“If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.”

—Margaret Atwood (renowned writer and poet)

Lydia Vine, Instructor

SAT ESSAY AND WRITING SKILLS COURSE

Define the author’s argument and explain the ways in which he supports it

Divide Your Time as you have 50 minutes to read, analyze and write. The passage is about 650 – 700 words in length and is similar to a long reading comprehension passage.

Note the author’s use of evidence, credible sources, statistics, word choice and elements such as similes, or features you believe to be effective

You may underline and make notes in the margins of the passage given to you for analysis

SAT ESSAY WRITING TIPS

INDIVIDUAL RESOURCESINDIVIDUAL RESOURCES English Teachers, School English Teachers, School

Counselors, Media SpecialistsCounselors, Media Specialists Writing Labs, if AvailableWriting Labs, if Available ParentsParents PeersPeers

HELPFUL WRITING HELPFUL WRITING RESOURCESRESOURCES

WEBSITESWEBSITES www.collegeboard.com http://www.writing.utoronto.cahttp://www.writing.utoronto.ca http://writing.ku.eduhttp://writing.ku.edu http://owl.english.purdue.eduhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu http://grammar.ccc.commnet.eduhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu http://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/http://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/ http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/pockethttp://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/pocket https://www.khanacademy.orghttps://www.khanacademy.org

HELPFUL WRITING HELPFUL WRITING RESOURCESRESOURCES

SOME REFLECTIONS UPON WRITING IN GENERAL

Writing IS hard work Writing is ALSO rewarding, interesting,

and fun! Writing an SAT Essay may help you get to

know yourself better Good writing shows rather than tells

others what you want to say

THE WRITING PROCESS

PICTURE FROM PICTURE FROM SANDGRAINS.COMSANDGRAINS.COM

If you find it a challenge to compose an essay, consider responding to a prompt since research shows writing in response to a prompt facilitates the writing process.

Try writing a response to the prompt based upon the photograph: Please write about something you see on a regular basis which has a deeper, more emotional meaning for you. The object could represent something beautiful, an accomplishment, a person or have an emotional meaning.

A PROMPT BASED UPON THIS PHOTOGRAPH

NEWS ABOUT THE REVISED SAT ESSAY TO BE GIVEN IN 2016!

The essay will ask you to analyze a passage, explaining how the writer uses methods such as reasons, evidence and stylistic devices to support an argument.

The essay will be optional.

The SAT Test will take three hours to complete but you will also be given an extra 50 minutes if you opt to write an essay.

The essay will receive a separate score based upon your “effective use of evidence” and “skill in composition” (collegeboard.org)

The essay score will NOT affect the score of the Sat test.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything

new.” Albert Einstein

As we work together, we will learn and we will grow.