Topics/ Activities:

Monday

. Objective. The learner will use familiarity with ACT testing to ask specific questions. The learner will display content knowledge in both reading and grammar, and think critically about test taking strategies.

2. Standards. By the end of the lesson, students will display confidence in their ability to take the ACT-Grammar and ACT-Reading tests

3. Anticipatory Set. Begin the class period by telling a personal story of sitting down to take the ACT, describing both apprehensions and the “thrill” of being good at test taking. It is important that students understand that this positive thinking about taking the test is not related to knowledge or desire to experience subject matter, but self-confidence.

4. Input. Students may still have questions after the last two weeks worth of lessons. The first priority is to concisely answer these questions, since the fewer questions students go into the test with, the less apprehensive they will feel.

If there are no questions, or all questions are answered, the second priority will be to continue with any specific points from the previous two lessons that were missed.

After this, the following topics should be briefly reviewed:

• time management skills
• intelligent guesswork
• self confidence
• concise word usage
• standard dialect
• character perspective
• textual support for answers

These cover the most important points of the ACT review sessions. If question/answer time goes longer than expected, it may be necessary to skip some of the specific points from previous lessons to make absolutely sure that the above list is reviewed.

6. Guided Practice. If time allows, students should form small groups and discuss one thing they thought still needed clarification, or one personal insight/strategy they developed as a result of the lessons, and after this discussion time is over, they should be prepared to share this question or insight with the class, followed by appropriate teacher response.

Tuesday

Tuesday 6 March 2007 (1 st & 5 th blocks) / Wednesday 7 March 2007 (6 th block) ASW respond to writing prompt in timed setting.

Mr. Lyons will be gone on Tuesday to work on district common syllabi work. Mr. Jourden will lead the classes.

1. Timed essay # 12 (30 minutes) Read critically Gwendolyn Brooks (United States, 1944-45) “the preacher ruminates behind the sermon” (packet 113), then write an essay in which you take a position on how she conceives God. Agree or disagree, but include examples from your reading, your own experiences, and your own thoughts.
2. Plus and wish for self
3. nuDen brain break: TV Commercials from your childhood, such as ….
4. Tutorial on one of the poetry analyses; each class will choose which one
5. Work on poetry analyses
6. Process and dismissal

Wednesday

Thursday

Thursday 8 March 2007 (1 st & 5 th blocks) / Friday 9 March 2007 (6 th block) ASW will work on lab report

1. In teams of 3-5, students will develop their own hypothesis. Collect data, analyze it, and write mock lab report to turn in at end of block.
2. nuDen brain break: children choice
3. Work on drafts of research essay
4. Process and dismissal

Friday