MOTIVATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!

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MOTIVATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!
STRATEGIES FOR MASTERING THE ACADEMIC SKILLS (AND
TEST TAKING SKILLS) NEEDED FOR SUCCESS ON THE
ACT!
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GOALS! All students, even those not attending
college, need the skills the ACT exam reinforces!

• - Life-long Skills
• Workplace Skills
• Test scores that reflect true skill ability
• - Scholarships
• College Success
• MOTIVATION IS KEY!

Mission Six-Step Implementation
Strategies Administration Technology
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College Helps with Jobs .
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EARN 1.5 - 3 MILLION MORE WITH A COLLEGE
DEGREE!

• How to get to college?
• G.P.A. 45
• ACT/SAT exam 45
• Other 10

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MOTIVATION!
Standards for College Readiness What does it
all mean?
A PARADIGM SHIFT 50 18 60 22 66 24 71
26 80 29 91 33 One Little Point at a
Time!
ACT 9957 C Scale Excerpt
Note The ACT scales 1 - 36
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• EVERY STUDENT CAN PERFORM WELL ON THE ACT!
• - The Score chart is a great tool to show the
  students that they dont have to get every
  question right in order to get a good score on
  the ACT!
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• Explain to them that although a 50 on an
  English Class test may be a failing grade, it is
  an 18 on the ACT, and many colleges will accept
  that score!!!
• A 60 on a History Class test may be a D-, but on
  the ACT its a 22! Now colleges arent only
  accepting you, but theyre giving you
  scholarships!
• Student GPA is also taken into consideration

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Mapping ACT English

Editing five short passages 75 questions - 45
minutes 9 minutes Per passage
Usage - Mechanics Skills 40Q 53
Rhetoric Skills 35Q 47
Punctuation 10Q 13
Grammar and Use 12Q 16
Sentence Structure 18Q 24
Strategy 12Q 16
Organization 11Q 15
Style 12Q 16
Conciseness Ambiguity Low-level usage Shifting
point of view
Run-on Comma splice Fragment Coord
conjunction Parallelism Misplaced
modifiers Clauses Subordination Split
construction Unintended meaning
Tense Subject-verb agreement Pronoun use Adverb
vs. adjective Double negative Idioms Possessives c
omparisons
Appropriate support Main idea Audience Effective
Opening sentence Concluding sentence
Comma Semicolon End-stop Dashes Hyphens quotes
Paragraph development Sentence-level
structure Paragraph-level structure
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Mapping ACT Mathematics

60 questions - 60 minutes
Direct use of math facts or formulas 32Q 53
Word Problems 16Q 27
Inference or decision making 12Q 20
Pre-Algebra 14Q 23
Elementary Algebra 10Q 17
Intermediate Algebra 9Q 15
Geometry 14Q 23
Coordinate Geometry 9Q 15
Trigonometry 4Q 7
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Mapping ACT Reading 4 Passages 40 Questions
35 Minutes

Read 750 words Prose/Fiction 0845 10Q 25
Read 750 words Humanities 0845 10Q 25
Read 750 words Social Science 0845 10Q 25
Read 750 words Natural Science 0845 10Q 25
Explicit Questions 14Q 35
Implicit Questions 26Q 65
Specific Detail
Sequence Cause/Effect Comparison
Authors Voice Main Idea
Generalization Conclusion
Words in Context
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Mapping ACT Science Reasoning
7 passages - 40 questions - 35minutes
3 passages Research Summary 18Q 45
3 passages Data Representation 15Q 37
1 Passage Conflicting Viewpoint 7Q 18
Identify data points Identify units/labels Identif
y trends Identify variables Identify controls
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Understand 7Q 17.5
1
3
Hypothesize Conclude Compare evaluate
Analyze 20Q 50
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5
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Extrapolate Interpolate Predict generalize
Generalize 13Q 32.5
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1
3
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The Six-Step Approach

• Step 1 Diagnostic Testing and Assessment
  Reports
• Step 2 Basic Skills Review
• Step 3 In-Class Problem-Solving, Concepts, and
• Strategies
• Step 4 Practice Test Reinforcement
• Step 5 Final Exam and Assessment
• Step 6 Personal Study and Improvement Plan

Mission Six-Step Implementation
Strategies Administration Technology
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• English
• 75 questions, 5 passages, 45 minutes
• Punctuation
• COMMAS are used on the ACT in 6 ways
• 1. After Introductory Clauses followed by a
  complete sentence
• 2. To Mark Interruptions
• 3. To Separate 2 sentences w/ a conjunction
• To mark Afterthoughts
• To Separate Words in a series / list
• To Separate Adjectives
• Hint When in doubt, leave the comma out!

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DASH 1. Interruptions 2. After-thoughts SEMICOL
ON 1. Separate 2 complete sentences COLON 1.
Summary list. 2. After-thoughts 3. Between 2
complete sentences APOSTROPHES 1. One owner
s 2. More than one owner s 3. Plural
words form the possessive by adding
s GRAMMAR 1. Verb tense and agreement 2.
Pronoun agreement 3. Parallelism
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Other English HINTS Shortest is Best! When in
doubt, leave it out! Read on! Never pick
being Pacing!!!! (9 minutes per passage. You
must incorporate this into your curriculum
quizzes and tests!)
Quiz! What are the 4 ways to separate two
complete sentences? 1. 2. 3. 4.
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MATH 60 Questions, 60 Minutes!
Math Questions on the ACT

• Content Area Percent Typical Number of ?s
• Pre-Algebra 23 - 14 questions
• Elementary Algebra 17 - 10 questions
• Intermediate Algebra 15 - 9 questions
• Coordinate Geometry 15 - 9 questions
• Plane Geometry 23 - 14 questions
• Trigonometry 7 - 4 questions
• Total 100 - 60 questions total

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Math 60 questions, 60 minutes1. The Math test
covers basic arithmetic, pre-algebra, elementary
algebra, advanced algebra, coordinate geometry,
plane geometry, trigonometry.2. 60
questions3. Easiest to hardest 4. The answer
might be obvious without any work.
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• 5. Plug Chug and use Pick C whenever possible
• 6. Sometimes you may need to work backwards.
• It may help to look for wrong answers rather than
  correct ones. (Process of elimination).
• Do the easy questions first (the first 30)!
• Pacing!!!
• 10. Calculators are allowed and encouraged!

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Math Examples 1. The price of an item is first
marked down 20 and then up 20. Express as a
percentage the overall change in the price of the
item. a. 0 b. 4 c. -4 d. 10 e.
-10 (This problem illustrates the strategy of
avoiding the obvious choice, and makes you more
aware of percent questions.) Choose an
arbitrary value, 100.00, 100.00 20 80.00,
80.00 20 96.00 The answer is c the
overall change is a decrease of 4.
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2. If k is an integer, which of the following
must be odd? I. k 1 II. K x k 1
III. 2k 1 A) I. only B)
II. only C) I. and II. D) I.
and III. E) III. Only (Try plugging in
odd and even numbers for k, then analyze your
results. The answer is E.)
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3. Eva can complete a job in four hours. Jill
takes ten hours, and Eric takes twenty hours.
How long will it take them to do the job working
together? F) 2/5 hour G) 2 ½ hours H)
4 hours J) 11 1/3 hours K) 34
hours (This problem illustrates the use of common
sense. Work problems often confuse students.
Answers H, J, and K can be eliminated since Eva
can do the job by herself in four hours. By
logically considering between F and G, 2 ½ hours
seems much more likely than 2/5 hour. The answer
is G.)
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READING 4 passages, 10 questions each, 35 minutes
total! Always review the answer choices before
looking back. Be careful on questions with
specific line references. If looking back, read
a few lines before and after the given line
reference. Do not hesitate over answers. You
must get to all 4 passages! Be an
active/demanding reader! Use CPR and/or
TD! Pacing!!! (8-9 minutes per passage)
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No matter what, each student MUST have a reading
strategy! For most students there is a
definitive reading strategy that produces the
highest possible ACT reading score. It is a two
step process, and it is extremely simple. Step
1 Read the entire passage quickly but actively,
seeking out the most important information. You
are allowed to annotate or underline, but only do
this if it is already one of your reading
strengths. When you finish reading the passage,
you should be able to mentally review the main
ideas and supporting details! If you cannot do
this easily, you were not actively reading!
(Reading the passage should take between 4 5
minutes.) Step 2 Answer the questions. Be sure
to read ALL FOUR answer choices, using process of
elimination, BEFORE looking back to the passage.
(Answering questions should take about 4 5
minutes.) No matter what, you must complete each
passage in LESS THAN 9 MINUTES!
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In order to reach your maximum reading score, it
is imperative that you get to all four passages!
Remember, it is possible to get some answers
wrong on the ACT and still achieve an amazing
score! An alternative strategy that works for
some students is to actively read only the first
and last paragraphs while skimming the body of
the passage and then answering the questions as
described above. This strategy should only be
used if you are so instructed by your ACT
teacher. (This often works for students whose
maximum ACT reading score typically falls below
an 18, which in most cases still meets state
standards.) No matter what, DO NOT waste
precious time by reading the questions first!
This strategy is a virtual guarantee of a low
reading score. Again, DO NOT read the questions
first unless specifically instructed to do so by
your ACT teacher.
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Science StrategiesSeven passages, 5, 6, or 7
questions each, 35 minutes total!

• There are seven passages, based on all areas of
  science. All info is provided, usually more than
  needed.
• It is NOT a reading test.
• Analyze the graphs, table, charts, then answer
  ?s.
• Work from the questions back to the data.
• Underline the clues in the questions!
• Let the answers tell you where to look.
• Use P.O.E. treat it like a T/F test.
• Look for patterns.
• Fighting Scientists is the ONLY reading section.
• Pacing (3 5 minutes per passage)

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With all of the information put in front of you
and only 35 minutes to answer all of the
questions, the science section can seem
overwhelming. The most important thing you can do
to conserve time is orient yourself. Think of it
like shopping at a grocery store Lets say you
are going to the supermarket and all you need to
buy is milk and bread. The supermarket carries
tens of thousands of items will you need to go
through each item on each aisle in order to find
the two that you are looking for? Of course not!
You would use the aisle signs to figure out
exactly where to go, then scan the appropriate
aisle until you find what you are looking for.
The whole process would take you a few seconds.
The science section is no different. Sure, there
is a considerable amount of information provided
with each passage, but dont let it slow you
down. Orient yourself using the headings on
charts and graphs the same way you would at the
grocery store, and the ACT science reasoning can
be as straightforward as buying a loaf of bread.
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Writing StrategiesB.O.W.Brainstorm, Outline,
Write!Intro3 body paragraphsConclusionCounte
r-Arguments?
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ON TEST DAY 1. Bring lots of sharp 2 pencils
and a calculator. 2. Treat the night before like
a school night. 3. Eat a balanced
breakfast. 4. Wear comfortable clothes. 5.
Arrive early. 6. Bring a snack. 7. Maintain
your concentration. 8. The real ACT will
seem more difficult than any of your practice
ACTs. Why? Well, its not any harder its just
that you are a little nervous because this one
counts. Being nervous is OK it means that you
care what happens. 9. Think positively.
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