WEEK 9

WELCOME BACK! Next week is our second catch-up week, so you've got TWO weeks to get this work done. Plan carefully. Don't put it off.

YOUR WORK: 

Due NEXT Friday at midnight.


1. ACT Practice Test E .... Corrections and Review.

2. Go to this act site. You'll see five reading passages with questions. Take passages 1,2,3, and 5. (We did passage 4 already). Read through the explanations (No, you don't have to listen to my voice for these) and submit your scores to me in the table in the misc section of the google doc.

3. Go HERE for this week's ACT essay prompt.

4. Revise the School Scheduling ACT prompt (if you're so inclined; it's optional).



HAVE A GREAT TWO WEEKS!

WEEK 8

 YOUR WORK:

First, a word on literally. Some of you need a bit more practice, so read these fine examples:

• She tried keeping her new pet a secret but she literally let the cat out of the bag during the party. 
• As he was laughing he fell off a cliff. He literally died laughing. 
• She literally knows the ropes. She is a sailor. 
• During dinner she literally ate the whole enchilada.
• Molly literally cut corners while she was doing school and ruined her art project.
• The little boy was literally caught red handed when someone noticed the red frosting on his hands from the stolen cupcakes.

Thanks to Amelia and Taylor for the models!

Now here's your work...

1. ACT Q set (Passage IV, beginning with "Comic books...")  Corrections.

2. Reading skills practice....

a. Skill Builder 1

b. Skill Builder 2

Check here for the corrections for 2a 2b 


3. GO HERE. Read each of the five passages and answer those questions. Set your timer for 42 minutes (that's the same pace as the ACT test, but you'll be answering 48 questions instead of 40 in 35 minutes). You'll be reading these passages:

1. "Men of Brewster Place"
2. "Personality Disorders"
3. "A Poem of One's Own"
4. "How to Build a Baby's Brain"
5. A pair of passages: "In Orbit" and "On July 20th 1969" 

4. In week 5, you watched this video on context and framing. Make sure you're including these strategies in this week's essay.

5. This week we'll leave the SAT and start with the ACT style prompts.  Go HERE for the prompt.  

DUE FRIDAY @ MIDNIGHT.

WEEK 7

Good morning!

YOUR WORK:

Everything is due Friday.

1. LBGB...

A. Read chapter 4. 

B. Explain in your own words the five "AVOIDS" in the Style & Usage section.

C. Write a sentence using each term in the pair correctly:

    possible / plausible

    shall / will

    who / whom

D. Write three sentences, each using the word literally in a corret way.     

2. The videos have you getting out your green textbook. Ignore that. I posted a pdf of all the exercises here. Show me your work and post your scores. Also, check your scores from last week's exercises. A few of you didn't tell me how you did, so you may need to score those again. Show me the ones you got wrong.  

Watch this video on modifier problems ...

and this video on case forms. The video cuts in a little after the beginning, but that's ok. You'll hear what you need to hear. I'm more concerned with you knowing how the objective case works (that's where problems tend to show up) than the subjective case.


3. ACT Q set (Passage III, beginning with "The formal tradition..."). Corrections.  *Make sure you do this Q set after the two videos from #1. 


4. Revise the Paul Bogard SAT prompt. Most of you need to read the prompt again. It lays out how to organize it pretty clearly: evidence, reasoning, and appeal to emotion (or other style/persuasive technique like word choice). Remember, your job in that essay to show HOW he builds his argument, so use the terms that describe persuasive writing.


5. Go HERE for SAT prompt #2. Remember to use the language of the prompt itself to guide your writing (the basic language about evidence, reasoning, and other elements, doesn't change from one prompt to another, so get in the habit of organizing your essay that way.) NO REVISIONS THIS TIME! So proof it carefully.


Have a great week!

WEEK 6

WELCOME!

1. Chapter 22 in the GREEN textbook deals with common usage problems. Some of these issues involve the use of words that sound similar but are different words--affect and effect, for example. (You'll recognize that pair from the LBGB work last week. These exercises are similar but cover a lot more usage problems; yes, we'll be skipping LBGB this week.) Others are simply conventions that developed over time to become accepted usage in standard English (no logical rule to point to--you just need to know how to use the word). We'll work through a handful of these exercises. As you'll see, the exercises apply to particular alphabetical sections of the glossary. Be sure to refer to these before (or while) you do the work. 

The corrections and review cover all of the exercises.  

a.  ex 1, p.699
b.  ex 3, p.702
c.  Rev A, p.702
d.  ex 4, p.705
e.  ex 5, p.709


2. SAT persuasive essay analysis:
Before we write ACT style essays, we're going to take a couple of weeks and look at the SAT essay. This one acts as a good bridge between the persuasive essays you've been writing and the analytical essays you will be writing for the ACT. The SAT essay is different in that it has you analyze a persuasive piece of writing. The ACT will have you analyze and synthesize three different positions on a debatable issue.
Go to HERE for this week's writing assignment.

3. You may need to revise your Oppo Essay and/or the Context & Framing from last week.





EVERYTHING'S DUE FRIDAY NIGHT.

Have a great week!

WEEK 5

Good morning! 

This is a catch-up post, which means you have TWO weeks to get the work turned in. It will be due next Friday, 2/28, not this Friday. There will be no post on 2/24. 


YOUR WORK:

1. Complete practice test D (Read the stuff below before you start!). No ACT q set this time--we'll do the whole test instead. I would suggest printing the test out rather than doing it from the computer. It's better practice for the real thing.

Some things to be mindful of:

a. There's no time limit for this test, but because the ACT limits you to 45 minutes for this section, you want to be aware of how you're doing in terms of pace. I suggest setting a time and noting where you're at in the test at the 45 minute mark. Don't stop there, just note it. As you do the practice ACT q sets for the remaining weeks, work toward getting them finished in 8 or 9 minutes max. You may be there already. If so, great. The idea is that when you sit down to take the official test, the clock will not be something to make you anxious. You should be familiar enough with your pace to not even have to think about timing.

b. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Your official testing environment will be extremely quiet (as in no head phones!). You need to get used to that.

c. Keep careful score when you watch the review video. I'll explain then how to calculate a raw ACT score (the 1-36 number that ACT uses to report your score).

d. Don't use anything other than your brain to help answer the questions.

e. Take the test in ONE SITTING, and keep all electronic devices--phones, ipods, watches, whatever--in another room. These are the conditions you'll find at your official test site. Your practice needs to be as close to the real thing as possible. A wall clock is fine.

Corrections, review, and scoring video. 

2. LBGB...

• Read the "Style and Usage" section of chapter 3. 
• Look at these usage pairs and write a correct sentence using each (You may use my examples as models, but write your own):

            a. affect / effect
            b. assure / ensure / insure
            c. compose / comprise
            d. farther / further
            e. i.e. / e.g.
            f. me / myself

3. Watch this video on context and framing and revise your Facial Recognition essay by adding context and framing. Yes, you already have a final score on that essay. I'll treat it like a separate exercise and include it in the week 5 work score. (Some of you may have already done this per my comments last week. If you did it well, then you're done.) 

4. ACT Essay #3...
Choose either the Helmet Law or Facial Recognition prompts and write the essay from the OPPOSITE POSITION from what you wrote earlier. That's right--you may be writing from a position you don't actually believe in. That's ok. We're practicing the persuasive mode of discourse; fake it persuasively.

Here's a reminder of grading criteria:

• context and framing (watch the video above!)
• clear position statement in first P
• full arguments in each P
• counter-argument mentioned and knocked down (this can be one or more of your 3 body P's)
• overall, solid persuasive writing

Everything is DUE NEXT FRIDAY, 2/28, @ midnight. 

WEEK 4

YOUR WORK:

DUE FRIDAY at midnight. Report your scores and include the summaries.


1. ACT Q set (Passage II beginning "Jane Austen's reputation...")  Corrections and review.

2. Watch this video on subjects.

3. Ex 7, p508 and ex 9, p510. For each sentence in both exercises, do these 3 steps: 
a. identify it as action or description;  
b. identify the subject (watch for compounds; you may have more than one subject);  
c. identify the verb (an action if the sentence is about action, a linking verb if it's about description).  
Corrections and review. 

4. Read the blog post called "Actives Speak Louder." I wrote this for copy writers, but it's still a good introduction to passive and active voice. Write a short summary of the post (50-100 words).

5. Now read the post called "Please, Ink Responsibly." This one points out situations where the passive voice is helpful. Write a short summary of the post (50-100 words, and be sure to include examples). 

6. Read p.633-635 and do exercises 6 and 7. Corrections and review. 

7. Revise the Facial Recognition essay.

8. No new essay this week and no LBGB, just a lot of Mr. Beals talking at you. 

Have a great week!

WEEK 3

WELCOME TO MONDAY!


YOUR WORK. Due Friday by 5pm.

Everyone did a great job last week of reporting scores and showing work. Thank you! If you're confused about an item, write me a question there in your work. 

1. Work through the ACT q set Passage I, (Just the first 15 items; we'll do the rest of the packet over the next couple of weeks). Here are the corrections and review.  

2. Pronouns & Antecedents (Ex 12 and 13, p.610-612 if you have the green textbook). Corrections and review. 

3. LBGB...

Read chapter 2 and do the following: 

a) Read the outlined BOX on page 27. What are Mr. Beals' thoughts on pronouns? I bring this up here because I use a pronoun this way on page 26. Find the reference (there are actually a few) and write the sentence out.

b) Read "Active and Passive Voice" on pages 34-37. What are the two advantages to active voice? What are the three appropriate times to use the passive voice?

c)  Write correct sentences using each of these (you may model my examples):

i. less

ii. fewer

iii. amount

iv. rise

v. raise

vi. sit

vii. set

viii. lie

ix. lay 

4. Revise the Helmet Law essay if you need to.

5. Revise the Separate Gender Classroom essay. 

6. ACT essay prompt #3 first draft. Write a well-argued essay on the following prompt:

In the coming months and years, the US federal government plans to implement facial recognition technology in all public spaces (not only airports and train stations, but parks and street corners). Some groups have sounded the alarm on such measures, claiming that they not only violate the 4th amendment’s protection from unreasonable search and protection of privacy, but will be ineffective in catching potential threats. They also argue that the government has no business tracking the movement of its citizens. Others claim the new technology will better ensure the safety of the nation's citizens. Should such technology be the standard rule for all of our nation’s public spaces? In your essay, take a position on the issue. You may write about either of the two points of view, or you may propose a different point of view. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Remember the basics we've covered this far: Three-part structure (intro, body P's, conclusion); a counter-argument KNOCKED DOWN!; plenty of detail and supporting evidence. Also remember this: your strongest argument is the BIG argument based on principle (the principles of privacy or of public safety). Give that one (whichever direction you go) the attention it deserves (It's also the best counter-argument to knock down, so look for the opposition's best, most principled argument, state it fairly, and then kick it to pieces). 




Have a great week!