ACT Prep & College Writing: SAT essay test

Saturday, September 21, 2019

ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 5 (Sept. 19)

Greetings!

I began the class with a short writing task. I asked the students to answer these 3 questions: 1) What are colleges looking for? 2) What do you have to offer to a college? 3) How can you best demonstrate who you are to a college? After the students took some time to write their responses, we discussed the first question. Their comments included such characteristics as dedicated, hard-working, committed, academically prepared, unique, etc. As we progress to the application essay, later in the semester, we will discuss how the students can write about themselves in such a way that colleges will want them as part of their student bodies.

We've started on the Math section of the ACT and worked through Chapter 11, "No More Algebra." In this chapter, the writers gave us strategies for answering some kinds of problems without specifically using algebra skills. By using ballparking (a strategy from Ch. 10), POE (process of elimination), Plugging In (choosing workable numbers for variables) and PITA (plugging in answer options into equations), students can often solve problems more quickly. As I've stated multiple times in class, the #1 enemy in the whole ACT test-taking process is the lack of time. If students can employ some test-taking strategies that will buy them time, they will have more time for harder questions and will more likely raise their scores.

Following our work with the ACT Math prep, we talked about the SAT Essay. I shared with them the parameters/rubric used for scoring the test. The SAT Essay is scored in 3 categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. Scores range from 1 to 4 and 2 readers will score every essay. The scores are added, so the student can score between 2 and 24 points on the SAT Essay. For next week, students are to take home the SAT #1 Take Home test that they did for this week, and using the scoring definitions and the samples of scored essays, they are to score their own essays. They are also to take SAT #2 Take Home Essay.

Note: In the section below of helpful links, I've included links for some helpful math-related videos and for a link to the ACT policy about calculators. If a student is reading through the Cracking the ACT book and finds that he/she needs more explanations or more practice, theses links would be really helpful.

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read Ch. 11 "No More Algebra"

-- Take the Algebra Drill (p. 130)

-- Correct the Algebra Drill

-- Read handouts about scoring the SAT and sample essays

-- Score your SAT #1 essay

-- Take SAT #2 Take Home Essay

-- Extra Credit -- Score SAT #2

Links for This Week

Class Notes

SAT Scoring

Sample Scores for SAT #1

Helpful Math-related 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.

5 Hacks for the ACT Math Test (8:19)

Ti-84 Calculator Downloading Programs (9:47)

ACT Calculator Policy (pdf)

ACT Math Calculator Skills (6:46)

Here ACT/SAT Prep (10:27)

15 Concepts you need to know

ACT Math 2018 (act.magoosh.com) (7:30)

Strategies and common types of problems

Here ACT/SAT Best Math Prep Strategies, Tips, and Tricks (5:48)

Using the Answer Choices

ACT Math Practice Test 1 (1:16:19)

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.

Detailed explanations of problems from an ACT Math test

ACT Math Test Prep Part 1 (2:18:03)

ACT Math Test Prep Part 2 (1:30:36)

ACT Math Test Prep Part 3 (1:39:58)

Friday, August 30, 2019

ACT Prep & College Essays Class Notes -- Week 2 (Aug. 29)

Greetings!

As with most of the classes this semester, we will cover a lot of material during the class time. As I pace the class, I'm doing my best to avoid an information overload and yet cover important details. For the first class of the day, the students have been attentive and engaged.

We started the day with a Quick Write ("Describe your dream job") and some Words of the Day (common usage errors found in student writing and that might appear in the ACT). I will do these most weeks unless we have too much material to cover. They are great warm-up activities, but some weeks we may need to jump right into the content of the test preparations.

Before we proceeded the bulk of our the content of the day, I walked the students through the My GradeBook site. Some of them had already signed in. If you or your student have not done that yet, go to this document, Instructions for My GradeBook, for instructions. As I told the students, they might never need to go to this site if they are keeping track of their homework. However, if they are absent for a number of weeks or have forgotten if they have handed something in or not, this is a good place to find that information. As parents, you can check it to see if work is getting in or to check on current grade status. It is by no means required of students or parents to regularly check this online gradebook.

As we progress through the book Cracking the ACT, I will introduce and discuss the information in the relevant chapters, and then the students will read those chapters, do the sample problems, and complete the drills. This week we worked through Chapters 5 & 6 that included strategies for taking the English portion of the test. We did a couple of the sample test questions in class, but students should be sure to read through them again as they read the chapter.

This week we had only a small portion of time to talk about the SAT Essay. Let me explain my reasoning for including this unit in this class. Most of the test-taking strategies that we learn are also applicable to the SAT, so if students choose to take that test in addition to or instead of the ACT, they will be prepared. The SAT Essay is markedly different from the ACT Essay, so I feel students will benefit from some time spent on that. Additionally, the SAT Essay requires students to analyze and evaluate a piece of writing, and these are important college-level skills for students to develop. This week I explained the structure of the test and gave them a sample test question that includes an article by Jimmy Carter. They are to actively read the article and mark the ways in which it is persuasive and effective. This will include specific data, logical reasoning, and persuasive stylistic elements.

Below are the Assignments and Links for this week. In the list of links I've also included some videos for the ACT English Test and the SAT Essay test. Although these videos are optional, they would be really helpful to increase the students' knowledge of test taking strategies.

Assignments for Next Week (Sept. 5)

-- Read Chapters 5 - 6 (Remember to be active readers)

-- Make notes about confusing or troublesome portions in the chapters

-- Take the English Drill 1 (p. 54)

-- Correct the English Drill 1 (p. 384)

-- Review Persuasive Writing handouts

-- Read Jimmy Carter article and make notes on detail, reasoning, and persuasive style.

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Week 2 slides

Persuasive Writing Techniques

Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques