SAT Fun ClubWriting Portion:

Essay&

Corrections/Improvements

Writing Sections(800 Pts. Total)

• Begins with 1 Timed Essay (25 min.)

• Approximately 30% of the overall score

• Measures your ability to – develop a point of view on an issue

presented in an excerpt – support your point of view using

reasoning and examples from your reading, studies, experience, or observations

– follow the conventions of standard written English

• Scored on a Rubric from 1-6 (with 6 being the hightest)

• Multiple Choice:– Approximately 70% of

the overall score• Improving Sentences

(25 Questions)• Improving

Paragraphs (6 Questions)

• Identifying Sentence Errors (18 Questions)

Essay Section

• Handout & Review: TOWF• Handout Notebook paper (to simulate response page

in SAT)• Write within the section/box• 25 Minutes (Timed)• Structure of Prompt:– THINK – CONSIDER a quote– WRITE a response to the prompt

PRACTICE!Sample Prompt:

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

There are books that try to show the world as it is and books that try to show the world as it should or could be. Which kind of books should we be offering children and reading ourselves? One answer is the argument for the value of truth, for “telling it like it is.” Writers could promote certain positive ideals by being less realistic, but all of us – especially children – have a right to be told the truth. Adapted from Claudia Mills, “The Ethics of Representation: Realism and Idealism in Children’s Fiction.”

ASSIGNMENT: Should books portray the world as it is or as it should be? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Improving Sentences/Paragraphs• Generally involve the structure of the WHOLE sentence or

paragraph.• “Directions: The following questions test correctness and

effectiveness of expression. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to grammar, choice of words, sentence construction, and punctuation…In each of the following sentences, part of the sentence or the entire sentence is underlined. Beneath each sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. Choice A repeats the original; the other four are different.”

• Choose the answer that best expresses the meaning of the original sentence.

• Choose the answer that best expresses a clear and precise message.• Choose the answer that eliminates awkwardness and ambiguity.

Improving Sentences

• “Fix the Mistake” Strategy– Step 1: Read the selection carefully and “listen”

for a mistake.– Step 2: Identify the error or errors.– Step 3: Predict a correction.– Step 4: Check the choices for a match that doesn’t

introduce a new error.

PRACTICE!• Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly and ask yourself whether the

underlined portion is correct or whether it needs to be revised.• Read choices (A) through (E), replacing the underlined part with each answer

choice to determine which revision results in a sentence that is clear and precise and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Scenes from everyday lives of African Americans, which are realistically depicted in the paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner.A) Scenes from the everyday lives of African Americans, which are realisitically

depicted in the paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner.B) Scenes from the everyday lives of African Americans being realistically depicted

in the paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner.C) The paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner realistically depict scenes from the

everyday lives of African Americans.D) Henry Ossawa Tanner, in his realistic paintings, depicting scenes from the

everyday lives of African Americans.E) Henry Ossawa Tanner, whose paintings realistically depict scenes from the

everyday lives of African Americans.

Correct Answer: C• Explanation• Difficulty: Medium• For a sentence to be grammatically complete, it must include both a subject

and a main verb. When a sentence lacks either a subject or a main verb, the result is a sentence fragment. In this example all options but (C) are sentence fragments.

• In (A), the phrase "Scenes ... Americans " is modified by the dependent clause "which ... Tanner," but there is no main verb.

• In (B), the phrase "Scenes ... Tanner" contains no main verb.• In (D), the noun "Henry Ossawa Tanner" is modified by "depicting" but is

not combined with a main verb.• And in (E), the noun "Henry Ossawa Tanner" is modified by the dependent

clause "whose ... Americans" but not combined with a main verb.• (C) is correct. It is the only choice in which a subject ("The paintings of

Henry Ossawa Tanner") is combined with a verb ("depict") to express a complete thought.

Improving Paragraphs

• 3 Types of Improving Paragraphs Questions:–General Organization–Revising Sentences–Combining Sentences

Improving Paragraphs

• “Predict the Correction” Strategy– Step 1: Read the passage quickly for the overall

idea and tone.– Step 2: Read the question.– Step 3: Reread the relevant text and consider its

context.– Step 4: Predict the correction.– Step 5: Choose the best match.

PRACTICE!• Read the entire essay quickly to determine its overall meaning.

The essay is intended as a draft, so you will notice errors.• Choose the best answer from among the choices given, even if

you can imagine another correct response.(Handout: Passage)

In context, which is the best revision to the underlined portion of sentence 3 (reproduced below)?They have rarely received much attention during their lifetimes.A) In fact, they hadB) Too bad these artists haveC) As a result, these women haveD) In spite of this, women artistsE) Often it is the case that the former have

Correct Answer: C• Explanation• Difficulty: Medium• Although sentence 3 is not grammatically wrong, its relationship to the preceding

sentence needs to be made clearer. A transitional phrase should be added to emphasize the cause-and-effect relationship between the stated facts — women artists received little attention as a consequence of having worked in the shadows of their male contemporaries — and the ambiguous pronoun "They" should be replaced with a word or phrase that clearly refers to the "women artists" and not the "male contemporaries" mentioned in sentence 2.

• (A), (B), and (D) are unsatisfactory because in each case the transitional phrase ("In fact," "Too bad," or "In spite of this") fails to indicate the cause-and-effect relationship. Moreover, both (A) and (B) leave the ambiguity of the pronoun unresolved.

• (E) is unsatisfactory not only because it fails to signal the cause-and-effect relationship but also because it is wordy and illogically combines the adverbs "Often" and "rarely."

• (C) is correct. The transitional phrase "as a result" clearly indicates a cause-and-effect relationship, and "these women" properly resolves the ambiguity of the pronoun "They."

Identifying Errors

• “Spot-the-Mistake” Strategy– Step 1: Read the whole sentence, “listening” for

the mistake.– Step 2: If you “heard” the mistake, choose it and

you’re done.– Step 3: If not, read each underlined choice, and

eliminate choices that contain no errors.– Step 4: Choose the remaining choice (don’t be

afraid to choose “E”).

PRACTICE!• Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly, paying attention to

underlined choices (A) through (D).• Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to

make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The students (a)have discovered that (b)they can address issues more effectively (c)through letter-writing campaigns (d)and not through public demonstrations. (e)no error

A) AB) BC) CD) DE) E

Correct Answer: D• Explanation• Difficulty: Easy• The error in this sentence occurs at (D). When a comparison is

introduced by the adverb "more," as in "more effectively," the second part of the comparison must be introduced by the conjunction "than" rather than "and not."

• The other options contain no errors. In (A), the plural verb "have discovered" agrees with the plural subject "students." In (B), the plural pronoun "they" correctly refers to the plural noun "students." In (C), the preposition "through" appropriately expresses the means by which issues are addressed.

• The sentence may be corrected as follows: The students have discovered that they can address issues more effectively through letter-writing campaigns than through public demonstrations.

So…

What are your “take-aways” from today’s activities?

How do you feel about taking the SAT?