Today in the lab:Choose one of the plans you developed

in class yesterday.You will write an individual essay. Print

it out and turn it in.Follow the format from your handout.Review the tips/hints in this Powerpoint.The SAT will allow you 25 minutes.When you are done, work with your

RAFT words as directed on the last slide, print it out and turn it in.

Slides that follow…… present a review for you

How are you graded?Five key ingredients:- appropriate examples- organization and focus - language and usage (glitzy

vocabulary!)- varied sentence structure- grammar

Should I get personal?The use of books, movies or history rather

than personal anecdotes allows you to explain the ins/outs of a situation in an analytical sense.

This is difficult to do with a personal situation.

You earn no higher points for enduring difficult situations or personal experiences, btw.

At 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, you will be glad to have a list of examples.

Emergency Situations Making up examples, names, places, facts

or even dates for the SAT essay is acceptable

The whole point of the essay is to prove your strong rough-draft writing technique – and to prove this technique using “appropriate examples”

The College Board doesn’t say “true examples”

BUT: Is the example actually related to the essay topic?

Is it neither stupid nor in bad taste? If you pass both of those tests, you’re

golden! However, be careful. You may not be good

at making up examples.

How To Up Your ScoreVary sentence structure: Starting a sentence

with Despite, Although, Though, In spite of … will force you to use a dependent clause and put the subject in the middle of the sentence rather than at the beginning.

English teachers (and essay scorers) love this!Use the right word the right way:They’re versus their versus thereYour and you’reIts and it’sLame words: Replace a lot with many or multiple

or often or frequently. Avoid get and try; instead use attain, attempt, works to achieve

Don’t use contractions or slang

You should exhibit formal writing on the SAT.

Just like you want to avoid informal contractions, you also want to avoid informal language of slang

A character won’t be bummed; he’ll be disheartened

Use the most formal, uppity, professional-sounding language you can muster

Use better vocabularyUse this selection of broad words that can be

applied universally.Ultimately, fundamentally, quintessentially,

significantly, demonstrably, consequently, remarkably, broadly, generally

DO NOT use personal pronouns:Avoid I and you like the plague!Instead of saying “I think Dickens implies

that…” just say “Dickens implies that …”Instead of saying “When you really want

something, you tend to work hard for it,” write something more powerful. “Desire produces effort.”

Avoid Passive Voice and extra wordsThis is just a remote, drawn out way of saying

something, usually by putting the subject after the verb

For example:The game was played badly by the team.Hester is told to wear a scarlet letter … (Who

told Hester? Could just write: Hester wears a scarlet letter…)

Extra words: Steer clear of phrases like “because of the fact

that” and “being as she is” that unnecessarily wordy. Either of these phrases could be replaced with because.

The more powerful writing often uses the fewest words.

SAT essay developmentToday’s assignment:

Using the essay development from yesterday, write an essay. Individually. Watch your word count!

Use historical and literary examples, not personal experience.History = past events and/or current eventsLiterature = novels, mythology, Bible, nonfiction, etc.Science

What to do now? WRITE the essay

You will type today just for ease of word count.You will write the complete essay.

DOUBLESPACED.Use one of the plans from yesterday: your

thesis statement (complete sentence), your web or other plan for body ideas with SPECIFIC details for development, including the 2 or 3 specific examples for body paragraph development, taken from history and/or literature.

Print out your work and turn it in. Staple yesterday’s work to today’s essay.

When this is done, please complete the exercise on the next slide.

Vocab assignment with RAFT words

1. Use 10 RAFT words from your handout to write 10 sentences

(NO linking verbs).** Use words that you have not used in other exercises

and/or words that you are still learning.2. You may work with a partner if you want.3. Underline the vocab word.

Tomorrow: FULL practice test. Be ready! We are building momentum for the real test!