Today’s Agenda and Learning Target A: 2/4 B: 2/5 Vocabulary: Tone Word Grammar: Peer Review of MLA Style Introduction to and Practice with the English portion of the ACT Introduction to the Research-Based Synthesis Prompt Assignment Assign homework By the end of class today, we will apply test taking strategies to the English portion of the ACT.

Vocabulary: Tone Word A: 2/4 B: 2/5 Restrained What does this word mean? When would an author choose to use this tone? To achieve what purpose? Or to write in which form or genre? Please keep your Banned Book Essay for peer review of MLA style.

Grammar: Peer Review of MLA Style

Review: English portion of the ACT

Skills Notes: ACT English Portion 75 questions in 45 minutes 5 passages with approximately 15 questions each—passages may range from a personal to an informative essay. This test assesses your ability to revise and edit a piece of writing. It requires prior knowledge about standard written English but does not ask you about specific rules or spelling.

Skills Notes: ACT English Portion, cont. Types of Questions Only TWO main types of questions: Usage/Mechanics – reference an underlined portion of the passage with answers including “NO CHANGE” and “OMIT the underlined portion” Rhetorical Skills – reference an underlined portion or a section of the passage or the passage as a whole Each group will read about one specific question type then report back to the class the most important information concerning it: Usage/Mechanics: Punctuation Grammar and usage Sentence structure Rhetorical Skills: Writing strategy Organization Style p. 27 – 35 (one copy of each “question type” section to use as a class set for groups)

Skills Notes: ACT English Portion, cont. Final Tips Pace yourself. Make sure to skim the passage as a whole prior to answering the questions. Notice the writing style of the passage. Some questions will ask you about consistency of tone and style not grammatical correctness. Consider a question’s context. Read the surrounding portion of an underlined portion in order to determine the best answer just like you do for antecedent questions on the AP exam! Consider denotation versus connotation. Some questions ask for the meaning of a word in context—make sure to think beyond the dictionary definition here!

Skills Notes: ACT English Portion, cont. Final Tips, cont. Pay careful attention to the stated question. Questions may ask you something like, “Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?” Details matter. Some answers stand out as correct simply because of an apostrophe, “s,” or other punctuation mark. Reread the sentence containing the underlined portion substituting your selected answer to check for correctness. Watch for questions that indicate they reference a section of the passage or the passage as a whole. Take your time with two-part questions and interrelated questions.

ACT English Portion: Practice! We will now take one segment to practice the English portion of the ACT. First, read the passage. Identify the passage’s main idea. Identify the passage’s organization and style. Now, you have 9 minutes to read the passage and answer 15 questions. Remember: put an answer no matter what! p. 720 – 722 (questions) p. 779 - 783 (answer justifications)

ACT English Portion: Practice Review Let’s review three questions together. Now, working in your same groups as earlier, please review your two assigned questions so that you can present the correct answer and a justification to the class. C F D J A G

Use TCA to prepare for the ACT! You may complete TCA exercises now through the beginning of March for extra credit.

Review the Research-Based Synthesis Prompt Assignment

Homework . . . Select your topic for your research-based synthesis prompt. Begin TCA preparation for the ACT for extra credit.