Showing posts with label English Test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English Test. Show all posts

Thursday, February 3, 2022

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 4 (February 3)

 Greetings!


We covered a lot of material this week, so I bypassed a Quick Write and the Words of the Day.  We've switched from going over strategies and review topics for the English portion of the ACT.  Now we're on to the Math section.  Some of the same strategies apply, but there a number that are specific to answering the math questions.  The Math test is always the second test.  It's a 60 minute test with 60 questions.  Approximately 33 of the questions cover algebra, 23 cover geometry, and 4 are from trigonometry or pre-calculus topics.  We worked through a few practice problems in order to practice some of the strategies.  In the Links section below, I have listed a number of helpful videos specific to the Math portion of the test.

Next week we will work through Chapter 11 -- "No More Algebra."  We'll learn some more strategies and practice them through some of the test questions.  

We've also started learning about the ACT Essay portion of the test.  All of the students in the class have plenty of practice writing essays that have thesis statements, introductions, conclusions, and supporting paragraphs, so composing an essay like this should not bee too difficult.  We will brainstorm a few sample prompts over the next week or so, and then the students will write a couple essays of their own.

Note:  I've included a lot of videos below that would be helpful both for review of grammar topics and for some strategies for taking the test.

Assignments for Next Week:

  • Read through Chapters 9 & 10 (Be an active reader!)

    • Review the Summary

  • Especially mark any areas where you have questions or need further review

  • Quiz yourself on the vocabulary list on p. 109 - 110

  • Fundamentals Drill on page 113 (Answers in Ch. 25, p. 388)

  • Bring to class questions about troublesome sections or topics


Links for This Week
Class Notes

Some Helpful English Videos
ACT English Bootcamp #1 -- Introduction
ACT English Bootcamp #2 -- Section Analysis
ACT English Bootcamp #4 -- Core Strategy
ACT English Bootcamp #28 -- Rhetorical Skills
(There are a number of good videos in this series.  Most of them are under 3 minutes, and they include specific grammar topics.  Check them all out)

Some Helpful Math Videos
Note:  Some of the videos are short explanations of strategies, and some are instructional videos that go through actual past tests.  There are also links for information about calculator policies and calculator use. 
     15 Concepts you need to know
     Using the Answer Choices
    Actual Problems from the Official ACT Prep Pack 2019-2020
Note:  The instructor in this video uses his calculator a lot, so if you are unfamiliar with various possibilities of your calculator, this would be a good video to watch to help you become more familiar.

Blessings!
Mrs. Prichard




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Thursday, January 20, 2022

ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 2 (January 20)

 Greetings!


We had a good class today.  A lot of the class will consist of going through a slide presentation that includes the strategies for the ACT along with samples from the book.  So that the students are not simply sitting and listening to me for the whole time, I like to start with a Quick Write.  I also do these in my other writing classes, but the Quick Writes that we'll do in this class will be focused more on those big life issues and decisions.  This week, I asked students to list 7 of their greatest academic strengths, 7 of their greatest personality strengths, and 7 activities/hobbies that they would like to be able to do for the rest of their lives.

This week we worked through Chapters 5 & 6, which are about the English Test.  This is the first test of the ACT, and it's mostly about grammar, mechanics, and word usage.  I have slides that I use to present the information; they are also posted on Google Classroom.)  We discussed basic steps for approaching the questions:
Step 1:  Identify the Topic (see p. 35)
Step 2:  Use POE
Step 3:  Use the context
Step 4:  Trust your ear, but verify
Step 5:  Don’t fix what isn’t broken

Each week I will go through 1 - 3 chapters from the book Cracking the ACT, and for homework, students will read that those chapters and do practice exercises or drills. For this week, they are to do the English Drill 1 (here are instructions for how to do the Drills on Google Classroom.)

Have a great weekend!
Blessings!
Mrs. Prichard

Homework for Next Week
Read through Chapters 5 & 6 -- Be an active reader 
  • Especially read the practice/example questions and the explanations
  • Review the Summary
English Drill 1 on p. 54 - 56 (Answers in Chapter 25, p. 384)
Bring to class questions about troublesome sections or topics
Review the following topics as needed:  
  • Verbs:  Subject-verb agreement, Verb tenses, Irregular verbs, participles
  • Pronouns:  Agreement, antecedents, cases
  • Modifiers:  Adjectives, adverbs, comparison, superlative
  • End (Stop) punctuation:  period, question mark, exclamation point, semicolon
  • Go punctuation:  comma, colon, dash

Links for This Week
Class Notes



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Friday, February 5, 2021

ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 3 (February 4)

 Greetings!


We had a different class this week because 1/2 of our students were attending via Zoom due to the weather.  Unfortunately for those in the classroom, they were the ones who had to answer all of the questions for our sample problems.

This week we worked through Chapters 7 & 8, which are primarily reviews of common grammar topics found in the ACT and examples of some of the rhetorical questions that they will encounter in the English section of the test.  These topics included verbs, passive voice, pronouns, possessive, and contractions.  We used the 5-Step Basic Approach as we worked through the sample problems in the book:
  • 5-Step Basic Approach

    • Step 1:  Identify the Topic (see p. 35)

    • Step 2:  Use POE

    • Step 3:  Use the context

    • Step 4: Trust your ear, but verify

    • Step 5: Don't fix what isn't broken.


Another important set of guidelines to remember when taking the English Test are the 4 Cs:  Complete, consistent, clear, and concise.

The end of the class was devoted to an introduction to the ACT Essay Exam.  As we work through the chapters of our book, Cracking the ACT, we will simultaneously be doing some writing.  Since the essay portion of the exam is a little more demanding than the multiple choice section of the other tests, we will take sufficient time throughout the semester to brainstorm possible responses and to do practice essay exams.

Assignments for Next Week:

  • Read through Chapters 7 & 8  (Be an active reader!)

    • Especially read the practice/example questions & explanations

    • Review the Summary

  • English Drill 2 on p. 70 - 71.  (Answers in Ch. 25, p. 385)

  • Rhetorical Skills Drill on p. 84 - 85 (Answers in Ch. 25, p. 387 - 388)

  • Review the following topics as needed:  

    • Verbs, indefinite pronouns, prepositional phrases, apostrophes, transitions, and concision 

  • Bring to class questions about troublesome sections or topics

  • Practice English Test (45 minutes) p. 416 – 429

    • Correct your test and read explanations for missed test questions (p. 477 - 495)


Links for This Week:
Class Notes
ACT Related Videos


Have a great weekend!  Stay warm!
Blessings,
Mrs. Prichard


Tamera M. Prichard
Writing Instructor at CHAT
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Thursday, January 28, 2021

ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 2 (January 28)

 Greetings!


We had a full class today as we worked through Chapters 5 & 6 of Cracking the ACT book.

We started class with a Quick Write in which I asked the students to think and write about two prompts -- 1) What makes you unique?  What makes you "you?" and 2) What factors do people consider when making decisions for the futures?  I appreciated their comments about themselves and about their futures.

As I mentioned, we worked through Chapters 5 & 6, which are about the English Test.  This is the first test of the ACT, and it's mostly about grammar, mechanics, and word usage.  I have slides that I use to present the information; they are also posted on Google Classroom.)  We discussed basic steps for approaching the questions:
Step 1:  Identify the Topic (see p. 35)
Step 2:  Use POE
Step 3:  Use the context
Step 4:  Trust your ear, but verify
Step 5:  Don’t fix what isn’t broken

Each week I will go through 1 - 3 chapters from the book Cracking the ACT, and for homework, students will read that those chapters and do practice exercises or drills. For this week, they are to do the English Drill 1 (here are instructions for how to do the Drills on Google Classroom.)

One thing that I've noticed is that, due to the masks, it's harder to have discussions in part because it takes a lot more energy to respond and talk. That said, the class has done a great job at answering questions and taking part in discussions.

Have a great weekend!
Blessings!
Mrs. Prichard

Homework for Next Week
Read through Chapters 5 & 6 -- Be an active reader 
  • Especially read the practice/example questions and the explanations
  • Review the Summary
English Drill 1 on p. 54 - 56 (Answers in Chapter 25, p. 384)
Bring to class questions about troublesome sections or topics
Review the following topics as needed:  
  • Verbs:  Subject-verb agreement, Verb tenses, Irregular verbs, participles
  • Pronouns:  Agreement, antecedents, cases
  • Modifiers:  Adjectives, adverbs, comparison, superlative
  • End (Stop) punctuation:  period, question mark, exclamation point, semicolon
  • Go punctuation:  comma, colon, dash

Links for This Week
Class Notes
ACT Syllabus
ACT Assignments Checklist
Spring ACT Prep Google Drive folder
Instructions for Drills and Practice Tests
ACT Week 2 (Ch. 5 & 6) Slides
Where Will I Go?  (due 1/28)







            Tamera M. Prichard
            Writing Instructor at CHAT
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            Saturday, September 14, 2019

            ACT Prep & College Essays Class Notes -- Week 4 (Sept. 12)

            Greetings!

            We worked hard today and covered a lot of material.  I began the class with a Quick Write for which I asked the students to list the strategies that they remembered about taking the ACT.  They were also to write their thoughts about the Practice English Test.  Some of the students had run out of time for the test and some didn't.  Most of them felt that determining whether the question was a Now, Later, or Never question was a good strategy and helped with time management.

            About the Practice Tests and Chapter Drills -- I will check to make sure that the students finish these, and it is important that they correct the tests and drills.  A very important part of getting ready for the ACT is understanding how the test works, and working through the answers is extremely helpful.

            Our next section of the ACT is the Math Test.  This is always the second section of the test.  It is a 60 minute test that includes 60 test questions about Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Advanced Math.  I gave an overview of Chapters 9 and 10.  

            Our College Essays topic this week included another SAT Essay.  For the SAT Essay, students will be reading and analyzing a passage as to its effectiveness.    This week as homework students are to finish one of the sample SAT Essays.  Next week we will discuss the scoring.

            Assignments for Next Week
            -- Read Chapters 9 & 10
            -- Quiz yourself on the Vocabulary
            -- Fundamentals Drill on p. 113 (Answers on p. 388)
            -- Practice SAT Essay Exam (50 minutes)

            Links for This Week
            Class Notes


            Have a great weekend!
            Blessings,
            Mrs. Prichard
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            Friday, September 6, 2019

            ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 3 (Sept. 5)

            Greetings!

            We started this week in class with a little bit of a mystery -- where did Mrs. Prichard's reading glasses disappear to?  Somehow between the Grace Cafe and the classroom I lost my glasses.  We prayed, and Mrs. Johnson appeared at the door with my missing glasses.  

            I dispensed with the Quick Write and Commonly Misused Words section of the class because I wanted more time for our SAT Essay discussion.  Most of the students will not take this test, but I feel that they engage in important critical thinking skills that will benefit them in higher education situations.  The SAT Essay requires students to read and analyze how effective and persuasive a particular piece of writing was.  As they read a prompt, they consider how the writer uses specific facts/data, logical reasoning, or persuasive style elements.  For this week, we used a sample prompt which was a transcript of a speech that Helen Keller gave in New York.  We discussed it paragraph by paragraph and then considered how we might structure a response.  I was really pleased with the thoughtful comments of each of the students.  Students were given the Take Home SAT Test #1, and they can do that test this week or next week.  

            After our SAT discussion, we focused our attention on the ACT.  Last week and this week we've been learning strategies for the English portion of the test.  As your students can tell you, this English portion is 45 minutes long and includes 5 separate passages, each with 15 questions (75 questions total).  The questions will be a mix of grammar, usage, punctuation, style, and rhetoric topics. 

            The chapters in the Cracking the ACT book are a blend of strategies for working the test and review of those topics the students will encounter.  I've encouraged the students to be active readers and to pay special attention to the areas that seem confusing or troublesome.  They might encounter information that they've never learned.  When this is the case, they should do some research to learn these topics, ask parents for help, send me an email, or ask in class for more information or for whole class review.  Chances are, they won't be the only ones with questions.

            One of the homework assignments for this week is to take the Practice English Test.  For this, students are to go to Practice Test #2 in the back of their books.  Each test has a bubble in sheet; students should either tear that out or make a photo copy.  I feel that it's important to practice filling in those bubbles as they take the test, so they are NOT to write their answers on a separate piece of  notebook paper.  The Practice English Test should be taken in a quiet, undisturbed place.  No music or other distractions.  If your house is on the noisy side, headphones could be used to block out extraneous sounds.  This is also a timed test, so set a timer for 45 minutes.  

            Assignments for Next Week-- Read Ch. 7 & 8 -- Be active by making notes, highlighting, and marking sections
            -- English Drill 2 on p. 70 - 71 (Answers in Ch. 25, p. 385)
                 Note:  These drills will need to be handed in or check in class
            -- Rhetorical Skills Drill on p. 84 - 85 (Answers in Ch. 25, p. 387 - 388)
            -- PRACTICE ENGLISH TEST -- 45 minutes in a quiet place
            -- Take Home SAT Essay Test #1 -- due in 2 weeks

            Links for This Week
            Class Notes
            Videos

            Have a great weekend!
            Mrs. Prichard
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            ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 15 (May 5)

              Greetings! The students have done it!  They've reviewed (and re-reviewed) all of the strategies for taking the ACT.  I recently talked...