1. SCIENCE – Part 1
Dissecting the ACT

2. Vocabulary Words Tome Toothsome Noun
One of the books in a work of several volumes.
Toothsome
Adjective
Pleasing to the taste.

3. Sentence Examples Tome Toothsome
Eclipse is just one of the tomes in the Twilight series.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final tome in Harry Potter.
Toothsome
Chocolate is always a toothsome treat!
I sometimes crave milk and cookies as a toothsome midnight snack.

4. Agenda Vocabulary– (7 minutes)
Discuss the basics of Science – (35 minutes)
Practice the scientific method and analyzing science questions - (20 minutes)

5. Breaking Down Science
SCIENCE TEST Time allowed 35 minutes Number of passages 7 Data Representation 3 Research Summary 3 Conflicting Viewpoints 1 Number of questions 40 Data Representation 15 Research Summary 18 Conflicting Viewpoints 7 Scoring 1-36

6. Breaking Down – SmartPoints
Point Value
Science 12
Figure Interpretation 11
Pattern Analysis 7
Scientific Method 6
Scientific Reasoning 36
Total 1
Writer’s View

7. What is on the Science Test?
3 Data Representation passages, each with 5 questions (data)
3 Research Summary passages, each with 6 questions (several experiments)
1 Conflict Viewpoints passage, with 7 questions (two or more with differing passages)

8. What type of questions will their be on the Science test?
Figure Interpretation
Find information
Pattern Analysis
Find trends
Scientific Method
Plan experiments
Scientific Reasoning
Make conclusions

9. What is on the Science Test?
You will read 7 Passages about…
Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Space Sciences, and Physics
Each passage with contain 5-7 questions.

10. What does the Science exam determine?
This portion of the ACT tests how well you can:
Understand a description of an experiment
Interpret graphs, charts, and other diagrams
Apply the scientific method

11. What does the Science exam NOT test?!
The Science exam does NOT test your knowledge of:
Biology facts
Chemistry facts
Physics facts
Any other branch of science

12. Data in ACT Science takes many forms…
Diagrams
One conflicting viewpoints passage
Table
Graphs

13. How to succeed on Date Representation and Research Summary passages:
Read the passage taking BRIEF notes as you go.
Examine each figure, marking key information
Attack the questions, identifying where in the passage you’ll find the answer.

14. The Scientific Method
For the ACT, you can think of the scientific method as having three parts: The Purpose The Method The Results

15. The Purpose The purpose of an experiment is “the big idea”
What are researchers testing?
What are they trying to find out?
- Applies to Scientific Method & Scientific Reasoning Questions

16. “how the researchers set up the experiment”
The Method
The method is
“how the researchers set up the experiment”
What have they kept constant?
What have they changed?
-Applies to Scientific Method questions

17. “what the researchers find out”
The Result
The results are
“what the researchers find out”
They are usually presented in the form of a graph or chart.
-Applies to Figure Interpretation & Pattern Analysis questions

18. Practice:
Read the passage for experiment 1and fill in the questions below on a scrap sheet of paper: Purpose: Method: Results:

19. Practice
Read the passage for experiment 2 and fill in the questions below:
Purpose:
Method:
Results:

20. By identifying the elements of the scientific method during practice, you will train yourself to identify them automatically on test day!