ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 5 (February 10)

 Greetings!

This week we started right in with the ACT Essay Test.  Our College Essays topic this week included an introduction to the ACT Essay Test.  In the ACT Essay Exam, students are given a topic that elicits multiple perspectives.  They are to develop their own perspective and then compare it with 3 other perspectives.  In the course of their writing, they are to support their viewpoints with details, logical arguments, and persuasive elements.  A basic outline for this essay would look like this:

I.  Introduction -- state the idea presented in the passage and give your perspective as a thesis statement

II.  Explain your perspective and back it up with  details, logical arguments, and persuasive elements

III.  Compare your perspective with the perspective that you mostly agree with.  Unpack that perspective to explain its strengths and weaknesses.

IV.   Compare your perspective with the perspective that you kind of agree with.  Unpack that perspective to explain its strengths and weaknesses.

V.   Compare your perspective with the perspective that you mostly disagree with.  Unpack that perspective to explain its strengths and weaknesses.

VI,  Conclusion -- Summarize the main points of the body and reassert your perspective.

This type of writing can be really challenging, so lots of practice is important.  The students have a take-home ACT test that is due on March 3.  We will continue to brainstorm and talk through multiple prompts for the tests.

After the Essay discussion, we started in with our slides and discussion of the strategies from the Princeton Review's Cracking the ACT.  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. 

Next week my son Ryan Prichard will be subbing for me.  Our plan is for him to set up the class and I will Zoom in for the ACT slides explanation. 

Assignments for March 4

• Read through Chapter 11 (Actively!)

• Work through the examples and carefully read the explanations 

• Review the Summary

• Algebra Drill on p. 130 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 389)

• Bring to class questions about troublesome sections or topics

Links for this week

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 5 (February 10)

ACT Plugging in Strategy (This is a really helpful video for practicing the plugging in strategy.)

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. 

5 Hacks for the ACT Math Test (8:19)

Ti-84 Calculator Downloading Programs (9:47)

ACT Math Calculator Skills  (6:46)

Here ACT/SAT Prep (10:27)

     15 Concepts you need to know

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.

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

Chapters 9 & 10 Cracking the ACT pdfs

Chapters 9 & 10 Slides

ACT Calculator Policy

Sample ACT Essay Prompts for Brainstorming

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

ACT English Bootcamp #29 -- Passage 1

(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. 

5 Hacks for the ACT Math Test (8:19)

Ti-84 Calculator Downloading Programs (9:47)

ACT Math Calculator Skills  (6:46)

Here ACT/SAT Prep (10:27)

     15 Concepts you need to know

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.

Blessings!

Mrs. Prichard

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 3 (January 27)

 Greetings!

We had a full class this week.   We started the class with some Words of the Day.  I have a list of the top 50 SAT words.  While the ACT does not have a dedicated section for vocabulary, the sections use words commonly found in first-year college level writing.  As we discuss the individual words, I usually pull out Latin or Greek words and discuss related words in an effort to not only expand our vocabulary but also to  build word-decoding skills.

The next portion of the class was spent talking about the basics of writing an essay.  Both the SAT and ACT have an essay portion for which student will show that they know how to write a standard essay.  We covered the types of paragraphs required (introduction, body, and conclusion), the elements of the introduction (hook, thesis, road map/plan of development), and body paragraphs.  This was a brief introduction to the ACT essay, into which we will dive more fully in the coming weeks.  One of the homework assignments includes reading the chapter on the essay test.

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 biggest assignment this week is to take the ACT Practice English Test.  At the end of the book are 4 - 6 practice tests (depending on the version of the book you purchased.)  For the practice tests assigned in class, students should use the first exam.  Students need to set aside 45 minutes to take this test and should try to mimic a test-taking environment as closely as they can:  sitting upright at a table/desk, brightly lit room, minimal sound and visual distractions, etc.  In addition to taking the practice test, they must correct it using the key at the end of the test.  This is an important step -- learning what you did wrong and why is more important than doing it the right way!  I'm assigning it this week, but it doesn't need to be handed in for 2 weeks.   

Assignments for Next Week:

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

• Especially read the practice/example questions & explanations

• Review the Summary at the ends of each chapter

• 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, etc.

• 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

Chapters 7 & 8 Cracking the ACT (pdf)

Chapter 7 & 8 Slides

ACT Related Videos

3 Must Know Tips for English Test

4 Major Rules for Commas for the ACT

Number 1 Tip for the English Test

10 Quick Hints for the English Test

ACT Grammar Top Punctuation Rules

Have a great weekend!  Stay warm!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

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

Instructions for Drills and Practice Tests

ACT Week 2 (Ch. 5 & 6) Slides

Chapters 5 & 6 from Cracking the ACT (pdf)

ACT Videos (Supplemental)

3 Must Know Tips for English Test

4 Major Rules for Commas for the ACT

Number 1 Tip for the English Test

10 Quick Hints for the English Test

ACT Grammar Top Punctuation Rules

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 1 (January 13)

 Greetings!

It's great to be back to CHAT for the Spring semester.  I enjoy teaching the ACT Prep class because the content is full of useful material that the students will use.

We started the class with a Quick Write -- I had the students write about where they see themselves in 5 and 10 years and when they are "old."  (I used myself as a measure, but don't really want to admit to the "old" status.)

Most of the first week of class is spent introducing the class to the material for the class and handing out a number of papers to get us started. We started with the Syllabus that lists the discussion topics and assignments for the semester.  The class is divided in half: preparing for the ACT and writing test and application essays.  Some days we might spend more time on one topic than the other, but students should use this as a reference, especially if they miss a week.  Students also have a Checklist of Assignments to help them keep track of the work that needs to be done.

We are using the Cracking the ACT book published by Princeton Review, and for each section of the book, I will discuss the main points and work some sample questions in class.  This week I gave an overview of Chapters 1 - 4.  Their homework then will be to read the portions of the book just discussed, work through the rest of the samples, and complete the drills at the end of the chapter. In class this week we talked about note-taking and about being active readers.  (These are important study and learning skills that we will be working on throughout the semester.)  Students will also take practice tests for each of the sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science).   Because the students are reading the information AFTER it's been discussed in class, they should bring to class any questions about the reading or about troublesome topics that they need clarifying.

I will be using Google Classroom for this class, and all materials will be posted there.  In addition to various handouts, I will occasionally post helpful supplemental materials related to the ACT or college applications.  

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Week 2 (Aug. 29)

-- Read Chapters 1 - 4 (pdf versions of the chapters)

-- Be an active reader by highlighting and taking notes in your book 

-- Complete the "Where Will I Go?" worksheet

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Zoom Recording (1/13)

ACT Prep Syllabus 

ACT Prep Checklist of Assignments

Instructions for Drills and Practice Tests

What are Colleges Looking for slides

College Admissions for 2021 - 2022 slides

ACT Week 1 (Ch. 1 - 4) slides

Taking the ACT in 2022  (this also includes information directly from the ACT website

ACT Prep & College Essay Writing Class Notes -- Week 13 (April 29)

Greetings!

We had a good class today.  We've gotten to the end of our chapters on the various aspects of the English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing tests.  

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

Today we walked through the last section of the Science test, "the Fighting Scientists."  The Science test has one section in which the perspectives of 2 or more scientists are presented, and students will answer questions about each of the perspectives and will compare and contrast the perspectives.  Here are the steps for the Fighting Scientists passages:

• Step 1:  Preview & map the questions
• Step 2:  Do one step at a time
• Step 3:  Do the other side
• Step 4:  Compare & Contrast

For our final 2 weeks of class, we'll take time in class doing practice tests.  For next week, May 6, Students should come to class ready to take a test from their books, and I suggested that they choose the test that they think they will have the hardest time taking.  For May 13, I suggest they come prepared to take a test that will be the easiest for them to take.  

We did not talk about the College Application essays. Next week we will do some peer reviews of our essays.  (Note:  Note everyone has both essays in, so that would should get done.)

Assignments for Next Week

-- Read Chapter 23 -- Fighting Scientists

-- Fighting Scientists Drills 1, 2, and 3

     -- Note:  Drill 1 was done in class

-- Finish College Application #1 and College Application #2

We're nearing the end of the school year, so I hope you can all find the energy to stay engaged in school until we're done.

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

ACT Prep & College Writing Class Notes -- Week 11 (April 15)

 Greetings!

We covered a lot of ground in class today.  In fact, we've covered a lot this semester.  We are now in the 4th section of the ACT Test -- the Science test.

Like the English and Reading tests, the Science test is passage-based.  It's 35 minutes long, and the students will answer 45 questions for the 6 - 7 passages.  We talked for a lot about how and what they learn in science classes and how this Science test is different.  Students don't need to have loads of information memorized, but they do need to know how to read charts, graphs, and tables.  They also need to be able to draw conclusions from data given in those tables and charts.

Today I introduced the test and gave an overview.  Next week we will walk through the basic approach to handling the test questions.

The first college application essay is due this week, and I've assigned a second essay.  When they finish this this class, they will have 2 potential essays that they can use for college applications.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments

• Read Chapters 20 & 21 (p. 299 – 322)

• Read Summary on p. 307

• Read Summary on p. 322

• College Application Essay #2 (due 4/29)

Links for This Week

Class Notes

Quick Write (4/15)

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature