TAKS ATTACK STRATGEGIES! It’s test day! What now?

First… On the back of the test, write down your PLAN… write any hints or reminders for how you plan to attack the test. Make a checklist of what you’re going to do!

Step One: Read the writing prompt! –Personalize it! Make it into “Write about a time when…” –Ex. Write an essay explaining the importance of responsibility –Write an essay about what courage means to you Then, THINK: How did I learn/change from this experience?

Essay reminders: Don’t bother complaining about the prompt. It’s not going to change! If you REALLY can’t think of anything, read the selections first, look at the picture, that might help. Remember, a good essay has an intro and a conclusion. The conclusion usually says something about what you’ve learned or how you’ve changed as a result of an experience. It needs to tie into the prompt. Good papers are at least a page and a half long and are separated into paragraphs. Good papers are INTERESTING. It is best to try to tell a “one time” story about yourself if at all possible.

Do your prewriting and your rough draft Get this out of the way EARLY while you’re still fresh. The BEST essays are written about a ONE- TIME experience that you had. If you can’t think of YOUR experience, think of someone you know. Try to keep it personal. Get all the information down quickly the first time. Don’t worry about an intro and conclusion YET… Just write out your draft

Now… go back to the test.

Step two: Look at your visual Why? The visual will help you determine the theme that will go through all of the passages. It will help you set a purpose for your reading. Go ahead and answer questions while you’re here.

Step three: Read #29. Write the question at the top of the first story. Why? Once again, if you know the question in advance, it will help you establish a purpose for your reading. As you’re reading, be on the lookout for a quote that answers that question.

Step Four: Read questions for passage one ONLY. Why? It will help you establish a purpose for reading. Highlight important parts of the questions AND the answers. Look up any words you don’t know. EXTRA HINT: After you have read all the questions, answer the ones that refer to a specific line/paragraph BEFORE you read the story. Often a question will ask you about the mood/main idea of individual paragraphs—NOT the whole story. If you read just the pertinent paragraph, you’re more likely to get a correct answer.

Step Five: Read the selection and annotate Why? You MUST read the selection! You will probably have to read and read again. Taking notes as you read will help you process information about the selection. Make predictions in the margins. Try to reword or paraphrase sections you don’t understand. Discuss: What strategies do you use? How do you annotate?

Step six: Answer the multiple choice questions for the first section Why? Do the first section while it is still fresh in your mind and you’re not distracted by the other reading. Be sure you can back up WHY you answered the way you did with support in the text. Make sure you read EVERY answer and use process of elimination!

Final step for section one A.C.E short answer question #29. Remember that quote you found? Answer the question and use that quote as your supporting detail. **If the questions asks you about a CHANGE, you may need to use TWO quotes to show the difference** Use your booklet to pre-plan your answer/write a rough draft. You MUST have an answer and a quote to get a 2. Be CAREFUL. Make sure that all parts of your answer are supported with quotes. READ YOUR ANSWER after you write it to be sure it makes sense.

Repeat as needed! Do the same steps for the non-fiction selection –Write question #30 at the top of selection two (be looking for a quote that answers it as you read.) –Answer the questions you can before reading the selection –Read and annotate the selection –Answer the multiple choice –ACE question #30

Do your crossover. Do the crossover multiple choice first, then… Remember, your crossover question will almost always be a comparison OR contrast. You must have an answer which applies to both selections. You will need a quote from EACH selection.

When you’re finished with the reading section Double check all three of your OER’s Be SURE you got at least a two! Remember, you must have an answer AND a quote. Remember, your quote must back up your answer! Use a thesaurus or dictionary to be sure you used strong vocabulary Be sure you have a quote from each selection for your crossover.

Now, go back to your essay Read your rough draft again. See where you can add detail, voice See where you can make sure that all of your ideas are attached to the prompt. Write an intro which addresses the prompt and a conclusion that shows what you learned from the experience.

Final draft Write your final draft on the lined paper. Be sure you check your grammar and mechanics. Watch out for misspellings and verb tenses. READ YOUR PAPER. You know what a 2, a 3, and a 4 look like! Be sure you got one!

When you are FINISHED with the reading and the writing Do the 20 revising and editing questions. Remember, you are NOT allowed to use a dictionary on this portion. Once the seal is broken, you may not use a dictionary again. Decide on your approach. –You can read the selection FIRST and mark errors on the way through. –Look at the questions first, and then read…either way, you MUST read the selection.

Just some “no no’s” You may not have your cell phone, ipod, mp3 player, psp, etc. during the test. Surrender it to the proctor. You WILL get it back, but if you have it during the test, even if it’s off, your test scores will be invalidated. Do not wander the halls and pester teachers looking for your room the morning of the test. Your teachers adore you, but they are VERY busy trying to get set up in a short amount of time. Wait in the cafeteria until it’s time for the test. Be on your BEST behavior. Even if you are in a room with people who are not your favorites, it’s only for about four hours… not the rest of your life. Deal with it. The only thing you can do when you’re finished with the test is read A BOOK or sleep. (No magazines, no writing notes, no working on homework… Sorry! They’re not our rules they’re the state’s!), so have a book with you… Pre- AP, I KNOW you have one!

You’re done! Other hints and suggestions: Use the dictionary at ALL TIMES. If you are not 100% sure what a literary term means, LOOK IT UP. If a question asks you to determine the meaning of a word in context, LOOK IT UP so you know all the possible definitions. Take breaks when you need to. The test is untimed. If your mind starts wandering, stop working for awhile. Make sure that your short answer question is legible and fits in the box. You may write between the lines if you need more space. CHECK YOUR BUBBLING! Make sure you bubbled the answers you meant to bubble. You have all the time in the world… don’t let a stupid mistake make you lose an elective next year. Re-READ your ACE questions! Check them! Make sure you got at least 2! Re-READ your essay. You know what a “1” looks like. Make sure you don’t have one! Don’t sweat it. You can do it. Come on, you’ve been reading stories and answering questions for years. The whole test is only 48 multiple choice, 3 short answers, and a story about you! You’ve got this!