200 likes | 207 Views
Breaking Down the Reading. What are the ‘need to knows’ of this section of the ACT?. The Reading Section:. 35 minutes Four passages Eight types of questions Can be read in any order. The Reading Section. Avid readers WILL score better on this section of the test (Kaplan).
E N D
Breaking Down the Reading What are the ‘need to knows’ of this section of the ACT?
The Reading Section: • 35 minutes • Four passages • Eight types of questions • Can be read in any order
The Reading Section • Avid readers WILL score better on this section of the test (Kaplan).
Breakdown of Passages • Humanities: • Literature, drama, art, and art criticism. • Main idea (which requires reading the entire passage) • Details (What does each paragraph do to support the thesis)
Breakdown of Passages • Natural Science: • Could cover anything from basic genetics to paleontology. • Make sure the kids know they are not expected to know all of the vocabulary in context. Questions NEVER ask for the Webster’s definition of a word. • This passage has a main idea too. Find it.
Breakdown of Passages • Social Science: • The study of society and people, history, politics, or geography. • This could be anything from a passage about a specific Chinese Dynasty, the Victorian Era, or the rise of the Aztecs. • This is FACT BASED, so note the important details. Those will be found in the questions.
Breakdown of Passages • Prose Fiction: • It’s a story. Understanding the story and the characters will make the questions easier to answer. • Most questions will deal with the story as a whole, inferences made from specific paragraphs, and the meaning of certain words used in context. • These questions are not ‘hunt and find the facts’ like the other passages.
Skills • Understand main ideas • Locate details within a passage and interpret them • Interpret sequence of events and flow of ideas • Make comparisons • Understand cause-effect relationships
Skills • Determine the meaning of words, phrases, and statements in context (these are usually straightforward, but may be used in an unusual or significant way in context) • Draw generalizations • Analyze the author's or narrator's tone and purpose
Types of Questions • Big picture questions • Little picture/detail questions • Vocabulary in context questions • Function questions • Inference questions
Examples of Questions ?????
Timing • 35 minutes for four passages with ten questions each. • 53 seconds per question. • If you spend a total of 15 minutes just reading the passages, that brings your time per question down to 30 seconds.
Strategies • TIME! TIME! TIME! • REVIEW • STUDENT ACOUNTABILITY
Strategies • Start BIG…Go small…Go back to BIG • Let the student be the judge • TIME! TIME! TIME!
Resources • Mastery Prep ($$) http://online.masteryprep.com/login/index.php • Prep Factory (Free) https://www.prepfactory.com/ • www.princetonreview.com • http://blog.prepscholar.com • https://www.kaptest.com