ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 10 (March 31)

Greetings!

For our class this week, we finished going over strategies and types of questions for the Reading test.  With these strategies, the students should complete the drills in Chapters 17 - 19, practice the Sample Dual Passage, and finally, take the Practice ACT Reading Test.  For this, they should use the first practice test in the book.  When they've finished the test, they should correct it, using the answers included in the test.

Here are some more hints for getting ready to take the Reading test:

-- Stretch your reading ability.  Find challenging articles and literature and read them.  Spending time with more complex writing styles and content is good preparation for the test.

-- Practice picking up the speed of reading passages.  Use a pencil to underline the text to help you to read more quickly and to keep you from going back to words already read.

-- Take more practice tests.  This will help you determine if you want to order the passages any differently than they are given.

We are working on college application essays.  For this week we read some sample essays and discussed their strengths and weaknesses as application essays.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Week 11 (March 31)

• Read Chapter 19 (p. 273 – 285)

• Complete the Sample Dual Passage on p. 282 – 283 

• Read Chapter 19, p. 286 – 296

• Read Summary on p. 296

• Reading Drill 2 on p. 294- 295 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 397 - 398)

• Practice ACT Reading Test (35 minutes) p. 450 - 459

• Correct your test and read explanations for missed test questions (p. 511 – 518)

• College Application Essay  #1

Links for this Week

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 10 (March 24)

Sample College Application Essays

Zoom Recording (3/24)

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 9 (March 17)

 Greetings!

We had a productive time in class today.  We started with a short discussion about bias in the news media.  Years ago, an infographic was published that should political leanings and reliability of many national news sites.  The purpose of our discussion was not to promote any media source or ideology, but to remind students to be critical thinkers who evaluate what they are reading.  

For this class, students will write 2 rough drafts of College Application Essays.  These will be essays that they could potentially use for their own college applications.   This week we worked through sample of multiple drafts of a student essay.  We discussed what did and did not work in each of the drafts and could see the types of improvements that made for a strong application essay.  It's helpful to look at samples to get a more clear idea about what a good essay looks like.  Over the next few weeks I have more samples that we'll discuss and analyze as a class.

We've finished the Math section of the ACT Prep and are now onto the Reading section of the test.  The Reading test is passage-based with 40 questions and is 35 minutes long.  The 4 passages are prose fiction, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.  The first strategy is to decide the personal order of the passages and then to work the passages and the questions.  We covered basics this week and will go over some of the more challenging types of questions.  

 

Have a blessed weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week

• Read Chapters 17 & 18

• Take notes, highlight, underline, and flag sections

• Read Summary for Chapter 17 on p. 244

• Work Sample passage (p. 261 – 263)  (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 394 - 395)
  

• Reading Drill 1 on p. 269 – 271 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 395 - 396)

• Common Application Sign Up

• Start on College Application Essay #1 (Not due until March 31)

Links for This Week

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 9 (March 17)

Sample "Ellie"  Essay

ACT Prep Slides -- Ch. 17 & 18

Chapters 16 - 18 pdfs

Common Application 2021 - 2022 Prompts

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 8 (March 10)

 Greetings!

We are officially over half way through the Spring semester.  I don't know about you, but once we hit daylight savings time and the days get longer, the days also seem to fly by more quickly!

We have finished the Math section of the Princeton Review's Cracking the ACT!  For students who are currently taking a math class, it might feel a little unfair to be doing so much more math.  We've reviewed basic math principles, algebra, plane geometry, coordinate geometry, and word problems.  I use the sample questions in the book that especially highlight one of the strategies to keep it from being to overwhelming.  This week I covered graphing and coordinate geometry.  I also gave a short nod to the advanced topics.  In the list of links below are some videos that will help students practice the strategies and to review the math skills.  (Note:  When watching the videos, feel free to speed up or slow down the speaker using the playback settings.)

We have shifted from practice writing the ACT Essay Exam to writing some college application essays.  For this unit, we'll explore personal interests, brainstorm topics, read some sample essays, and write essays that can be used for applications.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week:

• Read Chapters 14, 15, and 16  (Remember to be active!)

• Flag or write questions about topics that need further review

• Review graphing calculator functions

• Graphing and Coordinate Geometry Drill on p. 203 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 391 - 392)

• Read Summary on p. 204

• Extra Credit: Trigonometry Drill on p. 217 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 392 - 393)

• Read Summary on p. 218

• Extra Credit: Advanced Math Drill on p. 227 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 393)

• Practice ACT Math Test (60 minutes) p. 430 - 449

• Correct your test and read explanations for missed test questions (p. 495 – 511)

• Finding Your Hook

Links for this Week:

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 8 (March 10)

Week 8 Assignments & Resources

Practice Math Exam Breakdown -- 

          this video walks students through an entire practice math test and explains each and every question.  It's long (about 90 min.), but I think it's helpful.

The 52 Math Skills in the ACT 

Week 8 -- Helpful Math Videos for Advanced Math

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature 

ACT Prep Class Notes -- Week 7 (March 3)

 Greetings!

It was so good to see the students; including our week off and the week my son subbed for me, it's been 3 weeks since I've seen their smiling faces. 

We began the class with a short Quick Write for which I asked the class to write down as many strategies for the ACT test that they could think if.  We wrote them on the board and discussed those that applied to the overall test and those that were specific to the English, Math, and Writing tests.

For the ACT Prep section of the class, we are still in the Math section of the test.  I give this section more time so that students can figure out what they need to review before taking the test.  I also feel that having more time to practice the strategies helps be more prepared for those Math topics about which they are not as knowledgeable.  This week we started with Word Problems, Percentages, and Ratios.  I moved ahed to some material for next week, which included Coordinate Geometry.  Next week we will cover more  coordinate geometry and then be done with the Math section.

For the College Writing section of the test, the students have the second Practice ACT Essay Exam. Next week we will start discussing the college application essay.  My hope is that doing a practice application essay in this class will either give the students something they can use in a college application or give the students a springboard for an even better essay.

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy our spring weather!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Assignments for Next Week:

• Read through Chapter 13

• Be an active reader and highlight important tips and/or information

• Flag or write questions about topics that need further review

• Word Problems Drill on p. 187 (Answers in Ch. 25 on p. 390)

• Read the Summary on 188

• Practice ACT Essay Exam #2

Links for this Week

Chapter 13 -- Word Problems

Week 7 Slides -- Word Problems

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Prichard

Tamera M. Prichard

Writing Instructor at CHAT

Writing 1, Writing 2, Writing 3

ACT Prep, British Literature

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