ACT Reading Comp.

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ACT Reading Comp.

• More comprehension in less time

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The reading challenge for some students

• Passive Entertainment Students now have a
  variety of entertainment choices that dont
  require them to be actively engaged. This
  entertainment is passive- it doesnt require
  the person to read and think. Examples include
  video games, web surfing and television.
• Students read less and have less focus. As a
  result, their reading speed is slow, their
  vocabulary does not expand and they dont use
  critical thinking skills often enough. We can
  define these skills as Active Reading.
• If the student does not use Active Reading
  skills, courses with heavy reading requirements
  (English, History, Sciences) will become
  difficult.

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A possible solution

• Students can change they way they read and how
  they think about what they read.
• People improve focus when they do something with
  what they read.
• Students need to understand why they are reading
  an assignment and how they will use the
  information (quiz, test, essay, term paper).
• Students need to connect details to an overall
  theme.

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Reading Comprehension Content Areas

• Prose Fiction The reading is taken from a novel
  or short story. The student is dropped into the
  middle of a story. Questions are asked about the
  setting/ mood of the scene and interactions
  between characters. There are also vocabulary
  questions in prose fiction.
• Social Studies Economics, history, politics
• Humanities Art, film, philosophy
• Natural Sciences Biology, chemistry, other
  sciences

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Reading Comprehension Format

• Reading Length The typical reading is 750 words-
  about two pages of a book.
• Questions 10 multiple choice questions. Answers
  are not always explicit. Many questions ask the
  student to use reasoning and make a judgment
  about the correct answer. These judgment
  questions are the most difficult.
• Prior Knowledge Students should not rely on any
  prior knowledge when they read. The test
  questions will only address information in the
  reading. Students should disregard their
  background in a subject when answering questions.
• Time Management Ideally, students should be able
  to read a passage and answer 10 questions in 9
  minutes. 5 minutes should be spent on reading the
  text, and 4 minutes on answering the questions.

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Types of Questions

• Main Idea Nearly every reading will include a
  main idea question. Typically, this will be
  addressed in the first and last paragraph.
• Authors Argument/ Point of View In many
  readings, the author is arguing a point of view.
  Some writers discuss two sides of the same
  question- the pros and cons of an issue.
• Vocabulary Pay particular attention to words
  that are new to you- you might be asked to define
  the word. Read the sentence to understand what
  the word means.
• Inference The most difficult questions involve
  inference and judgment. Phrases such as Based on
  the passage, the author infers or We can
  conclude that the author believes.

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Reading the Text Actively

• Underline, Highlight, Circle Doing something to
  the text as you read keeps you focused. Marking
  up the text also allows you to quickly find
  information. If you underline the main idea, it
  will be easy to find- if that question is asked.
• Margins Consider writing comments in the margin,
  such as questions that come up as you read.
• Vocabulary Pay particular attention to words
  that are new to you- you might be asked to define
  the word. Read the sentence to understand what
  the word means. For example The spiteful bully
  pushed the student. You may not know exactly
  what spiteful means- but it must have something
  to do with anger, based on the sentence.

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Reading the Text Actively (cont.)

• First Paragraph The first paragraph should
  answer the question What is this about? Think
  about a TV news reporter He or she should start
  their report by explaining whats going on. If
  not, the viewer becomes confused and might lose
  interest. Example Heavy snow has delayed the
  start of the Stanley Cup playoff game tonight.
  OK- I get it, says the viewer.
• Last Paragraph The last paragraph should be an
  effective conclusion. The author should summarize
  his argument or point of view. The reader should
  pay close attention to the first and last
  paragraphs- they contain critical information.
• Switchbacks Have you noticed a shift in
  thought in something youve read? Maybe the
  writer argues for an idea, then shifts to discuss
  the other point of view. These are called
  switchbacks. A switchback is a trail that zigzags
  up a steep mountain. Be alert for words like
  these but, although, however. They indicate a
  big change in what youre reading.

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Reading the Text Actively (cont.)

• Pause and Reflect OK- now youre actively read
  the text. Stop and think about what youve read.
• Use ACTs information- not your own If you knew
  something about the topic already, how was the
  reading different? Remember, the ACT questions
  only apply to information in the reading- even if
  you believe its incorrect!
• Patterns Was there a pattern or theme throughout
  the reading? A pattern may tip off the writers
  main idea or argument. Example The article tells
  the story of four people who overcome serious
  illnesses. In each story, the writer comments on
  the importance of regular physical exams. Could
  that be the articles main idea?
• Surprises What surprised you? Did one
  characters comments or actions clash another
  character? In the movie Casablanca, the main
  character Rick seems to be only concerned with
  himself. At the end of the film, his actions show
  a great concern for someone else. Why did he
  change? What point is the author trying to make?
  

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More comprehension in less time The payoff

• Find information faster By marking up the text,
  the student can glance at the reading and find
  information faster. Example An article about
  Lincoln includes a paragraph about his time in
  the Illinois Legislature. The student glances
  back at the text and sees the word legislature
  underlined. He quickly reviews the paragraph and
  answers the question. The reader avoids rereading
  a large part of the text to find an answer.
• Anticipate questions How often are you asked
  about the main idea of an article, or about the
  authors viewpoint? All the time- nearly every
  time! Why not find those answers as you read?
• Increase comprehension Reading actively keeps
  the reader focused. The student is less likely to
  drift if they have to mark up the text along the
  way. More focus leads to better comprehension.

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General Comments on Test Questions

• 3 Incorrect Answers I was a test item writer for
  the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam for
  several years. The hardest task in writing test
  questions is creating 3 incorrect answers that
  seem plausible. That is, an unprepared student
  might choose one of the incorrect answers. Since
  that task is difficult, writers get tired. There
  is usually one answer choice that you can throw
  out because it uses an absolute. The test writer
  included an absolute, because he was out of other
  ideas!
• Absolutes Since there are few absolutes in life,
  you wont find them in many test questions on the
  ACT exam! Answer choices with words like always,
  never, absolutely are usually incorrect.
• Flipping the booklet Another frustration for
  students is flipping back and forth between a
  question page and an answer page. Marking up the
  passage saves time when you flip from the answer
  page to the text.

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Bibliography

• Barrons ACT 2008, 14th Edition
• www.itvdictionary.com
• www.drscavanaugh.org
• www.mindtools.com
• www.csus.edu/wac/active_reading.stm