<p>We had to discuss a novel in AP english for the 1st time and we sat "seminar" style or w/e. during the discussion, i felt completly lost b/c there i was trying to listen to what everyone else said, while trying to formulate my own relevant comments. to get an "A" we need 6 comments- i had 2 :(</p>
<p>do u guys have any tips on participating in class discussions? I am really quiet and i like to "think before I speak", which hurts me when others are quicker and can express themselves easier.</p>
<p>I have to the same thing in APUSH. We all split up into groups and we are each assigned a question to discuss in our own little groups. After discussing for about 5-7 minutes in our own little groups, our class then discuss each opinion. </p>
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<li><p>I completely understand what you mean by "think before speak" because that's pretty much what I do all the time. What you should do is if you have along comment and it's hard to remember all of it, then just write down in your notebook. That way it'll be easier for you to discuss it.</p></li>
<li><p>If all your comments are being takne, then go with the "I agree" comments or the "in my opinion" comments. Say something like "I agree with this person," or whoever raised their hand and you can either elaborate on that or something the suthor discussed in the book.</p></li>
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<p>Follow my advice and you'll get an A. I just got back my APUSH grade and I have a 98% in participation :p</p>
<p>My AP World class also has a certain "comment" quota we must fulfill each week in order to get full credit.</p>
<p>Every week about 10 kids present on their weekly essay and we need to say at least 5 questions throughout the week in order to get full credit. The first week I had problems thinking of questions but after awhile it gets easier; you realized what kinds of topics are easy to ask questions on etc..</p>
<p>I can completely empathize with AP English. My teacher is extremely fond of calling on completely random people who aren't raising their hands in the middle of class. To combat this, I've been taking a few moments at the beginning of a discussion to think of a comment--one good comment--so that if she suddenly asks for my opinion, I have something to say other than, "Um, yeah, erm, it was interesting. Um. Because it really, eherm, represented...society?"</p>