ATAMSBLAST DIGITAL AGENDA College Writing/SAT Prep Marquez April 23, 2012—April 27, 2012 DO NOW: Daily Grammar Exercise (Week 4) *First 10 minutes of each class. California Standards: Writing and Oral English-Language 1.1: Demonstrate control of grammar, diction, and paragraph and sentence structure and an understanding of English language. Writing and Oral English-Language 1.3: Reflect appropriate manuscript requirements in writing. Writing Applications 2.3 a-c: Write reflective compositions. Essential Questions: “How can we schedule our writing time for the SAT?” LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS: Given: The entire class and three stations… the learner will: Continue practicing writing to the SAT essay model and will learn how to effectively address the prompt by learning how to use the prompt into their introductory paragraphs. Students will also learn how to create and include original metaphors and similes into their essays in order to avoid penalties on their SAT score. by: Completing the SAT digital handouts, writing to the SAT essay prompt, and participating in Friday’s peer editing session Assessment: SAT handouts, SAT Vocabulary, and SAT essay writings.

Individual Instruction: SAT Vocabulary Week Vocabulary Theme: Hinerances There are various kinds of barriers, blocks, and handicaps. What we are trying to do in this class is break down the mental barrier in your mind so as to allow you to write as if you were merely having a conversation with a friend. Our fullest potential can be realized only when there is no barrier between what we want to say and write and our ability to express ourselves. Get the defenitions for the following words: - aloof-mercenary -ameliorate-mollify -atrophy-pariah -benevolent-pragmatic -criterion-repent -cynic-roster -guise-stunted -iniquity-subservient -largess-unctuous -maim-vestige Directions: Write an original story using at least ten of the twenty vocabulary words listed above. This will be due by the end of Wednesday’s class. Definitions and story due Friday, May Direct Instruction: Tuesday, May 1, 2012 SAT: Essay Practice (40-45 minutes) This is it! Many of you will be taking the SAT this weekend. While I know all too well the anxiety, stress, and lack of sleep the exam causes, let me assure you that you all have what it takes to succeed. As long as you monitor your time and focus you’ll survive the weekend. This week, I will do nothing but focus on the SAT in order to get you as mentally prepared as possible. SAT WRITING SECTION PROMPT #3 Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Mistakes we have made in the past are supposed to make us wiser, stronger, and better able to deal with the future. This approach suggests that we should continue to focus on our mistakes, that we should remember them, no matter how painful or embarrassing to us they may be. But nothing is to be gained by concerning ourselves with old mistakes. We should forget them as soon as possible. Assignment: Is it best to forget about past mistakes as soon as possible? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations. *Due at the end of Direct Instruction Friday, May 4, 2012 SAT: Editing for interest (Digital Handout) Your essay will be read by people—real people. Most of them are teachers who know that essays can be lively, scintillating, and a joy to read. Like any readers, they will be put off by dull writing. Therefore, one of your goals on the SAT essay is to inject life into your prose by: Using active instead of passive verbs Writing active instead of passive sentences Omitting needless words Showing instead of telling Collaborative Station: Tuesday, May 1, 2012 SAT: Practice in Varying Sentences (40-55 minutes) You may work with a partner or on your own. I HIGHLY SUGGEST you work with your group. This exercise focuses on varying your sentences to avoid monotony. The passages in the handout need grater balance. Divide some of the long sentences and combine some of the short ones. You can do this! Handout on SAT Prep Website titled “Practice in Writing Comparisons”. Friday, May 4, 2012 SAT: Practice in Ending Your Essay It is almost poetic for us to end our SAT Writing lessons with this particular assignment. We’ve worked on building a solid introduction. We’ve worked on developing a cohesive body for the essay. Now we will take a look and practice how to end our 30-minutes essays. Once again, work with your collaborative team to develop fitting conclusions to the essays described in the handout. I will be meeting with all of you to check on your progress and to answer any questions.