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MOTIVATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!
STRATEGIES FOR MASTERING THE
ACADEMIC SKILLS
(AND TEST TAKING SKILLS)
NEEDED FOR SUCCESS ON THE ACT!
GOALS!
All students,
even those not attending college,
need the skills the ACT exam reinforces!
- Life-long Skills
- Workplace Skills
-Test scores that reflect true skill ability
- Scholarships
-College Success
MOTIVATION IS KEY!
Mission
Six-Step
Implementation
Strategies
Administration
Technology
COLLEGE HELPS WITH JOBS & $.
EARN $1.5 - $3 MILLION MORE WITH A
COLLEGE
DEGREE!
How to get to
college?
• G.P.A. = 45%
• ACT/SAT exam = 45%
• Other = 10%
EVERY STUDENT CAN PERFORM WELL ON THE ACT!
- Although a 50% on an English Class test may be a failing
grade, it is an 18 on the ACT, and many colleges will accept that
score!!!
-A 60% on a History Class test may be a D-, but on the ACT it’s
a 22! Now colleges aren’t only accepting you, but they’re giving
you scholarships!
**Student GPA is also taken into consideration**
®
Mapping ACT English
Editing five short passages
75 questions - 45 minutes – 9 minutes Per passage
Usage - Mechanics Skills
40Q
53%
Punctuation
10Q
13%
Comma
Semicolon
End-stop
Dashes
Hyphens
quotes
Grammar
and Use
Sentence
Structure
12Q
16%
18Q
24%
Tense
Subject-verb agreement
Pronoun use
Adverb vs. adjective
Double negative
Idioms
Possessives
comparisons
Run-on
Comma splice
Fragment
Coord conjunction
Parallelism
Misplaced modifiers
Clauses
Subordination
Split construction
Unintended meaning
Rhetoric Skills
35Q
47%
Strategy
Organization
Style
12Q
16%
11Q
15%
12Q
16%
Appropriate support
Main idea
Audience
Effective:
Opening sentence
Concluding sentence
Paragraph development
Sentence-level structure
Paragraph-level structure
Conciseness
Ambiguity
Low-level usage
Shifting point of view
Mapping ACT® Reading
4 Passages – 40 Questions – 35 Minutes
Read 750 words
Prose/Fiction
08:45
10Q
25%
Specific
Detail
Read 750 words
Humanities
08:45
10Q
25%
Read 750 words
Social Science
08:45
10Q
25%
Explicit Questions
14Q
35%
Implicit Questions
26Q
65%
Sequence
Cause/Effect
Comparison
Author’s Voice Generalization
Main Idea
Conclusion
Read 750 words
Natural Science
08:45
10Q
25%
Words in
Context
English
75 questions, 5 passages, 45 minutes
Punctuation
COMMAS are used on the ACT in 6 ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
After Introductory Clauses followed by a complete sentence
To Mark Interruptions
To Separate 2 sentences w/ a conjunction
To mark Afterthoughts
To Separate Words in a series / list
To Separate Adjectives
Hint: When in doubt, leave the comma out!
DASH
1. Interruptions
2. After-thoughts
SEMICOLON
1. Separate 2 complete sentences
COLON
1. Summary list.
2. After-thoughts
3. Between 2 complete sentences
APOSTROPHES
1. One owner = ‘s
2. More than one owner = s’
3. Plural words form the possessive by adding ‘s
GRAMMAR
1. Verb tense and agreement
2. Pronoun agreement
3. Parallelism
Other English HINTS
Shortest is Best!
When in doubt, leave it out!
Read on!
Never pick “being”
Pacing!!!! (9 minutes per passage. You must incorporate this
into your curriculum quizzes and tests!)
Quiz!
What are the 4 ways to separate two complete sentences?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Plug & Chug and if you do not know an answer pick
the same letter whenever possible (C)
Sometimes you may need to work backwards.
It may help to look for wrong answers rather than
correct ones. (Process of elimination).
Pacing!!!
DIRECTIONS
In the following five passages, certain words and phrases
have been underlined and numbered. You will find
alternatives for each underlined portion in the right-hand
column. Select the one that best expresses the idea, that
makes the statement acceptable in standard written English,
or that is phrased most consistently with the style and tone
of the entire passage.
If you feel that the original version is best, select “NO
CHANGE”. You will also find questions asking about a section
of the passage or about the entire passage. For these questions,
decide which choice gives the most appropriate response to the
given question. For each question in the test, select the best
choice and fill in the corresponding space on the answer folder.
You may wish to read each passage through before you begin to
answer the questions associated with it.
Most answers cannot be determined without reading several
sentences around the phrases in question. Make sure to read
far enough ahead each time you choose an alternative.
Any Questions?
SUGGESTED APPROACH
1. Set your watch to 11:15.
2. Do NOT read the directions!
3. Scan each passage before you start to
read.
• TOPIC • STYLE • TONE
• ORGANIZATION
4. Read the ENTIRE passage.
5. Answer the questions as you come to them.
6. Circle answers in test booklet first!
7. Look for the most common errors.
Most Common Errors Tested
on the ACT English
Singulars and Plurals
(especially the word they)
Pronoun Usage
(I or me, he or him, etc…)
Apostrophe Use
(its or it’s) (whose or who’s)
Proper Word Usage
(there, their, they’re)
(are, our)
Parenthetical Phrases and Punctuation
Idiomatic Preposition Use
(in, of, on, to, for)
Unidiomatic Verb Use
(-ing endings)
PRONOUN USAGE
Subject Case
I
He
She
We
They
WhoWhoever
Object Case
Me Him Her Us
Whom
Whomever
Them
SINGULARS AND PLURALS
MOST common error in this area?
The use of THEY
When a friend borrows my car, I usually ask
them to fill it with gas before they return it.
When friends borrow my car, I usually ask
them to fill it with gas before they return it.
SUBJECT OR OBJECT CASE PRONOUN?
STRATEGY: Leave out part of the
sentence.
If you have any questions about
grammar usage, ask your English
teacher or (I / me) to help you.
Read it again WITHOUT the words
“your English teacher or”
Rephrased:
If you have any questions about
grammar usage, ask (IX/me) to help
you.
WHO OR WHOM?
HOW DO YOU DECIDE?
STRATEGY: Use the Him/He Test
1) Re-order the part of the sentence
containing who or whom.
2) Rephrase with he or him.
Where him is the proper choice, then whom
would also be correct.
SAMPLE PROBLEM
I wonder who/whom he bribed to
get this position.
To get this position, he bribed him.
Correct Choice: Whom
SAMPLE PROBLEM
Whoever/Whomever the drama
teacher liked received a part in the
play.
The drama teacher liked him.
Correct Choice: Whomever
CAUTION WITH THE HIM/HE TEST
Use the subject case if the pronoun
1) precedes a verb AND
2) is the subject of that verb.
SAMPLE PROBLEM
The police gave tickets to whoever/whomever had
parked in front of the fire hydrant.
1) Is the pronoun followed by a verb?
Yes
2) Does that pronoun appear to be the
subject of that verb? (Did“whoever”
Yes
actually do the parking?)
IT’S OR ITS? WHOSE OR WHO’S?
The apostrophe takes the place of a letter.
It’s = It is
Who’s = Who is
STRATEGY:
•Slow down when you come to these.
•Read the sentence as “It is” or “Who is”
to be SURE you’ve chosen the correct
answer.
SAMPLE PROBLEM
Who’s / Whose Line Is It Anyway is a funny television
show. Its /It’s on the comedy channel.
1. Who is Line Is It Anyway…
OR
2. Whose Line Is It Anyway…
SAMPLE PROBLEM
Who’s / Whose Line Is It Anyway is a funny television
show. Its /It’s on the comedy channel.
1. It is on the comedy channel
OR
2. Its on the comedy channel
OUR & ARE
For questions involving proper word usage—
SLOW DOWN and READ CAREFULLY!!!!!
Our = possession
Helpful Tip:
Are = Verb
Our is spelled like your.
THERE, THEIR, AND THEY’RE
There = Location
There contains the word here.
Their = Possession.
They’re = They are
Substitute “They are” in the sentence and see
if it makes sense.
PARENTHETICAL PHRASES
Definition: Phrases which could be removed
and the sentence would still be complete.
Bob, on his way to the store, saw a lizard.
Bob saw a lizard.
RULE: Parenthetical phrases must begin AND
end with the same punctuation mark.
PUNCTUATION – SAMPLE PROBLEM
On the day of the test, his over-protective mother
packed him an ACT survival kit. Ten sharpened
pencils, a pencil sharpener, a calculator, a pack of
batteries, three different-weight sweaters, four
pieces of fruit, a liter of spring water and a box
of tissues.
A. NO CHANGE
B. kit, ten
C. kit; ten
D. kit: ten
D.
IDIOMATIC PREPOSITION USE
Certain phrases require the use of particular prepositions.
STRATEGY: Trust your ear.
Is that what most people say?
“I will pick you up tonight at quarter of six.”
“I will pick you up tonight at quarter to six.”
MORE IDIOMATIC PREPOSITIONS
She tried to instill on me a respect to the law.
She tried to instill in me a respect of the law.
I want to protect you in all dangers.
I want to protect you from all dangers.
UNIDIOMATIC VERB USE
RULE: -ing endings are used to
indicate repeated or continuous action
and should NOT be used for a single
action that occurs once.
Example:
When I left for the store, I was forgetting my list.
Correction:
When I left for the store, I forgot my list.
OMIT THE MATERIAL WHEN…
• It is unnecessary
• It is repetitious, or
• It is wordy
Correct more than half of the time.
When in doubt, take it out!
EXAMPLE OF WORDINESS
As I previously mentioned to you when
explaining at last week’s meeting the incredible
and undisputed advantages of combining our two
clubs, The Poetry Society and the Poets Outside, I
have written up here for your further study my
thoughts on the matter, detailing the many
benefits that will accrue to both organizations.
At last week’s meeting, I said there were
benefits to combining our two clubs. Here’s a
note repeating why.
Spielberg’s Amistad is the filmmaker’s second attempt
to show that someone who is an unexcelled creator of
funny, fast-paced action movies can also be a producer
of films that try to deal in a serious fashion with
weighty historical and moral themes. (42 words)
Spielberg’s Amistad is the filmmaker’s second attempt
at dealing in a serious fashion with weighty historical
and moral themes. (19 words)
Spielberg’s Amistad is the filmmaker’s second attempt
to show that an unexcelled creator of funny, fast-paced
action movies can also produce films dealing seriously
with weighty historical and moral themes. (30 words)
The remarkable growth in increased attendance currently being
enjoyed by such formerly moribund sports franchises as baseball’s
Cleveland Indians shows that building a new stadium can have a
powerful effect on the popularity of a team.
C.
A. NO CHANGE
B. The growth in attendance remarkably being enjoyed currently
C. The remarkable growth in attendance currently enjoyed
D. The remarkable attendance boom currently enjoyed
Later, Pike fell while valiantly defending America in the War
of 1812. It goes without saying that this took place after he
discovered Pike’s Peak. He actually died near York (now
called Toronto)…
F. NO CHANGE
I.
G. Clearly, this must have occurred
subsequent to his discovering Pike’s Peak.
H. This was after he found Pike’s Peak.
I. OMIT the underlined portion.
[1] The immigration laws led, ultimately, to a quota
system based on the number of individuals of each
national origin reported in the 1890 census. [2] The
United States, which was founded mainly by people who
had emigrated from northern Europe, had an essentially
open-door immigration policy for the first 100 years of
existence. [3] But starting in the 1880s and continuing
through the 1920s, Congress passed a series of restrictive
immigration laws. [4] The door to freedom hadn’t been
slammed shut, exactly, but was now open only to the
“right” sort of people.
SEQUENCING
Which of the following
sequences of sentences
will make this
A. 4,3,1,2
B. 2,3,1,4
paragraph most logical?
C. 1,3,2,4
D. 2,3,4,1
SCHOOL PAPER EDITORIAL
The first reason why the Denville school district should
not be combined with the Jackson school district is the
fact that the schools have been sports rivals for too long.
1
Trying to unite the schools after so many years of
competition would inevitably lead to friction. [2]
1. A. NO CHANGE
B. because of the fact that
C. about
D. that
D.
The first reason why the Denville school district should
not be combined with the Jackson school district is the
fact that the schools have been sports rivals for too
long. Trying to unite the schools after so many years of
competition would inevitably lead to friction. [2]
2. Is the author’s introductory paragraph effective?
A. Yes, because it gets immediately to the problem
B.
B. No, because an introduction should outline the whole
subject.
C. No, because it doesn’t say how many other reasons there
will be.
D. Yes, because sports is the number one interest of most
students.
Important Points
• 1/3 of English items concern
redundancy, verbosity, and relevance.
• NEVER let the passage repeat itself.
• Stay true to the author’s tone.
• Don’t try to “correct” EVERY sentence.
• Trust your ear.
CAUTION!
• Don’t Add a New Mistake
• Avoid Changing the Meaning
Editing
When
GRAMMAR REVIEW
Among those who played a crucial role in the
Northern victory at Gettysburg were Joshua
Chamberlain, a Union colonel from Maine
who later enjoyed a distinguished career as an
educator and politician.
Among those who played a crucial role in the
Northern victory at Gettysburg was Joshua
Chamberlain, a Union colonel from Maine
who later enjoyed a distinguished career as
an educator and politician.
Dismayed by the news that a top executive
had suddenly accepted a job with a
competitor, the price of the company’s
stock fell sharply the next day.
Problem: Dangling Modifier
Possible correction:
Stockholders were dismayed…,and the
price…
A fabled center of monastic life during the
Middle Ages, each summer thousands of
visitors travel to the island of Iona near the
coast of Ireland.
Problem: Misplaced Modifier
Suggestion:
Move “A fabled center of monastic life
during the Middle Ages” after the
phrase “the island of Iona”.
In the 90s, albums by Pearl Jam
appeared consistent on the charts
even without the exposure of
music videos.
In the 90s, albums by Pearl Jam
appeared consistently on the charts
even without the exposure of
music videos.
Although the hospital administrators interviewed many staff
members about the repeated cases of staph infections they had no
explanation for the puzzling pattern of outbreaks.
WHO had no explanation?
The administrators?
The staff?
Possible Correction: Although the hospital administrators
interviewed many staff members about the repeated cases of
staph infections the staff had no explanation for the puzzling
pattern of outbreaks.
Each member of the tour group should
have their tickets by the end of the week.
Problem: pronoun usage
Each member of the tour group should have
his or her tickets by the end of the week.
OR
All members of the tour group should
have their tickets by the end of the week.
Representatives to the student senate were
asked to pursue often contradictory goals:
boosting student acceptance of more
homework, developing explanations for
adding two hours to the length of each
school day, and the reduction of rampant
poor morale.
Problem: Parallelism
Representatives to the student senate were
asked to pursue often contradictory goals:
boosting student acceptance of more
homework, developing explanations for
adding two hours to the length of each
school day, and the reduction of rampant
poor morale.
“…reducing rampant poor morale.”
In the Olympics the first place
winner gets a gold medal, second
place, a silver medal, and third
place, a bronze medal.
In the Olympics the first place
winner gets a gold medal; second
place, a silver medal; and third
place, a bronze medal.
Princess Diana, for who the
song Candle in the Wind was
written died tragically in an
automobile accident.
Princess Diana, for whom the song
Candle in the Wind was written, died
tragically in an automobile accident.
The children had been playing in the
park, they were covered in mud.
A. The children had been playing in the
park. They were covered in mud.
B. The children had been playing in
the park, and they were covered in
mud.
C. The children had been playing in
the park; they were covered in
mud.
READING
4 passages, 10 questions each, 35 minutes total!
Always review the answer choices before looking back.
Be careful on questions with specific line references. If looking
back, read a few lines before and after the given line reference.
Do not hesitate over answers. You must get to all 4 passages!
Be an active/demanding reader!
Pacing!!! (8-9 minutes per passage)
No matter what, each student MUST have a reading strategy!
For most students there is a definitive reading strategy that produces
the highest possible ACT reading score. It is a two step process, and
it is extremely simple.
Step 1: Read the entire passage quickly but actively, seeking out the
most important information. You are allowed to annotate or
underline, but only do this if it is already one of your reading
strengths. When you finish reading the passage, you should be able
to mentally review the main ideas and supporting details! If you
cannot do this easily, you were not actively reading! (Reading the
passage should take between 4 – 5 minutes.)
Step 2: Answer the questions. Be sure to read ALL FOUR answer
choices, using process of elimination, BEFORE looking back to the
passage. (Answering questions should take about 4 – 5 minutes.) No
matter what, you must complete each passage in LESS THAN 9
MINUTES!
In order to reach your maximum reading score, it is imperative that
you get to all four passages! Remember, it is possible to get some
answers wrong on the ACT and still achieve an amazing score!
An alternative strategy that works for some students is to actively
read only the first and last paragraphs while skimming the body of
the passage and then answering the questions as described above.
This strategy should only be used if you are so instructed by your
ACT teacher. (This often works for students whose maximum ACT
reading score typically falls below an 18, which in most cases still
meets state standards.)
No matter what, DO NOT waste precious time by reading the
questions first! This strategy is a virtual guarantee of a low reading
score. Again, DO NOT read the questions first unless specifically
instructed to do so by your ACT teacher.
With all of the information put in front of you and only 35 minutes to
answer all of the questions, the Reading section can seem
overwhelming. The most important thing you can do to conserve time
is orient yourself. Think of it like shopping at a grocery store…
Let’s say you are going to the supermarket and all you need to buy is
milk and bread. The supermarket carries tens of thousands of items –
will you need to go through each item on each aisle in order to find
the two that you are looking for? Of course not! You would use the
aisle signs to figure out exactly where to go, then scan the appropriate
aisle until you find what you are looking for. The whole process would
take you a few seconds. The science section is no different. Sure, there
is a considerable amount of information provided with each passage,
but don’t let it slow you down. Orient yourself the same way you
would at the grocery store, and the ACT Reading can be as
straightforward as buying a loaf of bread.
WRITING STRATEGIES
B.O.W.
BRAINSTORM, OUTLINE, WRITE!
INTRO
3 BODY PARAGRAPHS
CONCLUSION
COUNTER-ARGUMENTS?
ON TEST DAY
1. Bring lots of sharp #2 pencils and a calculator.
2. Treat the night before like a school night.
3. Eat a balanced breakfast.
4. Wear comfortable clothes.
5. Arrive early.
6. Bring a snack.
7. Maintain your concentration.
8. The real ACT will seem more difficult than any of your practice
ACTs. Why? Well, it’s not any harder; it’s just that you are a little
nervous because this one counts. Being nervous is OK; it means that
you care what happens.
9. Think positively.