ACT

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ACT

• Reading

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Day 1

• Overview
• 5 Strategies
• Rank ordering
• Reading for Main Idea
• Total Score (36)
• Two Subscores
• Humanities and prose fiction
• Social studies and science

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ACT Reading Section Structure

• Four passages of 700 words each
• Social studies
• Science
• Fiction (Prose)
• Humanities
• Each passage has 10 questions
• 40 questions total
• 35 minutes
• Therefore, about 8 and a half minutes for each
  passage to read and answer questions

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What Makes the Reading Difficult?

• No background given
• Can treat any subject
• Goal test reading comprehension, not subject
  knowledge
• Everything is there to answer the question
• Do not be intimidated by the passages

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What Makes Reading Difficult?

• Passages are edited
• Purposely designed for the types of questions
  asked
• Dense, highly packed text
• No titles or subtitles

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Tricks of the Trade

• Answer Easy and Medium DifficultiesFocus timing
  and strategy on correctly answering those items
  that you are SURE you are capable of answering
  correctly.
• Skip the questions that you do not know the first
  time through.

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Tricks of the Trade

• Every Item Is Earned
• Each item requires a process to find the correct
  answer, and when you try to avoid this you are
  much more likely to get the wrong answer no
  answer can be found cheaply.

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Strategies

• 1. Rank order passages, from easiest to most
  difficult.
• Quickly scan first sentence description and
  number from 1-4 on top of each page.
• Look for subject matter, vocabulary load
• Read passages in order, from easiest to most
  difficult
• Rationale Get the maximum number correct

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Strategies

• 2. Read the first and last paragraph in your
  easiest selection for
• Main idea
• Structure of the selection (The BIG Picture)
• Question/answer
• Cause/effect
• Comparison/contrast
• Chronological
• Special listing

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Strategies

• 3. Skim the question stems before reading the
  selection, but dont waste time reading the
  choices.
• Rationale Know what to look for

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Strategies

• 4. Mark the text
• Use a pencil to underline, circle, code in margin
• Goal mark text to quickly locate information
  during question answering
• Highlighters are not allowed

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Stategies

• 5. Answer all of the questions for the selection
• Read and consider all options
• Justify your choice
• Refer back to the passage frequently

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Practice
In class exercise Big Book - Main Idea p.
283-285 Do 3, 5,7,9 together Victory - Rank and
order Practice test p. 502
Homework Finish Main Idea exercise on p.
538-540 if it was difficult for you. Read and
answer questions for passage you think will be
easiest. Give yourself 10 minutes.
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Day 2

• 6 Strategies for Reading Carefully and
  Comprehensively
• 1. Main Idea Questions
• Which of the following is the authors main
  point?
• What is the unifying theme?
• What is the main theme of the third paragraph?

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Main Idea Hints

• Answers are neither too general nor too specific.
  It will summarize the main theme of the
  selection.
• Main Idea is stated at the beginning or end of
  the passage.
• Circle, underline, bracket

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• Determine outline used to Develop Passage
• -Identify the supporting ideas author has used to
  confirm or strengthen the main idea.
• Mark these!!!
• -Identify the primary facts or arguments the
  author uses to support the main theme.
• Mark these also!!!

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• -Determine the order of ideas or information.
• -Temporal time ordered
• -Sequential smallest to largest
• -Categorical types of starts
• -Geographical east to west
• -Logical rational order
• Emotional saddest time to
  happiest time

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• 3. Locate important specific details
• Look for signals the author is about to
  communicate something he/she thinks is important.
  (importantly, considerably, or critically,
  notably)
• Take special note whenever the author takes the
  time to provide a definition of a word, phrase,
  or idea.
• Watch for similarity words. (comparable, similar,
  like, or equal to)
• Contrast words that compare prototype and the
  model
• Example words For example or for instance

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• Analyze the Arguments or Persuasive Devices
• Examples of the types of evidence and/or support
  an author may use to prove his/her arguments
• -Scientific data/research
• -Statistics
• -Historical Facts
• -Quotations from prominent individuals
• -Personal experiences
• -Logic
• -Statements or ideas from other experts
• -Emotional statements or stories

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• 5. Consider the Authors Point of View
• -Consider the authors underlying intentions or
  assumptions. What is he/she trying to say?
• -Infer the implied or hidden reasons from the
  passage
• 6. Probe the Mood of the Passage
• -Take into account the overall feeling or tone
  of the passage.
• -Authors mood will give you cues about the
  authors intention in writing the passage
• Example moods upbeat, sad, humorous, angry,
  depressed, analytical, entertaining, confused,
  scholoarly.

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Practice
In class exercise Big Book - p. 289-298 p. 289
4-6, p. 291 1-2, p. 293 9-10 p. 295 7-11, p.
298 1-2
Homework If these were difficult finish other
exercises on p. 289-298. Finish Practice Reading
test (last three passages) from p. 502 in Victory.
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Day 3

• Roman Numeral questions
• Timing Strategies
• Trial Run

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Format of Roman Numeral Questions

• Waterford is
• I. A small community
• II. A growing village
• III. A place with industry
• IV. A dying area
• I IV C. I only
• II IV D. I, II, III
• Treat it as a TRUE/FALSE question

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Timing Strategy

• Move quickly
• Spend only 9 minutes on each passage
• Dont forget to MARK it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Spend the majority of your time answering
  questions

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Timing Strategy 2

• Dont get bogged down
• Choose an answer and move on
• Unsure? Go back into the passage and find the
  answer. Your marked text will help you quickly
  locate the answer.
• Use the process of elimination
• Better to give up one point in the middle than 10
  points at the end.

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Timing Strategy 3

• If you are running out of time.(less than 5
  minutes left with a passage to read)
• Skip reading the passage
• Answer any detail or phrase in context questions
  with a specific line number
• Answer as many questions as possible and guess
  the same answer on the rest

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Timing Strategy 4

• Answer all questions before moving on to the next
  passage.
• By the time you get back to the question, the
  passage will no longer be fresh in your mind
• NEVER leave an answer blank.

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Practice

• In class exercises -
• Trial run Victory p. 562
• Rank and order all 4
• Preview question stems
• Read and mark passage
• 8 ½ minutes per passage I hope to get through
  three