CCS ELA 6-12 Curriculum: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12  

Preparing

ACT

for the

CCS ELA 6-12 Curriculum: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12  

Overview of The Three ELA Sections

The ACT Reading section asks 40 questions in 35 minutes. There are three single passages and one set of paired passages. There are 10 questions after each single or paired readings. The passages on the Reading section always come from these four topic areas: humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literary fiction. -The five main types of questions on the ACT Reading test the skills of understanding main ideas, locating details, and interpreting purpose and voice. Students must keep a close eye on what's directly stated, and interpret and analyze implied meanings. There's not a huge leeway for interpretation, though. Even seemingly subjective questions will only ever have one 100% unambiguously correct answer.

The Reading SectionThe ACT English section has five reading passages with underlined sentences/phrases. Students must decide if the underlined sentences/phrases are used correctly or if they need editing. The section has 75-question in 45-minutes. It tests two broad content areas: The first is Usage and Mechanics (including punctuat ion, grammar, usage, and sentence structure). Usage and Mechanics requires fine-tuned punctuation and grammar knowledge.-The second is Rhetorical Skills (including strategy, organization, and style). Rhetorical Skills focuses on comprehension of the passage as a whole and the ability to maximize the passage's organization and style.

The English Section

The Writing Section (Optional) The ACT Writing section has a 40-minute essay test that measures writing skills—

specifically, those writing skills taught in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses. The test describes an issue and provides three different perspectives on the issue. Students are asked to (1) analyze and evaluate the perspectives given, (2) state and develop their own perspective on the issue, and (3) explain the relationship between their perspective and those given.

CCS ELA 6-12 Curriculum: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12  

Helpful Articles/Blogs

Preparing for the English Section

What's Actually Tested on the ACT English Section?

A suggestion for managing time on ACT English

Worry about when you DO need a comma, not when you don't

The Complete Guide to ACT Grammar Rules

Language Standards 1-3 and Writing Standards 4-5 are critical to the skills needed on the English section of the ACT. Mastering those in English classes will prepare students for the English section of the ACT. The CCS curriculum resources can be used as tools for mastery.

1. Master Ohio’s Learning Standards

Several online sites allow students to practice for the English section of the ACT:ACT Practice English Questions (ACT site) http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/english-practice-test-questions.html?page=0&chapter=0

Interactive Practice (Albert.io) https://www.albert.io/act-english

Full Tests ACT Guide and Practice Test 2017-18 ACT Guide and Practice Test 2016-17 ACT Printable Practice Test 2015-2016 (Form 72CPRE)ACT Printable Practice Test 2014-15 (Form 67C)ACT Printable Practice Test 2011-12 (Form 64E)ACT Printable Practice Test 2008-09 (Form 61C)

3. Review Sample/Practice Tests

Here are some great places to hone Grammar, Mechanics, Usage, and Rhetorical content skills:-No Red Ink https://www.noredink.com/curriculum -Quill https://www.quill.org -The OWL at Purdue https://owl.purdue.edu/owl_exercises/index.html -English Grammar https://www.englishgrammar.org

2. Practice with English Content Online

CCS ELA 6-12 Curriculum: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12  

Helpful Articles/Blogs

Preparing for the Reading Section

What's Actually Tested on the ACT Reading section?

The 4 Types of ACT Reading Passages You Should Know

Do ACT Reading passages in order of most to least interesting

Shortcut: paragraph "main function"

The Reading (Literature and Informational Text) Standards 1-10 and Language Standards 4-5 are critical to the skills needed on the Reading section of the ACT. Mastering those in English classes will prepare students for the Reading section of the ACT. The CCS curriculum resources can be used as tools for mastery. Of special note would be the Springboard Reading/Writing Workshops, the Progress to Success workbooks, CommonLit, and the AIR/ACT links at the Standardized Testing Quick Link on the ELA 6-12 Webpage https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12 .

1. Master Ohio’s Learning Standards

Several online sites allow students to practice for the Reading section of the ACT:ACT Practice Reading Questions (ACT site) http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/reading-practice-test-questions.html?page=0&chapter=0

Interactive Practice (Albert.io) https://www.albert.io/act-reading

Full Tests ACT Guide and Practice Test 2017-18 ACT Guide and Practice Test 2016-17 ACT Printable Practice Test 2015-2016 (Form 72CPRE)ACT Printable Practice Test 2014-15 (Form 67C)ACT Printable Practice Test 2011-12 (Form 64E)ACT Printable Practice Test 2008-09 (Form 61C)

3. Review Sample/Practice Tests

Here are some great places to hone Reading content skills:-CommonLit (Clever Portal) -NewsELA https://newsela.com -Edulastic https://edulastic.com -OpenEd https://www.opened.com/search -EdCite https://www.edcite.com -AIR/ODE Portal http://oh.portal.airast.org/ocba/students-and-families/

-AchievetheCore https://achievethecore.org/category/415/ela-literacy-assessments

2. Practice with Reading Content Online

CCS ELA 6-12 Curriculum: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12  

Helpful Articles/Blogs

Preparing for the Writing Section

How to Write an ACT Essay, Step by StepComplete Guide to ACT WritingACT Writing Guide with Templates

Writing Standards 1,2, 4, and possibly 6 (if taking the ACT online) are critical to the skills needed on the Writing section of the ACT. Mastering those in English classes will prepare students for the Writing section of the ACT. The CCS curriculum resources can be used as tools for mastery. Of special note would be the Springboard Reading/Writing Workshops, the Progress to Success workbooks, CommonLit, and the AIR/ACT links at the Standardized Testing Quick Link on the ELA 6-12 Webpage https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12 .

1. Master Ohio’s Learning Standards

Several online sites allow students to practice for the Writing section of the ACT:ACT Practice Writing Questions (ACT site) http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/writing-sample-essays.html?page=0&chapter=0

Full Tests ACT Guide and Practice Test 2017-18 ACT Guide and Practice Test 2016-17 ACT Printable Practice Test 2015-2016 (Form 72CPRE)ACT Printable Practice Test 2014-15 (Form 67C)ACT Printable Practice Test 2011-12 (Form 64E)ACT Printable Practice Test 2008-09 (Form 61C)

3. Review Sample/Practice Tests

Here are some great places to hone Writing content skills:-CommonLit (Clever Portal) -NewsELA https://newsela.com -Edulastic https://edulastic.com -OpenEd https://www.opened.com/search -EdCite https://www.edcite.com -AIR/ODE Portal http://oh.portal.airast.org/ocba/students-and-families/

-AchievetheCore https://achievethecore.org/category/415/ela-literacy-assessments

2. Practice with Writing Content Online

ACT Online Test Prep ($39.95) http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/act-online-prep.html

ACT Page to Register for Online Test Prep/Question of the Day http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation.html

Albert Interactive Practice https://www.albert.io/home

ACT Academy https://academy.act.org

PrepScholar ACT Guides https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/act-strategies ACT Vocabulary: Words You Must Know Exactly How Long Should You Study for the ACT? 6 Step GuideShould You Guess on the ACT? 5 Guessing StrategiesHow to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer 

Erica Melter’s The Critical Reader Blog https://thecriticalreader.com

CCS ELA 6-12 Curriculum: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12  

ACTOverall Resources and Guides for the

Great Test Prep Books