1. Practice SAT Essay You will have twenty-five minutes to respond to a given prompt. The prompt will provide a passage, and you will write about if you agree or disagree and why.

2. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. Many people are philanthropists, giving money to those in need. And many people believe that those who are rich— those who can afford to give the most—should contribute the most to charitable organizations. Others, however, disagree. Why should those who are more fortunate than others have more of a moral obligation to help those who are less fortunate? Assignment: Should people who are more fortunate than others have more of a moral obligation to help those who are less fortunate? 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.

3. STRUCTURE AND INTRO 1.Add a gold star if the essay includes at least 4 paragraphs 2. If the very first sentence of the essay is an agreeable statement (generalization), add a gold star. BEST FORMAT = -Agreeable statement -Introduction of conflict -Concession -Thesis EXAMPLE: “Everybody knows that we need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. However, not everybody agrees on just how we should do so. While it is true that we need to keep developing alternative energy sources, off-shore drilling restrictions should be lifted until such alternatives are affordable and more developed.”

4. THESIS 3. Add a gold star if the essay includes a thesis as the last sentence of the first paragraph (thesis should be opinion—not fact) 4. Add a gold star if the thesis is clear and assertive. – BAD: It might also be good to allow some off- shore drilling – GOOD: off-shore drilling should be allowed.

5. STRUCTURE 5. Add a gold star if the topic sentence (first sentence) of each paragraph connects nicely to the thesis statement (discusses a specific key word or aspect of the thesis). 6. Add a gold star if the topic sentence reflects what the paragraph is actually about. 7. If the essay uses transitional phrases, like “However” or “Then again…” “Nevertheless” to begin sentences, add a gold star 8. Add a gold star if the essay includes a conclusion. 9. Add a gold star if the first sentence of the conclusion somewhat matches the idea of the thesis.

6. STYLE 10. Add a gold star if the paper combines long and short sentences. 11. Add a gold star if one paragraph completely avoids passive verbs (“be,” “was,” “were,” “is”) 12. If you spot a sentence that uses parallelism well, underline it Example: Skippy enjoys the finer things in life: a can of caviar with dinner, a glass of wine with breakfast, a Cuban cigar with dessert. Example: Each worker has a job, for the baker, making treats, for the architect, building skyscrapers. Example: Barry had a gift for each cousin, for Gary, a stuffed bear, for Edwin, a yo-yo, for Gertrude, a box of matches.

7. Write “Corrected By _____________” and return the essay to its owner.