Week Four: Final Fun!

We all decided we need to spend more time on the grammar section. This is probably going to be the most difficult section for most of you. Unfortunately there aren't many quick fixes or tips for this section; you have to do the reading/studying.

This blog is a great, and quick, way to review for the grammar section.

You can also check out Sparknotes' grammar review section or the grammar terms review on the grammar site ChompChomp.com.

When you go to take the SAT don't forget:

• three number two pencils (regular, not mechanical): two sharp (for responses), one dull but not flat (for filling in the bubbles on the answer sheet)
• two forms of ID, something with your picture on it
• a bottle of water
• a quiet snack (nothing with a really noisy wrapper)- they won't let you eat during the test, but you should be able to eat during the breaks
• a calculator (some of the math portions allow the use of a calculator, right?)
• layered clothing in case you become too hot or too cold

Good luck!

Week Three: Radical Reading Comprehension

This week you should work on:

• developing vocabulary and strategies for the reading comprehension portion of the SAT
• practice for the essay portion by writing another essay
• continue to build on vocabulary knowledge during down time

You can work through this in one of two ways:

• listen to me lecture on the reading comprehension portion of the exam; or
• use the links below and go through my notes (they have verbal explanations if you want to use your headphones in class)

If you choose to work at your own pace, or are working from home, use the links below to view and listen to my Livescribe notes with verbal explanations:

• click for reading comprehension question types
• click for an explanation of reading comprehension questions and strategies
• click for more reading comprehension strategies & this week's practice tests
• click for this week's essay assignment

Week Two: Scintillating Sentence Completion

As you arrive: vocab building

• root words flashcards (hard copies will be provided)
• freerice.com
• majortest.com's word lists
• word lists in your book

Practice sentence completion test

• correct it together
• are there areas we need to revisit together or on your own?
• a few tips on taking the sentence completion portion of the exam

More vocab building

• root words flashcards (hard copies will be provided)
• freerice.com
• majortest.com's word lists
• word lists in your book
• crossword puzzles- check the newspaper

A few tips on writing a successful 4-5 paragraph essay in just 25 minutes

Practice essay test

Week One: Ghastly Grammar (and an essay)

Grammar Section- review and study first

·      Sentence structure: http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentencestruct.htm

Subject, predicate, phrase, clause, fragment, comma splice: http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentelmt.htm; sentence types: http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentences.htm

·      Verbs: http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentences.htm

·      Adverbs: http://www.towson.edu/ows/adverbs.htm

·      Nouns: http://www.towson.edu/ows/nouns.htm

·      Adjectives: http://www.towson.edu/ows/adjectives.htm

·      Pronouns: http://www.towson.edu/ows/pronouns.htm

·      Prepositions: http://www.towson.edu/ows/prepositions.htm

·      Conjunctions: http://www.towson.edu/ows/conjunctions.htm

·      Online Writing Support at Towson University: http://www.towson.edu/ows/index.htm

Grammar Activities- take some online quizzes and find other “fun” activities to increase your knowledge

·         Go Grammar: http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/la-grammar.html (Focus on the items listed above; there’s a lot on this site.)

·         Grammar Blast: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/quizzes/

·         Identifying basic sentence parts: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/bodyparts.htm

• Majortest.com

******NEW: Another blog with some really simply examples of grammar errors to review for that dreadful sentence/passage correction section.

Introduction

SAT Prep Class: Critical Reading & Writing

·         Continuous vocabulary building: crossword puzzles, freerice.com, majortest.com, flashcards, games

·         Continuous writing skills building: write, write, write, write, write

·         One topic each week plus an essay

1.      grammar & essay

2.      sentence completion & essay

3.      reading comprehension & essay

4.      choice review (be sure give me your choice before the day of class) & essay

·         Limited test-taking strategy: Your score comes down to strong vocabulary knowledge and strong writing skills, so we won’t spend a lot of time on “how to take the test” or “how to cheat the test.” We will cover some basics, though, such as how your score is added up and when it might be okay to skip a question.

·         “Homework”: Recommended reading in the Princeton Review book each week.

·         I recommend picking up a copy of Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT. This title features quick, student-tested tips and realistic strategies for earning a high score.

·         Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing is also good and is a fun way to look at grammar rules.

How the SAT is scored:

·         For every question you answer correctly you receive 1 raw point.

·         For every question you answer incorrectly you lose ¼ of a raw point.

·         For every question you leave blank you earn 0 points.

·         Your raw score is the combination of the raw points in each category: math, critical reading, and writing.

·         Each of your three raw scores is scaled to a 200-800 score for each subject.

Recommended Reading*
Week	Pages	Section/Topic
one	8-29	basic principles
	306-345	grammar
two	38-51	sentence completion
three	76-92	reading comprehension
	93-125 (browse)	vocabulary
four	348-364	essay

*I highly recommend reading each section before the class in which it will be covered. This won’t be possible for our first class, but is more than manageable for all subsequent classes.