1. “FUN WITH ACTS” – A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO TEST PREPARATION Part 1: Introduction

2. ANNOUNCEMENTS  Pickles & popcorn/financial aid night is tonight!  I will be there eating pickles (hopefully) and representing CoFo, so I hope to see you there too!

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS  Potential volunteer opportunity at SXSW!  2015 Pan Americana Festival – “Family friendly Latino music and arts festival”  We are thinking of volunteering one shift on Friday 3/20 & Saturday 3/21  Depending on interest, Alex and I will go ahead with figuring out how to volunteer as a group!

4. ANNOUNCEMENTS  Make sure you remember to sign up for the practice ACT on Saturday 2/28!  Or, if you can’t make Saturdays, sign up for Thursday 3/5!  SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, April 18  For students who cannot make Saturdays for religious reasons only: the test will be Sunday, April 19

5. ACT BASICS  We’re going to start with the basics today, but we will be doing more specifics between now and real actual test day!  Pop quiz time!  Raise the number of fingers corresponding to your answer (a=1, b=2, etc.) and/or shout out!

6. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! 1. How many required sections are there on the ACT?  a. 2  b. 3  c. 4  d. 5

7. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! The answer is C – 4 required sections! These four sections always come in the same order. Which section is first?  a. Science  b. Math  c. English  d. Reading

8. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! The answer is C – English! This section focuses on grammar and improving sentences. This section also contains the most questions – 75! Your test proctor announces during the exam, “Five minutes remaining!” You look back at your test… you’re only on number 52! What should your strategy be?  A. Finish the question you’re on and get ready to guess!  B. Keep working at your pace – you shouldn’t guess!  C. Cry. Then throw your calculator at the proctor.

9. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! Your best strategy is A – Start guessing! You are not marked down for wrong answers on the ACT. Don’t throw your calculator at the proctor. You’re going to need it later. Speaking of needing your calculator, which section is the math section?  A. 1 st section  B. 2 nd section  C. 3 rd section  D. 4 th section

10. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! The answer is B – 2 nd section! Math is fun. After the math section and a nice, long, 10 minute break, you’re back in the classroom. Which section should you be mentally preparing yourself for?  A. Science  B. Math  C. English  D. Reading

11. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! The third section is the D – Reading section. This section focuses on analyzing passages and drawing conclusions. You’re almost there. There’s only one section left (unless you’re taking the optional writing section)! Which one is it?  A. Science  B. Math  C. English  D. Reading

12. ACT BASICS POP QUIZ! By process of elimination (one of the most effective test-taking strategies, by the way), the answer must be A – Science! We’ve made it to the end of the ACT. 36s for everyone!! Speaking of test-taking strategies, let’s go over some now.  What are some good test taking strategies that you all already know?

13. TEST TAKING STRATEGIES BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE TEST PREP WORKGROUP Which, by the way, I am part of.

14. TEST TAKING STRATEGIES Become familiar with the format of the test. Know what to expect and you will be less nervous on test day. Answer EVERY question on the test. You do not lose points for guessing on the ACT, so on remaining questions always guess all C’s whenever the five minute warning is called. Limit your time on any one question. All questions are worth the same number of points. If you need a lot of time to answer a question, go on to the next one. Later, you may have time to return to the question you skipped. Keep track of time. Work at a steady pace and remember that you do not have the time to get bogged down on any one question Use your test booklet as scratch paper Mark the questions in your booklet that you skipped and want to return to

15. TEST TAKING STRATEGIES CONT. Read each question carefully. Be sure you know exactly what each question asks Use the answer choices to help you when you’re unsure. Remember the correct answer is right there on the page Use POE (process of elimination) to eliminate wrong answer choices Check your answer sheet to make sure you are answering the right question Fill in the circles on your answer sheet completely and in a neat manner Make sure you use a No. 2 pencil. It is very important that you fill in the entire circle on the answer sheet darkly and completely. If you change your response, erase it as completely as possible

16. THE ACT  YOU  Now take flight, my golden eagles, and show the ACT that you can conquer any of your foes.

17. ENGLISH BASICS & PRACTICE (If we have time.)

18. The Basics This is the first section of the ACT 5 Prose Passages 75 Questions 45 Minutes 9 Minutes Per Passage ● Includes reading the passage

19. What Does it Test? Usage and Mechanics ● 40 questions total ● What are some examples? Rhetorical Skills ● 35 questions total ● What are some examples?

20. Understanding Answer Choices 2. Which choice will most strongly suggest that the number of people interested in saving old barns is on the rise? F. NO CHANGE G. fair H. growing J. OMIT the underlined portion EXAMPLE: …Because of the industrialization of agriculture and a dwindling number of family farms, however, barns are being torn down at an increasing rate. A reasonable number of people are working to reverse that trend, arguing that these grand old buildings are cultural artifacts just as worthy of preservation as other historic structures. What do they mean by NO CHANGE? What do they mean by OMIT the underlined portion? *not always an answer choice

21. ACT English Strategies Read the entire sentence that the underlined portion is in…this gives you a reference point. exam. The Can you spot the error just by looking at the underlined portion?

22. ACT English Strategies How about now? Instead of studying for the exam. The students went to a movie.

23. ACT English Strategies Answer every question in a passage before moving on to a new one. Reread the sentence using the selected answer. (This will help you avoid making silly mistakes.)

24. ACT English Strategies Watch out for answer choices that seem right but are redundant! Canadian currency usually looks and appears very different from its American counterpart. “looks” and “appears” mean the same thing, so you can simplify it by eliminating one of the words. Remember, you want to choose the BEST possible answer, not just a correct answer. The best answers are usually simple and concise.

25. ACT English Strategies Two part answers can be difficult to answer (Yes, because…No, because). Decide if the essay fulfills the writer’s goal, and then determine why or why not the goal is fulfilled. This is often the last question asked in a passage.

26. ACT English Strategies EXAMPLE OF A TWO PART QUESTION: Suppose the writer had intended to write an essay about children’s health worldwide. Would this essay accomplish the writer’s goal, and why? F. Yes, because it discusses the national epidemic of childhood obesity and encourages parents to sign up their children for organized sports. G. Yes, because it discusses the impact of sports on children’s health. H. No, because it discusses only two possible explanations for childhood obesity in the US only. J. No, because it does not discuss the impact of convenience foods on obesity.