoints and opinions; insight I would never have gotten if we didn't talk about the book. The conversations made helped my understanding of all the books reach a very critical and analytical level that by myself, would have difficult if not impossible to reach. I will miss this class the most, I think. In college, when I'm in a 400-person lecture hall, I will think of our little 4B english class with bitter-sweet emotion. I'll miss you guys
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Molly Bis
5/9/2016 09:46:38 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed this HL English class throughout my two years, and here's why!
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Sarah Ptashnik
5/12/2016 10:15:20 pm
I can honestly say I have never really enjoyed English until this class. Before, it was always just lectures on grammar and giving the same boring presentations and writing the same boring paper. I remember last year I quickly became super drawn into the class and it easily became one of my favorites. I loved how we would take something and analyze it so deeply, looking into all of these new and different perspectives. I used to really only look at the face value of things, and this has not only helped me to dive deeper into things with school, but in real life situations too. I also cannot even begin to say how much my social skills have improved when it comes to going up in front of the class or participating in discussions. My absolute favorite part of this course was when we read Kafka on the Shore and all of the IO's that followed. Really, I felt like I gained a bit of personal knowledge from each book we've covered. I will be honest and say that senior year did start to get the best of me this year, but besides that I genuinely enjoyed this class.
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Abhi
5/15/2016 10:42:42 am
I think that the thing that I enjoyed the most about this class was the level of impact you could have on your own enjoyment. I think that this was the first English class where the day-to-day endeavors were centered around our own involvement and our own discussions, and that led to many classes where 90 minutes seemed like 9. I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby and I think that that novel was by far my favorite simply because of how deep you could delve into the content. I think that the one thing I would change in the class would be the movies. I think that we could watch different movies that aren't as well known to complement some of the concepts, so that you could experience an array of different types of cinema.
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Alex Moss
8/3/2016 02:28:06 pm
Dope
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Jack Hines
5/18/2016 09:43:42 am
My favorite part of the semester was probably watching Alex's stop motion video. You should definitely show that next year instead of the awful low budget movie. That being said, Slumdog Millionaire was really good two and is a close second. I probably wouldn't change how we prepared for the Papers or internal assessments, because I felt pretty prepared for them. If I had to change anything, I wouldn't watch that weird World War 2 version of Macbeth, that was just a weird and disturbing movie.
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