ACT Prep & College Essay Writing Class Notes -- Week 12 (Nov. 21)

Greetings!

As we near the end of the semester, many of the approaches, and steps, and strategies that we cover are repeats of those from other tests.  For all of the tests, we use the answer choices themselves to answer the question.  We rely heavily on process of elimination and our personal order of difficulty.  

The last test, with the exception of the essay portion, is the Science Test.  It's a 35 minute test with 45 questions.  There are three sections of this test:  Charts & Graphs, Experiments, and Fighting Scientists.  This week we worked through Chapter 22:  The Basic Approach to learn 3 steps for working through the Charts & Graphs section.

• Step 1:  Work the Figures (charts, tables, graphs)
• Step 2:  Work the Answers
• Step 3:  Work the Questions

We devoted most of the class time this week doing peer reviews of one another's college application essays.  Before that, we discussed the purpose of these essays and what students should try to accomplish.  For these peer reviews, students were mostly looking at writing style and content that allowed the writer's personality to shine through.  Students need to send me a copy of their rough draft of their application essays.  I'll go over them and send them back.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Ch. 22

-- Basic Approach Drill 1 on p. 335

-- Basic Approach Drill 2 on p. 336

-- Basic Approach Drill 3 on p. 337

-- Final Draft of College Application Essays

Links for This Week

Class Notes

11-21 Student Notes 1

11-21 Student Notes 2

Week 13 Slides

ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 12 (Nov. 14)

Greetings!

This week we started reviewing the final section of the ACT test -- the Science section.  This fourth test is a 35 minute long test with 45 questions.  It's divided into 3 sections:  Charts & Graphs, Experiments, and Fighting Scientists.  The purpose of the Science section is not necessarily to find out how much students learned and remembered but to assess their reasoning skills, their abilities to understand charts & graphs, and their ability to draw conclusions from data.  Knowing certain topics will be helpful because the familiarity will help students understand more quickly how data and conclusions connect.   They had an overview of Chapters 20 & 21.  For homework they should read through these chapters.  When they encounter sample questions, they shouldn't just read to find the answer and then move on.  They should also read the explanations.  These sample problems are used to explain strategies.

I've listed some videos below that are helpful with the Science Test.

There was some misunderstanding and technical difficulties regarding about the rough drafts for the college application essay, so we decided that next week we will do peer edits of our application essays.  In the list of links below are some websites with sample essays.  Students shouldn't try to mimic another essay because they will lose their authentic voice.  However, reading samples can lead to inspiration.  The should bring a copy to class and to send a copy to me by Wednesday so that I can print a copy for myself.  If there are printing issues at home, I can print the copies, but I need to know that by Wednesday noon.  (I have Wednesday commitments and go to bed early   )

Assignments for Next Week

--  Read Ch. 20 & 21  (No Drills)

-- Finish the Common Application Essay (Bring a copy to class and send one to me.)

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Student Notes

3 Strategies for the Science Test (SuperTutor)

Top 10 Hints from Magoosh

Best 3-Step Strategies for the Science Test

How to Quickly Interpret Data

Twelve College Essay Examples

Top College Essays

The Common Application Prompts & Examples

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

ACT Prep & College Essay Writing Class Notes -- Week 11 (Nov. 7)

Greetings!

This week will be a brief set of notes because I might not have access to my computer for a couple days after tonight.

For the ACT Prep portion of the class, we finished Chapter 19, Advanced Reading Skills.  Many of the topics we covered are good all-around critical thinking and analytic reading skills that are useful for many types of academic reading.  

For the College Essay portion of the class, we discussed the Common Application prompts and then took time to brainstorm possible essay topics.  I have also attached a list of essay prompts that came from individual colleges.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read part 2 of Chapter 19 (p. 286 - 296)

-- Take and score Reading Drill 2

-- Take the Reading Practice Test (p. 450 - 459) 

-- Correct the Reading Practice Test (P. 511 - 518)

-- Write a rough draft of a college application essay

     Note:  We will do peer edits in class next week.

Links for this week:

Class Notes

11/7 Student Notes

Week 11 Slides

Common Application 2019 - 2020 Prompts

60 College Application Prompts

Have a great weekend!  It's time to get out those hats and mittens!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

60 College Application Prompts

1. What can you do that no one else can do? 
2. List your top 10 favorite places. 
3. Name a family tradition and explain why it is significant to you. 
4. If you could have a dinner date with anyone, who would it be, why would you choose that person, and where would you go? 
5. Tell your favorite joke and explain why you think it’s funny. 
6. In what novel would you like to be a character?  Why? 
7. What sets your heart on fire? 
8. What makes you really angry? 
9. Would you rather go to an orchestra concert or an art museum?  Why? 
10. Give your name as an acronym so that it reflects who you are. 
11. Your assignment:  give away $1,000.  Where would you give it?  Why? 
12. Describe in complete sensory details your favorite meal. 
13. Your house is on fire, and you can only grab 3 items.  What would they be?  Why? 
14. You are a brilliant and forward thinking inventor.  What would you invent? 
15. How is your family different from any other family? 
16. Describe your favorite childhood memory. 
17. If you could re-live any day, what day would that be? 
18. What have you learned from your grandparents? 
19. You are suddenly invisible.  What would you do?  Where would you go? 
20. List 20 things that you don’t do well. 
21. What do you NEVER want to do again?  Why? 
22. Describe a day without technology. 
23. Tell about a time when you were disappointed by an adult.  What happened?  What did it feel like? 
24. Why did you come to school at Arcadia?  Was it a good decision? 
25. You’ve been given a 10- day, all expenses paid trip.  Where would you go?  Why? 
26. What holiday is most meaningful to you?  Why? 
27. What is your favorite school subject?  Why? 
28. Describe something you do really well. 
29. What is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?  What made it hard?  
30. Describe yourself in 140 characters – the length of a tweet. 
31. Write 20 adjectives that describe you. 
32. Do you make decisions quickly or slowly?  Describe the process of making decisions. 
33. Describe what is boring to you. 
34. Describe what is exciting to you. 
35. Describe how you are “quirky.”  What makes you just a little odd? 
36. List your top 10 weaknesses. 
37. You’ve been grounded for 10 days.  What did you do and how will you spend your time at home? 
38. When you are a parent, what will you do the same as your parents and what will you do differently? 
39. A group is hotly discussing a political issue.  Will you join in, quietly listen, or walk away?  Why? 
40. If you were a door to door salesperson, what would you be able to sell?   
41. What place have you been to that you could go back to over and over again? 
42. What is your least favorite school subject?  Why? 
43. Create for yourself a personal motto.  Explain it. 
44. Describe a time in the last 3 years when you change your mind.  What prompted the change? 
45. You can travel back in time.  When and where would you go? 
46. Write a radio ad to “sell” yourself.   
47. Tell about a time when you volunteered for an organization. 
48. What causes are you passionate about?  Why? 
49. How would you like to change the world? 
50. What is wrong with our world today? 
51. What is best about your life? 
52. What is worst about your life? 
53. What is right about our world today? 
54. Would you rather wash the dishes, mow the lawn, or babysit a toddler?  Why? 
55. Would you rather write a paper, take a math test, or give a speech?  Why? 
56. Would you rather go to church or go to a political rally?  Why? 
57. Would you rather help at a homeless shelter, clean up garbage in a park, or work a political phone bank? 
58. Describe yourself as a learner.   
59. You’ve inherited a library.  How do you feel?  What will you do? 
60. If you could be 2 people, what would the other “you” be like?   

Common Application 2019/2020 Prompts

The Common Application Announces 2019-2020 Essay Prompts 

The Common Application has announced that the 2019 - 2020 personal essay writing prompts will be the same as the seven 2018 - 2019 essay prompts. By conducting a review process every other year, rather than annually, we can hear from admissions officers, as well as applicants, parents, and counselors, about the effectiveness of the essay prompts.   

2019 - 2020 Common Application Essay Prompts 

 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.   2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?   3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?   4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.   5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.   6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?  

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.  

  

   

ACT Prep & College Essays Class Notes -- Week 10 (Oct. 31)

Greetings!

Our focus for this week's class was again the Reading portion of the ACT test.  We debriefed for Chapters 17 & 18 and reviewed how to choose which passages to do first and which types of questions to do first.  Irene, who has taken the ACT, said that if you're confident that you can finish the test in time you do not need to worry about ordering the passages.  For most students to get to that point, it would help to take a number of practice tests in order to work on speed.  

Our book, Cracking the ACT, suggests a 4-step basic approach for working the passages.  While it might not matter very much which passage a student does first, strategically answering the questions from easiest to hardest could make a very big difference.  Most students find that after the easy questions are answered, the answers for the more difficult ones are more apparent.

I also want to reiterate a comment I've made more than once in class.  One helpful strategy for success in the reading test is to simply read academic literature that is challenging.  We tend to read material that is easy to understand, but for this test, the passages are at a first year of college level of reading.  Another strategy is to work on increasing speed in reading.

For the college application essay portion of the class, we circled up the chairs and discussed a first and second draft of a sample essay.  It is really helpful to hear multiple opinions  when thinking about writing.  Next week I will assign a rough draft of an application essay for the students.  (They could start thinking about potential topic ideas.)

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read 1/2 of Chapter 19 (p. 273 - 285)

-- Work the Sample Dual Passage

-- Read the second draft of "Chuck's" essay

Links for this Week

Class Notes

Rocketbook Student Notes for 10/31

Week 10 Slides

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard