3. THIS Saturday, May
3rd
Saturday, June 8th
› Must register by
May 3rd
› That means that if
you want me to
help you register,
you have to see me
today, tomorrow, or
Thursday
4. Matrix (completely
filled out)
Any remaining
community service
hour forms
Hold onto your Topic
C brainstorming
worksheet for now
5. The SAT has three main parts, each broken into three sections
5
MATH
MC section 25 minutes 20 questions
Combo
*section
25 minutes 18 questions
MC section 20 minutes 16 questions
READING
MC section 25 minutes 24 questions
MC section 25 minutes 24 questions
MC section 20 minutes 19 questions
WRITING
Essay section 25 minutes 1 question
MC section 25 minutes 35 questions
MC section 10 minutes 14 questions
How is the SAT
different from the
ACT?
How might these
differences be an
advantage or
disadvantage to
you, the test-
taker?
*This section has both MC and non-MC questions. We’ll talk more about this
type of question later.
MC = multiple-choice
6. On the SAT…
Each question correct = 1 RAW POINT EARNED
Each question incorrect = ¼ RAW POINT LOST*
Each question skipped = no points lost or earned
How is this different from the ACT scoring system?
What does this mean for you, the test-taker?
Should you guess or not guess, if you don’t know the answer?
*There are 10 special math questions (known as the student-produced
response questions or “grid-ins”) for which you do not lose points, even if you
get them wrong. We’ll look at these in a later class.
6
7. Use process-of-elimination! If you are
able to narrow down the answer choices
by eliminating at least two wrong
answers, you should take a guess.
If you cannot narrow down the answers,
leave it blank.
If you are about to run out of time and
do not get to several questions in a
section, leave those questions blank.
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8. Your worksheet contains a set of 8 math
questions arranged from easy to hard,
just as math sections on the SAT are
arranged.
Spend your time getting the easier
questions correct.
If you have no idea how to work a
problem, leave it blank!
8
9. You may use a calculator!
At the end of the mini test, we’ll calculate an
estimated score.
The box of reference information at the top of
your worksheet is also provided to you at the
beginning of every math section:
9
10. 1. E
2. C
3. E
4. D
5. A
6. B
7. B
8. B
Before going over the problems in detail, we are going
to estimate your math mini test score on the 200 to 800
scale.
10
11. Your Mini Test has 8 questions, and the actual SAT has 54
math questions. Use the chart on your handout to
translate your performance on these 8 questions into an
overall score to give you a feel for how you’ve done!
Remember not to count any questions you skipped as
“incorrect.”
Remember that a score of 500 is approximately the
national average.
Consider how many points you LOST for wrong answers.
How much did your wrong answers hurt you? Should you
perhaps “play it safe” and be less aggressive in your
guessing?
11
19. Each of the 3 Reading sections begins with Sentence
Completion questions and ends with one or more reading
comprehension passages.
You practiced two small passages in your warm-up.
Here is a sample layout of the Reading sections on the SAT:
19
1st Reading Section
Sentence
Completions
8 questions
Short Double
Passage
4 questions
Long Passage 12 questions
2nd Reading Section
Sentence
Completions
5
questions
Short Passage 2
questions
Short Passage 2
questions
Long Passage 6
questions
Long Passage 9
questions
3rd Reading Section
Sentence
Completions
6 questions
Long Double
Passage
13 questions
20. These questions test:
1. Your ability to analyze a sentence.
2. Your vocabulary
The three-step technique:
1. ANTICIPATE the meaning of the blank(s).
2. Use PROCESS OF ELIMINATION.
3. If you’ve crossed out at least two answers,
take your guess!
20
21. 1. Ravens appear to behave ________________, actively helping
one another to find food.
2. After observing several vicious territorial fights, Jane Goodall
had to revise her earlier opinion that these particular primates
were always _____________ animals.
3. Although the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
had ____________ that his papers be available only to scholars,
the Library of Congress ___________ his wishes and exhibited
them to the general public.
4. The eager members of the audience found the lecture topic
____________, but unfortunately the lecturer’s droning voice
had a _____________ effect.
21
22. 1. Ravens appear to behave ____, actively helping one another to find
food.
(A) mysteriously
(B) warily
(C) aggressively
(D) cooperatively
(D) defensively
2. After observing several vicious territorial fights, Jane Goodall had to
revise her earlier opinion that these particular primates were always
_______________ animals.
(A) ignorant
(B) inquisitive
(C) responsive
(D) cruel
(E) peaceful
22
23. 3. Although the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall had
____________ that his papers be available only to scholars, the Library of
Congress ___________ his wishes and exhibited them to the general public.
(A) implied…publicized
(B) denied…repealed
(C) stipulated...disregarded
(D) revealed…executed
(E) insisted…honored
4. The eager members of the audience found the lecture topic ____________,
but unfortunately the lecturer’s droning voice had a _____________ effect.
(A) interesting…rousing
(B) advantageous...beneficial
(C) rudimentary…reassuring
(D) Insipid...bland
(E) stimulating...soporific
23
24. Look at # 1 – 4 on your Mini Test: Sentence Completions. You might not
know all the words in the answer choices, but you probably recognize some
or most of the words. These are the questions you should attempt.
THESE ARE THE BATTLES YOU CAN WIN!
Now look at #4 – 8. You might recognize only a few or none or the words in the
answer choices. The test-makers intend for at least half of the students to get
these questions incorrect! Spending many minutes on these questions would not
be a smart use of your time, especially when you have a lot of reading left in this
section. You should consider skipping some or all of these questions. THESE ARE
THE BATTLES YOU MIGHT WISH TO AVOID!
YOUR OVERALL STRATEGY FOR A PAGE OF SENTENCE COMPLETIONS
ANSWER THE FIRST HALF OF THE QUESTIONS
SKIP SOME OR ALL OF THE QUESTIONS IN THE SECOND HALF
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26. For your Mini Test score estimate, we’re going to
combine your warm-up with your page of Sentence
Completions, for a total of 12 questions.
Count up the number of questions you got correct
and incorrect, out of the 12. Do not count any
questions you skipped as incorrect.
If you found these Sentence Completions difficult
and feel you didn’t do very well, DON’T WORRY. This
type of question only makes up less than 1/3 of the
SAT Reading.
The majority of your Reading score comes from the
passage-based reading questions we’ll work more on
during the next class.
Consider how many points you LOST for wrong
answers. How much did your wrong answers hurt
you? Should you perhaps “play it safe” and be less
aggressive your guessing?
26
Editor's Notes
Briefly read through the chart for the students. Use the questions noted to the right of the slide to start a discussion of the differences between the two tests in terms of content and timing. Important ACT vs. SAT differences to point out:The SAT has no science section! Obviously, this is good for students who find the science section of the ACT to be the hardest.The longest section on the SAT is only 25 minutes. This is good for students who can get bored with the longer ACT sections and would prefer to transition between different question types.The SAT overall has fewer questions than the SAT (170 on the SAT versus 215 on the ACT) but takes about the same amount of time. (Note to coach: this is not taking into account the essay on either test, and also does not take into account the presence of the section that does not count on the SAT…which will be addressed with students in a later class.) Thus, SAT questions on average take longer and thus can be more difficult. Students should realize that their pace can be slower on the SAT.The essay is a required part of the SAT, and the essay score contributes about 30% to the overall Writing score, the other 70% coming from the multiple-choice questions. However, because most of the colleges to which College Forward students apply DO NOT give the Writing score much (or any) weight in the admissions process, the CF class is not going to spend much time talking about that section. Also, a note to coaches: we are going to wait until the last class to give the students an example of how the ten sections of the SAT are arranged. (For one, it doesn’t help the students to be overloaded with introductory SAT info at the first lesson. For another, knowing the layout of the SAT is an issue of “What To Expect on Test Day,” which will be covered at the last lesson so that the information is fresh in students’ mind during the official SAT.) However, you—the coach—should be familiar with the layout of the SAT, so you can answer any general questions the students may have during this first lesson, and so I recommend you read through the appropriate slide on Class 4.
Some students may wonder how “raw points” relate to the 200 – 800 SAT scale. You can tell them that 1 RAW POINT is roughly equal to 8 SCALED POINTS. For example, if a student scored a 400 on the math section on her first SAT but had a goal of a 450, that student would need to get about 6 more problems right on the next test to see that kind of improvement. Obviously, there would be other factors involved (such as the number of questions that were omitted versus answered incorrectly), but this is a good rule of thumb.“How is this different from the ACT scoring system?”Obviously the big difference is that the ACT does not penalize students for wrong answers, but the SAT does.“What does this mean for you, the test-taker?”You’ll need to keep two things in mind on the SAT:You’ll need to have a strategy of when to guess on a given question and when to leave it blank.You’ll need to use your time wisely, concentrating on the easy and medium questions and not worrying about any hard questions you don’t get a chance to look at.“Should you guess or not guess, if you don’t know the answer?”See what kinds of responses students have to this question, and then go to the next slide for the conclusion…..
In theory, it is worthwhile for a student to take a guess if she can eliminate only one answer choice. However, in reality, a student who can confidently eliminate only one answer choice out of five is probably so “shaky” on the question that it really is better to skip it entirely.
Distribute the student handout “SAT Math Mini Test” (3 pages) and “SAT Math Mini Test Score Estimation Chart,” then go over this slide and the next.
Be sure to read through the formula box for the students, so that they know what all the information means. (“The area of a circle is pi r squared, the circumference of a circle is two pi r,” etc…) Emphasize the fact that this information is available on the first page of EVERY math section on the SAT, so the students can always refer back to it.Give the students 10 minutes to work the eight problems on their handouts. Likely, many or most students will not be able to complete all the work. This is acceptable, since the point of the exercise is that the students learn to be comfortable spending their time on the easy and medium problems and not worry if there are difficult problems that they do not have time to do. (However, if at the end of ten minutes you have many students protest “But I’m not finished!”, then it’s okay to give them an extra two minutes.)
When the time for the Mini test is finished, call out the answers so students can check their work.
Coach, please refer to your “SAT MATH MINI TEST COACH COPY” for notes and hints regarding how to review these problems with your students.These problems are reproduced on the slides so you can project them as you review them. Remember to SHOW AND TELL as you go through these problems—i.e. do not simply TELL the students aloud how to do the problem but also SHOW them the work.
Coach, please refer to your “SAT MATH MINI TEST COACH COPY” for notes and hints regarding how to review these problems with your students.
Coach, please refer to your “SAT MATH MINI TEST COACH COPY” for notes and hints regarding how to review these problems with your students.
Coach, please refer to your “SAT MATH MINI TEST COACH COPY” for notes and hints regarding how to review these problems with your students.
Students should pick up the warm-up handout as they enter the class. Start going over the questions about ten minutes after the start of class.
In reviewing Reading questions on this and every other SAT Reading exercise, emphasize how even a single “wrong” word in an answer is enough to eliminate that answer, as follows: Answers:E, because a dilemma is the same as a “difficulty” (line 6), and the passage is about Hispanic American writers (lines 1 – 3)The answer is not A because the passage is not about getting PUBLISHED.The answer is not B because the passage does not CELEBRATE but rather mentions a difficulty.The answer is not C because there is no mention of SEVERAL languages.The answer is not D because there is no mention of any NEW approaches.D, because the passage is about the difficulty of a writer choosing between languagesThe answer is not A because there is no mention of language.The answer is not B because there is no mention of language.The answer is not C because there is no mention of language.The answer is not E because the passage is not about the language of the AUDIENCE.
3) B, because the author uses positive terms such as “masterpiece” and “finely honed” (lines 1 – 3) You should probably define “honed” for the students.The answer is not A, C, or E because those words are all negative, and the passage is positive.The answer is not D, because “awe” involves a touch of fear, which is not present in the passage.C, because “interfaces” and “controls” are how a person interacts with a computer.The answer is not A, because the “interfaces” and “controls” are examples of the ways in which HAL is less sophisticated than current computers.The answer is not B because Clarke and Kubrick envisioned a computer that is NOT like the computers of today.The answer is not D because the last sentence does not mention “computer programmers.”The answer is not E because the last sentence does not mention “intelligence and emotions.”
First, point out that the students just practiced the two Short Passages present on every SAT.Emphasize to your students that the Sentence Completions only make up the first (relatively) few questions of every section. There is always a LOT of passage reading to follow every page of Sentence Completions. So, the technique that you’re about to teach them for the Sentence Completions will help them attack the questions and not use too much time (since there is always so much more to do in any Reading section)!
You might ask for a show of hands from the class as to how many students feel intimidated by vocabulary questions. (Typically, at least half the students will express some anxiety about that type of question.) Reassure the students that while there will be some VERY HARD questions, there will also be some easier questions. Their job will be to take good, quick guesses on the easier questions and earn some points before moving on to the rest of the section. The technique you’ll teach will help them to do this.
Distribute the student handouts “Sentence Completions Step 1” and “Sentence Completions Step 2” (should be one piece of paper printed front-and-back). Read the directions and give the students five minutes to write in their own words on their worksheets. Emphasize that, if it’s easier, they can just fill in a “+” for a positive word or a “–” for a negative word. Many (but certainly not all) of the SAT Sentence Completions can be worked using this positive/negative technique.After five minutes, ask the class to volunteer what they put in the blanks in each sentence. Also, get the students to tell you WHY they picked the words or signs they did. For example, if a student says he put a “+” in the blank on #1, ask him WHY he knew it was a positive word and not a negative word. Many students are able to pick up on the clues in the sentence but don’t realize they are doing so until you push them to articulate their reasoning.The clue is “actively helping,” leading to a “+” in the blank or words such as “working together” or “friendly” or “helpful” in the blank. (Don’t worry if students are giving words that aren’t the correct part of speech for the blank. It’s more important that they get the right meaning.)The clues are “territorial fights” and “had to revise,” leading to a “+” in the blank or a word like “friendly” or “peaceful.” You should probably define “revise” for your students.The first blank can be difficult on this one. If no one in the class has a good idea for the first blank, then ask them about the second. The big clue is the word “although,” which signals contrast. The second blank should be negative. The first one should be positive.The clue “eager” leads to a “+” in the first blank, and “unfortunately” and “droning” lead to a “-” in the second blank.
The students have the sentences from their previous handout page reprinted on the back page of their handout, only this time the answers are included. (We did this so that the students would concentrate on the sentences during the “anticipate” phase and not get caught up in the answer choices.)Here’s a good method for going through each of the questions, starting with #1:First, remind the students what sign and/or words the class put in the blank on #1. Then, walk the students through the answer choices using P-O-E. Remember to use the SHOW AND TELL method—don’t just tell them which answers you are eliminating, but show them by physically crossing out answers either on your white board--if you’re projecting on a white board--or using the PowerPoint pen tool. Ask the class what they think about answer A. If your class is a vocal group, then you can ask them to say “YES,” “NO,” or “MAYBE” to answer A. If you hear a lot of “NO” responses, then eliminate the answer. However, if you hear even a few “YES” or “MAYBE” responses (or mostly silence), then do not eliminate the answer. If your group has more quiet students, then you might just ask for a “thumbs up” for a good answer, a “thumbs down” for a bad answer, and “no thumb” (i.e. hide your thumb in your fist) for a maybe answer. Students who don’t like speaking out in a group are often more willing to use hand signals for their responses. In fact, it can actually be rather fun! Even though YOU obviously know the right answer, you should provide a model of P-O-E by not crossing out all the wrong answers but instead leaving some “maybes” so that the students have to guess from the non-eliminated answers. The answer to #1 is D.#2 – You might use P-O-E to eliminate A, C, and D for the class. However, you should have B and E left to guess between. (Likely there will be several students in the class who aren’t sure about the meaning of “inquisitive,” so it should not be eliminated.) The answer is E.
Continue to model P-O-E on these questions. Don’t spend a lot of time defining the meaning of words for the students. If they ask, “What does insipid mean?”, just say that you’re not going to tell them, since they’re practicing the technique they’ll use on test day, when you won’t be there to help them with the vocabulary! The point of the exercise is not to learn new words but rather to work on a strategy to use when you don’t know the words.For #3, I recommend that you start with the second blank, since the second blank is easier than the first. The second blank has a negative word. Go through the second choice on each of the answers and ask students for the NO, YES, or MAYBE response. You will likely eliminate A and E (and possibly D) based on the class responses. Now go to the choices for the first blank, which should have a positive word. The class should be able to eliminate B. Having eliminated two or three answer choices, you should now ask the class to take their guess from the remaining answers. Then reveal that the correct answer is C. For #4, you can start with the first blank, a positive word. It is very possible that the class will not be able to eliminate any answers, since they will likely know that A, B, and E are positive words but not be certain about the meaning of C or D. So, move on to the second blank, a negative word. The class should be able to eliminate B and C, which contain relatively well-known positive words. Having eliminated at least those two answers choices, you should now ask the class to take their guess as to the correct answer. Then reveal that the correct answer is E.
Distribute the student handout “Mini Test: Sentence Completions” before going over this slide. Have them refer to that handout as you go through the slide.
Give the students 6 minutes to complete their Mini Test: Sentence Completions before putting up this slide and calling out the answers. If many students in the class request more time, you can give them an extra minute or two.
