June 14 2014 ACT Discussion

<p>@Ctesiphon okay got it thanks so much!</p>

<p>Reading: 33
Science: 35
Math: 36
English: 34
Essay: 8</p>

<p>Composite: 34.5 or 35 :D</p>

<p>Don’t mind me. I’m just trying to write my progress report. </p>

<p>Can someone please grade my essay. Thank you!</p>

<p>Prompt:</p>

<p>At some high schools, teachers have considered allowing each student to choose the books he or she will read for English class rather than requiring all students in class to read the same books. Some teachers support such a policy because they think students will greatly improve their reading skills if they read books they find interesting. Other teachers do not support such a policy because they think that students will learn more by participating in class discussion with others who have read the same books. In your opinion, should each individual student be allowed to choose the books he or she reads for English class?
In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.</p>

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<p>*All books were underlined and essay typed as it was written</p>

<p>From Great Expectations to Their Eyes Were Watching God, students all across the country are reading these classical texts. However, at some high schools, some teachers have considered letting their own students choose what they want to read instead because “it will greatly improve their reading skills.” However this thinking is flawed and ultimately lead to a less productive classroom. If students’ books were meticulously elected by their teachers, then we class can eventually engage in a meaningful conversation about themes, rhetoric, and offer their own points of view on this. Books should be chosen not by students, but by teachers to ensure that the overall learning environment is consistent.</p>

<p>Many of our teachers have to abide by a curriculum, either a state or local one. Nevertheless, the can still follow the curriculum, engage their students, and inspire us to learn more by presenting us with great works from fantastic authors. I remember a knowledge question that we had for semester 2 was “how does language shape our culture?” We then began answering this by examining songs from Kate Wolf like “Land of the Navajo” and “Medicine Wheel.” Everyone enjoyed this lesson plan and when our teacher sang the songs in his deep and deliberate voice, everyone paid attention. Because of his personal curriculum, we enjoyed songs about love, death, nature, friendship, and so much more. Then we followed up the discussion by reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, which itself was written in black vernacular and presented us with a cultural point of view that we never could’ve understood just by reading ourselves.</p>

<p>This book led to some fantastic class discussions about finding love, ourselves, and what we want it life. These types of class discussions and socratic seminars are crucial for an English class and vital to the development of our understanding of the world.</p>

<p>While some may say that these types of educational and as well as personal gains can be achieved through students choosing their own books to read, yet this is simply not true. If students were to choose their own books, sure some may choose Austen or Ibsen, but others - those “slackers” - choose the easy way out and select the Hunger Games or Twilight. Although many of the books chosen can be great books, some undoubtedly have no merit in a classroom setting.</p>

<p>The benefits of choosing one’s own books to read are greatly overshadowed by the negative side. Participation by everyone in the classroom setting and its discussions can lead to an overall more productive learning environment. Unless several students chose the same book, then group discussions will not be possible and the student is not able to analyze the text at a greater length with their peers and not be able to get a different perspective on the essay.</p>

<p>Jane Addams once said that “all learning stems from equal and uniform access” when talking about education rights. However, this “equal and uniform” principle can be applied to a classroom scale to ensure an engaging and worldly environment. Teachers ultimately want their students to succeed and Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter said “we are quite good at what we teach” and I think that teachers should be doing the teaching and instructing the students towards their future.</p>

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<p>I’ve been using a stopwatch to pace myself on the Reading section, I took a full practice yesterday and managed a
English: 35
Math: 36
Reading: 33
Science:34</p>

<p>@thesoxpride10‌ van you give me tips for reading and science? </p>

<p>@kanyeftkanye I have similar scores to @thesoxpride10 (36 in Reading on 3 released exams, and two 34s and a 35 on science). For science: DO NOT read any passages. Go straight to the questions, and use the charts/graphs. If you get stuck for more than 20-30 seconds, circle the question and move on. Do all the easy questions first. When you are done, complete the more difficult questions. Make sure to move as quickly through this section as you can.
As for reading… This, in my opinion, is the most difficult to study for. Each person has a different strategy that works for them. I read the passage VERY quickly (trying to retain as much as I can), and then answer the questions. I circle any questions I don’t know, and continue through the rest of the test. When I have completed all easy questions, I try to find answers to my circled questions as quickly as I can. Many people say "DONT READ IT, GO TO THE QUESTIONS. I used that strategy once, and I got a 24. It was terrible. I couldn’t find any answers, wasted CRAZY amounts of time, etc. Try each strategy and see what works for you!
Hope I helped!</p>

<p>hey, can anyone help me increase my score for the English section
I always end up with 25-27, need atleast in the 30’s </p>

<p>@iman101010‌ </p>

<p>The English section is all about knowing where to put commas, and how you can improve the writing of a piece. </p>

<p>@thesoxpride10‌
Our scores are very similar. :D</p>

<p>@Hawkface Yup, it seems we will be getting around the same scores tomorrow, best of luck! :D</p>

<p>Last minute question, i know i asked earlier about English but this about the Reading section. i have tried so hard, i have done many practices. i cant lower the time i spend on a passage. i always use 10 min per passage no matter what i do. i have decided to live with that and do 3 passages and do a quick fourth. i always get about 5 right on each passage(10 min used), so i don’t even have a weaker passage. any ideas on what i can do to get more questions right? i know this isnt the best question to ask but its worth a try. any help would work(i have done all the work in act book and read articles about act reading) im not new to it just not good at it. any awesome tips would help! thank you</p>

<p>I am so not ready for this. I was to busy studying for the sat last week and finals this week. I’m screwed </p>

<p>My daughter had similar issue. Start from last one first and attempt first one last might help to stay focus since you starting easy first and do not spend too much time on hard question as chances are you will get them wrong and loose time toward easy one. </p>

<p>What prep books(if any) are you guys using???</p>

<p>.</p>

<p>It’s Hawkace, not Hawkface @thesoxpride10‌ </p>

<p>I use this book by applerouth called Get your ACT together: the fabulous guide to the ACT.
it is amazing, especially for math and science!</p>

<p>Anyone else just pick up studying the day before? Lol, I’m focusing on math since that’s my weakness. Then science because I have zero idea what to expect. There’s like 2 more dates before college app dates start so i’m not too too worried yet. Anyone else also doing SAT’s and freaking out? haha</p>

<p>haha yeah got my ACT booklet out and studying like crazy before I go to sleep. Im going to stud y either ACT or SAT for an hour a day over the summer depending on which I score higher on and which I feel more comfortable with</p>

<p>@XxarpanxX‌ I never fully read the passages. I just do a quick skim and then begin answering the questions. As I read the questions I go back and look at the specific places where the questions indicate. And if the questions asks about overall meaning of either the whole passage or paragraph, I read the first and last sentences of the entire passages, and the individual paragraphs. </p>

<p>But my reading is my strongest section so my method might not help. </p>

<p>I keep on getting ~29s on the practice tests… Hopefully I can do better on the test tomorrow.</p>