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I have stopped updating this blog as of 2014.

ACT Reading Prep. (Repost)

The chart below is a REVISED ACT Prep Plan (From Fall of 2013 - 2014.)

Quick Link for Online Test (timed)

Quick Link for ACT Pearl Trees

Quick Link to ZERO HOUR THREAT 
  

Please scroll down to see the tutorials and activities previously posted.

ACT Prep Lesson Plans (Revised 6, June, 2013)

Reposted by over 46,500 people as of November 20, 2014!

Week	Focus Alignment with Common Core	Students will…	Notes:
1	ACT Reading Test Basics	Watch Top ACT Reading Videos and take notes on 1. reading section questions 2. wrong answer traps 3. general strategies 4. what to look for when reading 5. strategic guessing	ACT Reading Section ACT Reading Tips ACT Reading Strategies ACT Reading Practice General Test Taking Tips Test Day Tips Understand Your Scores
2	General Reading Strategies on the ACT	Take a full – length BOOST lite ACT Test	General Reading Strategies on the ACT Multiple Choice Test Tips BOOST lite Peterson’s Edge Abbreviated ACT Booklet
3	Overview of the passage types How to read the passages: General Strategies How to read the passages: The Killer Two Sweep method	Watch ACT tutorials and take notes	ACT Reading: The Passage Types The Killer Two Sweep method: 1st sweep – intelligently “size up” the passage, in about 20 to 30 seconds. ·         Quickly scan to locate names of characters and a sense of where and when this story is taking place. 2nd sweep – read at a somewhat faster pace than normal, to obtain a general understanding of the passage ·         Read from start to finish ·         Concentrate on central message ·         Draw inferences as you read
4	ACT Reading: the Question Types 1: Detail 2: Deduction  3: Main Idea 4: Structure  5: Word-in-Context  6: Author’s View	Watch interactive ACT tutorials Materials needed: ü  ACT (2012-2013) Preparing for the ACT booklet.  Reading Section 3 ü  pencil	The official ACT tests referred to in this PDF are the free ACT on the ACT website; ACT 1, 2, and 3 found in all versions of The Real ACT Prep Guide; and ACT 4 and 5 found only in the 2011 release of The Real ACT Prep Guide
5	Prose	Mark Up Prose Passages 1) Emotional content-- (verbs like “sighed,” “winced,” or “smirked,” for example, all signal emotional qualities and should be marked). 2) Any insight into the relationship between characters. -Do the characters seem to get along?    -Are there any implied tensions or disagreements? -Is a “history” between these characters suggested? 3) Does the passage have a tone or mood,   such as exhilaration, ominousness, resentment, or anger?	Passage 1 a.    The Men of Brewster Place b.    Only the Little Bone c.     American History d.    The Threshold e.    Aboard the Night Train
6	Social Science	Mark Up Social Science Passages 1) Cause/effect dynamics-- how or why does something happen?  Do certain results appear from certain conditions? 2) Author’s opinion/overall purpose: why is the author telling me these things? What point is the author making about this topic? Is the author supportive/critical/neutral? 3) Examples—Why are they there? How do they bolster the author’s argument? 4) Comparisons/contrasts	Passage 2 a.    Personality Disorders b.    Longitude c.     Eleanor Roosevelt d.    The Little Ice Age e.    Green Music in the Rain Forest
7	Humanities	Mark Up Humanities Passages 1) Cause/effect dynamics-- how or why does something happen?  Do certain results appear from certain conditions? 2) Author’s opinion/overall purpose: why is the author telling me these things? What point is the author making about this topic? Is the author supportive/critical/neutral? 3) Examples—Why are they there? How do they bolster the author’s argument? 4) Comparisons/contrasts	Passage 3 a.    A Poem of One’s Own b.    Albany c.     The Interior Life d.    Wherever He Went, Joy Was Sure to Follow e.    Finding Philosophy
8	Natural Science	Mark Up Natural Science Passages 1) Cause/effect dynamics-- how or why does something happen?  Do certain results appear from certain conditions? 2) Author’s opinion/overall purpose: why is the author telling me these things? What point is the author making about this topic? Is the author supportive/critical/neutral? 3) Examples—Why are they there? How do they bolster the author’s argument? 4) Comparisons/contrasts	Passage 4 a.    How to Build a Baby’s Brain b.    Anthropologists c.     Science’s Snowball Effect d.    Needles and Nerves e.    Consider the Eel
9	REAL ACT Practice Test 1, untimed	Take a full practice test with no time constraints, with all study helps - “open book" and take your time with questions, focusing on applying strategies.  chart your progress, assess growth, and set goals for the next lesson	Go over the questions you answered incorrectly so you don't get those questions wrong next time. Refer to the answers and explanations in the Real ACT Prep Guide as you review your incorrect answers.
10	REAL ACT Practice Test 2, timed	Take a full practice test with time constraints, with all guides “open book.”   See College Readiness Standards for the Reading ACT (1 – 36).  View or print the set of Reading Standards on two 8-1/2 x 11 pages (PDF). Chart your progress, assess growth, and set goals for the next lesson	Thoroughly analyze your strengths and weaknesses using the Real ACT Prep Guide. Decide what areas you want to work on, keeping in mind how much time you have and how often the skill appears
11	REAL  ACT Practice Test 3, timed	Take a full practice test with no open materials and with time limits.   This will be your BASE score.   See National Ranks for Test Scores and Composite Scores  Where do you want to be? Chart your progress, assess growth, and set goals for the next lesson.	Pick it apart!   Go over questions you answered incorrectly.  Use supplemental material to strengthen  your score.
12	REAL  ACT Practice Test 4, timed	Take a full practice test with no open materials and with time limits.  Chart your progress, assess growth, and set goals for the next lesson.	Pick it apart!   Go over questions you answered incorrectly.  Use supplemental materials to strengthen  your score
13	REAL  ACT Practice Test 5, timed	Take a full practice test with no open materials and with time limits.  Chart your progress, assess growth, and set goals for the next lesson.	Pick it apart!   Go over questions you answered incorrectly.  Use supplemental materials  strengthen  your score
14	“Personalized” ACT 1	By now, you should have a pretty good idea which of the four reading passages is your LEAST favorite. Create a test that is only three passages long; using one passage from each of the three passages types you feel the most comfortable with. Take a practice test with no open materials and with a 30 minute time limit.	Your goal is to get 90% of the questions correct. 90% of 30 = 27 questions. If you are able to successfully answer 30 questions in 30 minutes and get at least 27 questions correct, your goal in the next session is to take a full reading practice test. If not, your goal is to repeat this strategy until you are able to get 27 correct in 30 minutes.
15	“Personalized” ACT 2	Take a practice test with no open materials and with a 30 minute time limit.	If you are able to successfully answer 30 questions in 30 minutes and get at least 27 questions correct, your goal in the next session is to take a full reading practice test. If not, your goal is to repeat this strategy until you are able to get 27 correct in 30 minutes.
16	“Personalized” ACT 3	Take a practice test with no open materials and with a 30 minute time limit.	If you are able to successfully answer 30 questions in 30 minutes and get at least 27 questions correct, your goal in the next session is to take a full reading practice test. If not, your goal is to repeat this strategy until you are able to get 27 correct in 30 minutes.
17	“Personalized” ACT 4	Take a practice test with no open materials and with a 30 minute time limit.	If you are able to successfully answer 30 questions in 30 minutes and get at least 27 questions correct, your goal in the next session is to take a full reading practice test. If not, your goal is to repeat this strategy until you are able to get 27 correct in 30 minutes.
18	“Personalized” ACT 5	Take a practice test with no open materials and with a 30 minute time limit.	If you are able to successfully answer 30 questions in 30 minutes and get at least 27 questions correct, your goal in the next session is to take a full reading practice test. If not, your goal is to repeat this strategy until you are able to get 27 correct in 30 minutes.
19	Sharpen the Saw! 1	By now, you should have a pretty good idea which of the four reading passages is your LEAST favorite. Create a test that is only three passages long; using three passages from your LEAST favorite passage type and include one you feel the most comfortable with. Take a practice test with no open materials and with NO time limit.	Pick it apart!   Go over questions you answered incorrectly.  Use supplemental material to help you sharpen your skills in this area.
20	Sharpen the Saw! 2	By now, you should have a pretty good idea how to attack your LEAST favorite passage type. Create a test that is only three passages long; using three passages from your LEAST favorite passage type and include one you feel the most comfortable with. Take a practice test with no open materials and WITH a time limit.	Pick it apart!   Go over questions you answered incorrectly.  Use supplemental material to help you sharpen your skills in this area.

Prepared by Leslie Ann Marcoccio AKA Tiki Brewster

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New Posts (Potentially) Coming Soon!

Hello Everyone!

I received my duty assignments for the 2013 - 2014 school year and it looks like I may be teaching a couple classes of EDGE B again this year as well as Improving College Reading Skills.

Will know, for sure, mid-August.

Meanwhile, enjoy the summer!
Ms. Marcoccio

Even da Vinci Used "Cornell" Notes!

Photo as seen on Helping Students Take Better Notes

Here are Leonardo da Vinci's kite notes...

Here's a great visual of how da Vinci's notes compare to the Cornell Method...