by Markella Giannakopoulos, co editor in chief

With the AP exams out of the way, the AP Literature and Composition class has been assigned to write their very own research paper based off a topic that uses a critical lens to look at at least two novels, one of which was read as a class.

They will be going to Queens College on May 18 and 19 to start their research. Guided by Ms. Sackstein, these seniors will develop their own ideas, write a comprehensive thesis statement, and then gather research to support the paper.

“I am looking forward to finding information for my paper because it’s difficult to find information when I’m at home or at school. Queens College will have the resources I need,” senior Mohammed Kazmi said.

As part of the guidelines, students must use at least five sources, three of them being books. The goal of this assignment is to ready students for when they need to write long research papers in college classes.

At Queens College, the class will have a dedicated lab room where they can use the computers to find scholarly articles that support their research topic. They will have librarians to help them in their search for support.

“The independent research assignment will showcase the skills you’ve [the students] learned all year. With this assignment, each of the you will show me the mastery for each of the standards,” AP Lit teacher Ms. Sackstein said.