Today we are going to take an ACT practice test. 

 

 

 

What exactly are we going to be doing with the ACT in this class?

The ACT has four parts: Math, English, Reading, and Science.  Since this is an English class, our main focus will be to improve our scores on the Reading section (although we will work on the other sections as well!) .  Today, we are going to take a practice Reading section.  This test will serve as a diagnostic. At the end of the semester, we will take a final practice test to assess our growth throughout the semester.

 

 

Why are we doing this?

Striving for improvement on the ACT will benefit us in two major ways:

    In class: By taking an ACT practice test at the beginning and end of the course, we will be able to see how much we have learned over the course of the semester.  This helps us figure out what skills we need to focus on; it also enables us to pat ourselves on the back at the end of the semester when we see how much we’ve learned.

 

    Outside of class: We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: your ACT score can take you places.  A good score will get you into your college of choice; a great score will get you money to pay for your dream school.

 

 

Are we getting graded for this?

YES.  Here’s how:

 

Beginning of the year diagnostic

You get a 100 class work grade simply for completing the diagnostic; if you put your head down for an extended period of time, however, you get a zero.

End of the year diagnostic

You will also be graded on a completion basis (if you put your head down- zero), however, you can also earn points by improving your score.

 

[Note: when I used this handout in class, there was a table here, but the format doesn't copy to pbwiki -- across the top was  Diagnostic, Change from Diagnostic, Grade. And the Columns were Reading Test and English Test]

Reading Test

English Test

Change from Diagnostic

Grade

Diagnostic

N/A

End-of-Semester Practice Test

 

 

 

 

 

 

 How I felt while taking the diagnostic:

 

 

How I felt when I saw my score:

 

 

Skills I need to improve on before taking another practice test:

 

 

My goal score for the next practice test:

 

 

 

 

How I felt taking the mid-term practice test:

 

 

How I felt when I saw my score?

 

 

Skills I need to improve on before taking another practice test:

 

 

 

My goal score for the final practice test: