Day 3
Use this day to review ACT English. Review the questions that you answered incorrectly, left blank, answered correctly but still don't understand. Review the following concepts that are frequently tested on ACT English.
Concept #1: Too much information (TMI)
A writer inserts descriptive information between one of the following: a pair of commas, a pair of dashes, or a pair of parentheses. Find any of these pairs on the ACT and cover the TMI to identify the sentence's subject and predicate.
Read the original sentence:
A former North Shore Senior High School football coach described Speed and Strength, an early summer camp, as non-negotiable.
Read the original sentence without TMI:
A former North Shore Senior High School football coach described Speed and Strength as non-negotiable.
This red flag is the signal to identify the subject and predicate.
Subject: coach; Predicate: described
Concept #2: Semicolon
A semicolon on the ACT alerts the student to look for a complete sentence before the semicolon and a complete sentence after the semicolon. A complete sentence contains an subject and a predicate.
Example:
At East St. Louis High School, supplies were outdated; even the football goal post lacked a crossbar.
This red flag is the signal to identify subjects and predicates before and after the semicolon.
Before the semicolon: Subject: supplies; Predicate: were outdated
After the semicolon: Subject: post; Predicate: lacked
Concept #3: Action words that end with -ing or -ed
Here's the blueprint for this red flag:
- An action word (that ends with -ing or -ed) at the beginning of a sentence
- A comma somewhere in the sentence
Make sure that the first noun after the comma is the person, place, or thing doing the action.
Example:
Blending flour and butter, Patrick is making a pie crust.
Notice that Patrick, the first noun after the comma, is doing the blending.
Concept #4: Transitional Words or Phrases
Learn how to use the following transitional words or phrases: therefore, thus, nevertheless, nonetheless, as a result, for example, similarly, still, moreover, consequently, however, furthermore.
Read the sentence before the transitional word or phrase. Read the sentence after the word or phrase. Then, determine the relationship between these two sentences. Use this resource to review this concept.
Day 4
Use this day to review ACT Math. Review the questions that you answered incorrectly, left blank, answered correctly but still don't understand. Review the concepts that are commonly tested on ACT Math.
#1: Math terminology
#2: Linear functions
#3: Quadratic functions
Day 5
Use this day to review ACT Science. Review the questions that you answered incorrectly, left blank, answered correctly but still don't understand. Here's my favorite strategy for ACT Science.
- Read the entire passage first, checking for definitions and cause and effect relationships.
- Examine the diagrams to determine the following: variables on the x- and y-axis and relationships between the variables. For example, do the variables move in the same or opposite direction or is there no relationship?
Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
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