Read / Write InstructionDanielle ReitesAssistant Professor of EnglishLake-Sumter States Collegereitesd@lssc.edu

Agenda

1. How to get ready for the SAT / ACT 2. Reading

1. Sentence Completion2. Passage based3. Link to answers with explanations: http://

whw.name/Resources/Test16_Crit_Read_Explans.pdf

3. Writing 1. introductions 2. thesis statements

What are some things you can do to get ready for the “big day”?

• Set aside time each day to study

• Studying can mean ▫ Completing practice tests▫ Flash cards with

vocabulary words or math formulas

▫ Checking your Twitter feed for SAT College Board tips and questions

▫ Look at your question of the day

▫ Pairing with a friend▫ Explore free resources

What to expect from the readings and writing sections of the SAT / ACT• Reading

▫ Sentence completion▫ Passage based

• Writing▫ Improving sentences▫ Improving paragraphs▫ Identifying sentence

errors

Sentence Completion Tip• Reading• Deciphering words in context

▫ Examine the word in a sentence and try to find a synonym that might work there.

▫ Examine root of word and/or think of other words like it “Liberate” is like “liberty,”

which means freedom. “Liberate” means “to free”

▫ Eliminate words that have the same meaning as other choices and ones that wouldn’t fit in context

Sentence Completion #1

Sentence Completion #1 Answer

Sentence Completion #2

Sentence Completion #2 Answer

Passages are similar but may give you a little more context.

Brief video walkthrough of how to think about this question.

Practice Talking Through These Questions with a Partner

• See handout #1• Discuss how you came to

your answers

Answers: Side 11. E. benefactors2. A. rebellious 3. B. blended…discern4. A. indulged…apportionment5. A. circumscribed

Answers: Side 2

1. D. strenuous…debilitated2. C. honored3. A. depicted…traveled4. B. an emblem5. C. curative…toxic6. C. simplistic7. E. bent…analyzing8. E. prodigious

Tips

Tips

How to Learn Vocab Words

•Read, read, read•Word of the day•Flash cards•Make songs•Use them!

Critical Reading

•Tips for doing well on the reading portion:▫Build your inferences skills

Read every day—especially things you don’t want to read

Ask questions about what you read What does this mean? How does this connect to me?

Inferences

•Jane smiled to herself as she warmed her hands by the fire and watched the snow gently fall outside. Soon her husband and children would be home and they could unwrap presents and go caroling. She couldn’t wait.

•What time of year is it?•How do you know?

Inferences

•Inference questions ask you to make a reasoned judgment about the passage that goes beyond the material on the page. ▫An “implication” is an idea that an author will suggest but not state directly; inference questions test your ability to spot the author’s implications without straying too far from the text.

Inference Video

•Help decoding inference questions: video

Reading Practice Time• See handout #2 – Side 1• Read through the

passages and mark the correct answers

• We will go over the answers together

Answers Handout #2 – Side 16. E. highlight a concern7. E. lay the foundation for a course of action8. C. Hope that the same reasoning would be applied to all unsolicited e-mail9. C. proposes a solution

More Reading Practice• Complete Handout #2 –

Side 2A• Handout #2 – Side 2A

Answers

10. A. great conviction11. D. note an apparent inconsistency12. C. One day begin to live with great passion

• Handout #2 – Side 2B Answers

13. E. impression14. D. an anticipated outcome15. C. embarrassingly inapt 16. B. consider him to be vain

Writing• Examine the writing prompt on Handout #3. In small

groups (3), talk through the following steps. Assign someone to transcribe as you talk.▫Brainstorm topics for writing ▫Focus on a topic and have an opinion▫Compose a rough thesis (write this down as a complete

sentence)▫Brainstorm supporting details▫Compose an informal outline (write this down as a

complete sentence)▫Determine how you will conclude (prediction, warning,

celebration, solution, hypothetical situation)

Critical Reading

•Another thing that can help you do well on inference questions is understanding the connotations of words

▫Denotation▫Connotation

• The literal, dictionary definition of a word▫ Snake:

• All the thoughts, feelings, images (positive and negative) that a word evokes

• Connotations are achieved through the way a culture uses a word

Denotation Connotation

Denotations• snake• noun 1. any of numerous limbless, scaly, elongate reptiles of the

suborder Serpentes, comprising venomous and nonvenomous species inhabiting tropical and temperate areas. 2. a treacherous person; an insidious enemy. Compare SNAKE IN THE GRASS. 3. Building Trades. a. Also called auger, plumber's snake. (in plumbing) a device for dislodging obstructions in curved pipes, having a head fed into the pipe at the end of a flexible metal band. b. Also called wirepuller. a length of resilient steel wire, for threading through an electrical conduit so that wire can be pulled through after it.

• –verb (used without object) 4. to move, twist, or wind: The road snakes among the mountains.

• –verb (used with object) 5. to wind or make (one's course, way, etc.) in the manner of a snake: to snake one's way through a crowd. 6. to drag or haul, esp. by a chain or rope, as a log.

Connotations• Snake• Evil, danger,

something deadly, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, smoothness, sibilant sounds, oily, creepy, a winding river, something that moves stealthily, the hippocratic oath

Explore the connotations• Refreshing – • Plain – • Clever – • Cackle – • Snob – • Cop -- • Skinny – • Statesman--• Smile --• Domineering --• difficult --• Headstrong--• Nitpicking--• Childish--

• Chilly• Natural• Sly• giggle• Cultured• Officer• Slender• Politician• Smirk• Assertive• challenging • Determined• Meticulous• childlike

Connotations continued…Directions: Replace the underlined words with

synonyms and discuss how that changes the connotations.

1. Annette was surprised by the pop quiz. 2. David was very frugal with his money. 3. The Honda Civic she bought was inexpensive. 4. There was a problem when the cat got out of

the house. 5. We were hungry after studying for three hours. 6. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I strolled along the

garden path.

Writing: Introductions

•What are the goals of an introductory paragraph?

•What are some different strategies?

Introductory Strategies

1. Tell a story2. Ask a question or series of questions

(and then answer the most provocative one)

3. Share a quotation (avoid clichés) 4. Describe an “imagine this” scenario5. Share one or more everyday examples6. Explain the history/background of your

topic

Sample• Topic: Is euthanasia ever the right thing to do?

• Intro: One October afternoon three years ago while I was visiting my parents, my mother made a request I dreaded and longed to fulfill. She had just poured me a cup of Earl Grey from her Japanese iron teapot, shaped like a little pumpkin; outside, two cardinals splashed in the birdbath in the weak Connecticut sunlight. Her white hair was gathered at the nape of her neck, and her voice was low. “Please help me get Jeff’s pacemaker turned off,” she said, using my father’s first name. I nodded, and my heart knocked.

(Katy Butler, "What Broke My Father's Heart." The New York Times Magazine, June 18, 2010)

Prompt 1• Think carefully about the issue

presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

• Most people tend to trust others too readily. To avoid being taken advantage of, however, it is generally wise to be doubtful and suspicious of others' motives or honesty. Many people would agree that if you find yourself doubting other people's sincerity or questioning their intentions, your instincts are probably correct. You are less likely to regret being cautious than being too trusting.

Assignment:• Is it wise to be suspicious of the

motives or honesty of other people, even those who appear to be trustworthy? 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.

Prompt 2• Think carefully about the issue

presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

• Learning and doing are their own rewards. No external rewards are required. Yet when external rewards are introduced—whether attention and praise from parents or prizes from teachers—these rewards exert a substantial influence. Instead of reading books to find out about the world, kids will read to win prizes. Kids will produce for rewards, but the quality of their activity and their interest in it will be dramatically altered.

• Adapted from Barry Schwartz, The Costs of Living

Assignment:• Is it wrong or harmful to motivate

people to learn or achieve something by offering them rewards? 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.