Greetings!
The students have done it! They've reviewed (and re-reviewed) all of the strategies for taking the ACT. I recently talked with students who had taken this class from me and then took the test. They said that the tips and strategies not only helped them with the individual tests, but it gave them a greater piece of mind when taking the test. Research shows that when a person is anxious or overly nervous before doing a big task, they do not do as well. (See the 2 links below.)
We started the class with working on a sample ACT Essay prompt. My main goal was for the students to be reminded of the structure and strategies of the test. One aspect that the evaluators look for are the abilities of the students to analyze and then support their ideas. These two tasks take some deeper thinking, so I wanted the students to have a little bit more time for thinking through what they might write for a prompt. After their brainstorming, they sat in small groups to share their ideas.
Our last activity for the day was to do some peer reviews. Some student brough one of their drafts of their college application essays for others to read. Often, students are uncomfortable having others read their papers, which is understandable.
Now, for the nuts and bolts for finishing up the class. Students can hand in any homework until Saturday morning midnight. (8:00 am, to be exact.) All of the remaining homework for the class can be handed in (and returned) via Google Classroom. I will be sending out grades sometime next week. Look for 2 emails from me: one the explains how I grade and then the grades themselves.
This has been a great year with these students. They're bright and engaging, and they've worked hard this year. Best wishes to them! I've mentioned to some that if they ever find themselves in Northfield, they are welcome to stop by. 
Blessings!
Mrs. Prichard
Links for this Week
ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 15 (May 5)
