Here's an example:
A recent SAT had the following prompt:
"Do circumstances determine whether or not we should
tell the truth?"
One student wrote:
Sometimes circumstances determine whether or not we
should tell the truth and sometimes we must tell the
truth no matter what.
Unfortunately, this thesis is one that did NOT lead to
a high scoring essay.
Here's why:
SAT Essay graders are instructed to score an essay on
how well a student supported a single position on the
issue.
That means you must do the following:
Take a clear position--by writing a thesis that answers
the prompt with a clear 'yes' or 'no'.
Supporting your point of view--and I quote the College
Board here--"with reasoning and examples taken from
your reading, studies, experience, or observations."
If you've taken advanced writing classes then you know
that good persuasive writing always deals with counter-
arguments...
...but in only 25 minutes you have just enough time to
support your thesis with 3-4 examples.
There just isn't time to find counter-arguments and
prove these arguments wrong. The College Board knows
this and that's may be why they don't require it.
This is actually good news for you as this means you
can focus totally on one thing--proving your thesis with
several examples.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
The fourth Biggest Mistake students make on the SAT Essay
This is one mistake that many students make every year.
They do it because it's easy.
They do it because they think they know enough to make
it work.
They do it because they just don't realize how SAT
Essay graders will feel about it.
So what is this common mistake?
Writing about "no, no topics."
And just what are these "no, no" topics?
First, let me tell you that the College Board denies
that there are no, no topics.
However, when Adam Robinson, creator of Princeton
Review, reviewed SAT Essays he found that certain
topics seemed to be scored worse by some graders.
Here's what he found:
The worst things you can write about are the same
things people used to say you should never talk about
in polite conversation:
Politics and Religion.
That's right.
When you speak about Politics you just never know if
the teacher grading your essay will be one who agrees
or strongly disagrees with your opinion.
You may think your point of view on the issue is non-
partisan, but that's not always how partisan people
feel. (Partisan people have a strong adherence to a
political party or political philosophy like Democrat,
Republican, Libertarian, Green etc.)
If the grader disagrees or is even offended by your
opinion don't you think this may affect your score even
if the grader is trying to be objective?
The same goes for religion.
Some people in the US are highly religious and can be
easily offended if you take the wrong tone about
religion in your essay.
(Some atheists in the US might even object to the way
you use religion as an example too.)
This is why you absolutely MUST avoid using these two
topics like the plague.
They do it because it's easy.
They do it because they think they know enough to make
it work.
They do it because they just don't realize how SAT
Essay graders will feel about it.
So what is this common mistake?
Writing about "no, no topics."
And just what are these "no, no" topics?
First, let me tell you that the College Board denies
that there are no, no topics.
However, when Adam Robinson, creator of Princeton
Review, reviewed SAT Essays he found that certain
topics seemed to be scored worse by some graders.
Here's what he found:
The worst things you can write about are the same
things people used to say you should never talk about
in polite conversation:
Politics and Religion.
That's right.
When you speak about Politics you just never know if
the teacher grading your essay will be one who agrees
or strongly disagrees with your opinion.
You may think your point of view on the issue is non-
partisan, but that's not always how partisan people
feel. (Partisan people have a strong adherence to a
political party or political philosophy like Democrat,
Republican, Libertarian, Green etc.)
If the grader disagrees or is even offended by your
opinion don't you think this may affect your score even
if the grader is trying to be objective?
The same goes for religion.
Some people in the US are highly religious and can be
easily offended if you take the wrong tone about
religion in your essay.
(Some atheists in the US might even object to the way
you use religion as an example too.)
This is why you absolutely MUST avoid using these two
topics like the plague.
ClassBlog: Time Periods in American Literature
ClassBlog: Time Periods in American Literature
Group Presentations
Requirements- Each Group will research a period in American Literature. As a group, you will study the time period reporting on important historical/political events, social/cultural elements, fine arts (art/music/theater), scientific discoveries, writers of the time and characteristics of the literature. Your goal is to try to create a picture of a historical period so that we can better understand the literature and how it fits into United States history. The required visual will be a time line. Any other visual aids are welcome. Together we will create a total time line and use it to reference the works and writers we study throughout the year.
You are required to report your findings to the class; be as creative as you can. All group members must participate in the presentation. Teach the class about your time period rather than simply reading to them. You must present on the due date to receive credit for the group grade. If you are absent you will be required to report on a different time period.
.
Scoring Rubric
( /5 pts) Do you cover each of the following elements from your time period?
- Historical/political
- Social/cultural
- Fine arts
- Science
- Literature
( /5 pts) Do you examine the characteristics of the literature from your time period?
( /5 pts) Is your timeline…
- Neatly written or typed?
- 24 inches in height (standard) X 36 inches in length (minimum)?
- Complete with pictures?
- Colorful?
( /10 pts) Presentation
- Is your visual size appropriate? (5)
- Does each member of your group participate during your presentation? (10)
- Do you demonstrate a commitment to understanding your material? (10)
- Do you use eye contact effectively (5)?
-----------
25
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A & P - John Updike
While reading A&P by John Updike, the idea is to hear the character development and narrative voice. Write a brief narrative using voice(dialogue, description and imagery) to tell about an encounter with of your own with an intriguing stranger.
The third BIGGEST mistake students make on the SAT Essay
The third BIGGEST mistake students make on the SAT Essay
I once had an entire class of students write on the
WRONG topic for a practice SAT Essay. Wonder how it
happened?
the very best advice, and then going away and doing the
exact opposite."
I once had an entire class of students write on the
WRONG topic for a practice SAT Essay. Wonder how it
happened?
They read the wrong part of the SAT Essay prompt first.
If you've already seen the SAT Essay prompts then you
know they start out with a quote like the following:
"I owe my success to having listened respectfully tothe very best advice, and then going away and doing the
exact opposite."
--G. K. Chesterton
Then you get your topic question such as"Assignment: Are people held back by their adherence
to the beliefs of the majority or doing things in the
conventional way? Plan and write an essay..."
Well, my students wrote about "success" instead of the
real topic which is "Are people held back by their
adherence to the beliefs of the majority."
It was only the first day of class, so it was easy to make
a mistake.
And believe it or not, this happens to many students
even those who've been in big name test prep
programs for months.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The second BIGGEST MISTAKE students make on the SAT Essay - pkoch9999@gmail.com
The second BIGGEST MISTAKE students make on the SAT Essay
...because you have so little time to compose your
thoughts and...
...you don't get a chance to study the topic in
advance...
...the easiest thing to do is to just start writing
your essay using whatever information and ideas come to
mind.
Why is that bad?
Because it will lead you to writing a disorganized
essay that's hard for graders to follow--and
understand.
You can easily avoid this common mistake by knowing one
simple fact and following one simple technique you've
already learned in school.
The simple fact is that essay graders reward students
who organize their ideas into paragraphs.
Each paragraph must have only one example.
If you put two ideas into the same paragraph or have
one idea that spans two or more paragraphs you can kiss
that high score good bye.
The one simple technique to making sure you organize
your essay into these simple paragraphs is to write a
brief outline...
...just one sentence to describe the subject of each
paragraph.
Of course knowing that your essay must be broken up
into logical paragraphs is only half of what you need
to do well.
The other half consists in knowing how to organize your
paragraphs for maximum impact.
SAT Essay paragraphs can be super easy when you learn
the strategy I call the 4-Part Paragraph.
It allows you to know just how to present your
information concisely, quickly and confidently on test day.
...because you have so little time to compose your
thoughts and...
...you don't get a chance to study the topic in
advance...
...the easiest thing to do is to just start writing
your essay using whatever information and ideas come to
mind.
Why is that bad?
Because it will lead you to writing a disorganized
essay that's hard for graders to follow--and
understand.
You can easily avoid this common mistake by knowing one
simple fact and following one simple technique you've
already learned in school.
The simple fact is that essay graders reward students
who organize their ideas into paragraphs.
Each paragraph must have only one example.
If you put two ideas into the same paragraph or have
one idea that spans two or more paragraphs you can kiss
that high score good bye.
The one simple technique to making sure you organize
your essay into these simple paragraphs is to write a
brief outline...
...just one sentence to describe the subject of each
paragraph.
Of course knowing that your essay must be broken up
into logical paragraphs is only half of what you need
to do well.
The other half consists in knowing how to organize your
paragraphs for maximum impact.
SAT Essay paragraphs can be super easy when you learn
the strategy I call the 4-Part Paragraph.
It allows you to know just how to present your
information concisely, quickly and confidently on test day.
Duc De La RochefouCauld's
We read Duc De La RochefouCauld's Portrait of Himself , and examined 15 vocabulary words from the text. After analyzing the piece by labeling each of Rochefoucauld's paragraphs you should complete a journal entry by writing your own self portrait. Please include your physical description and a description of two other attributes of yourself.
supercillious
frankness
amiable
adroit
aquiline
depict
fastidious
erroneous
ardent
affectation
amours
intrinsically
lucidity
circuity
austere
supercillious
frankness
amiable
adroit
aquiline
depict
fastidious
erroneous
ardent
affectation
amours
intrinsically
lucidity
circuity
austere
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The BIGGEST mistake students make on the SAT Essay
The BIGGEST mistake students make on the SAT Essay
What is this mistake?
It's writing an essay that's too short.
When Dr. Les Perlman analyzed SAT Essay scores he found
that the shortest essays--
--those that were 100 words or less--got the lowest
possible score of 1.
So to avoid getting such a score you must NOT write a
short essay.
So how long should your essay be to get a good score?
If you want to get the highest score of 6, your best
bet is to write an essay of 400 words or more.
Dr. Perlman's analysis found that 90% of essays 400
words or longer got the highest possible score--6.
So write a long essay if you want to get a higher
score.
Of course it does matter WHAT you write about.
After all 10% of those long essays got lower scores.
Unfortunately, there is an easy way to lose points on the
SAT Essay by making one simple mistake that you can
only avoid when you know what it is.What is this mistake?
It's writing an essay that's too short.
When Dr. Les Perlman analyzed SAT Essay scores he found
that the shortest essays--
--those that were 100 words or less--got the lowest
possible score of 1.
So to avoid getting such a score you must NOT write a
short essay.
So how long should your essay be to get a good score?
If you want to get the highest score of 6, your best
bet is to write an essay of 400 words or more.
Dr. Perlman's analysis found that 90% of essays 400
words or longer got the highest possible score--6.
So write a long essay if you want to get a higher
score.
Of course it does matter WHAT you write about.
After all 10% of those long essays got lower scores.
SAT Essay Tips
Other tips:
• Use a lot of action verbs! This automatically makes your writing sound mature and helps it flow with ease (i.e. “The author conveys” instead of “The author is conveying.”)
• One personal example is always good: it is probable that no one else has one just like yours, and the scorers might be impressed by your originality.
• Don’t dwell on the introduction. If you find you are having a hard time getting started, simply write out your thesis and move on to your supporting paragraphs!
• Keep an eye on your watch: the time frame is the most difficult part of the essay, so make sure to keep tabs on how much time you have left so you can conclude your essay properly.
• Breathe in, breathe out: the more stressed and worried you are, the less you will be able to concentrate and think clearly – and express yourself clearly!
http://appanxiety.com/2009/08/the-sat-essay-tips-and-how-to%E2%80%99s/
Monday, August 23, 2010
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
The S.M.A.R.T. Goals assignment should result in a set of fifteen tangible goals to turn in. Remember to follow the pattern below when writing your goals and make sure that each goal meets the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. Also remember that your goals should be typed and be turned in with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
By ____________________ I will _____________________.
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Timed
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Welcome Back
I look forward to another great school year.
Please consult the important documents page for class syllabus, calendar and other materials.
Welcome!
Please consult the important documents page for class syllabus, calendar and other materials.
Welcome!
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