ACT Test Prep!Tuesday is almost here…

Announcements!

Community Service event this Sunday! Students who still need service this semester:

Dharma Jonathan Mia Nicole Ana Jacob Megan Kevin

Sign up now!!!!!

CLASS PARTY!!!

Thursday, 12/18!Come!Bring all the CoFo students!!!!Seriously though. There will be food and a GAME!!!

Announcements!

Practice ACT is on Tuesday! The test is ~3 hours, so we will be starting promptly at 4:15 (if you get there later, you won’t be allowed in) and ending around 7:30.

Make sure you sign up on the Google doc, otherwise you may not get a test!

Bring: Extra pencils, photo ID, a calculator During the real test, you will NOT be able to use your iPad or a TI NSPIRE calculator

Provided: Test booklet, test answer sheet, a pencil

We will be doing some test prep today :)

Winter Open Office (WOO)• Who? You!• What? Winter Open Office (WOO) is

a day where the College Forward office will be open to all of our students!

• When? Saturday, January 10 from 10am-4pm• You don’t have to stay the whole

time!• Come when you can and leave

when you’re done• Where: College Forward office

505 E Huntland Drive, Suite 380

Austin, TX 78752• Why? Come see where your coach

works! There will be free food! Games! Activities! A collegian panel where your questions can be answered by current college students! And more in the works…

Announcements!

Last time we talked about Subiendo (at UT). This time we’re going international.

Experiment in International Living has two programs that are COMPLETELY FREE. Applications due January 15.

India: Public Health and Community Development

South Africa: Youth Leadership in Peace, Politics, and Human Rights

Both programs run June 30-August 9, with four days in DC, four weeks in your program’s country, and three days in Vermont

EIL: India Participants receive a week-long orientation in New Delhi, then move to a rural community called Nainital for two weeks

Participants will be living in a homestay, getting a true cultural experience

You will learn about different aspects of health, including the intersection of culture and health, health policy, and how these aspects affect the lives of individuals in India.

EIL: South Africa

Participants start off in Johannesburg and Drakensburg Mountains for a four day orientation

Participants then move to Cato Manor for a two-week homestay, followed up by a one-week homestay in Amacabini

Through multiple modes of learning, including seminars, workshops, meetings with NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and field visits, youth learn about how to be leaders in their community and how create social change

College of the Week: Occidental College

About

Occidental College is a private, liberal arts college located in downtown Los Angeles, CA

Term of the day: liberal arts college!Liberal arts college: A small, residential based campus where students are encouraged to take a broad range of classes to learn for learning’s sake.

Oxy has the “core program,” which is similar to many colleges’ GEs. Oxy’s core program focuses on culture and language.

Fast Facts Location: Los Angeles, CA Mascot: Tigers (colors are orange and black) 2,128 undergrads (small campus) Most popular major categories:

32% Social Sciences 12% Biology 9% Visual and Performing Arts 8% Psychology Oxy doesn’t have any engineering majors, but it

has close ties with Caltech, one of the top engineering schools in the country.

Estimated COA: 65k. Yeah, I know. Tuition: 48k Room & board: 13.5k 100% of financial need is met. You read that right.

Demographics Very large city, urban setting. Diversity is over there like always Very selective: 42% of applicants are admitted

51% top 10, 83% top quarter, 100% top half

600-700 CR, 610-700 M, 610-700 W 27-31 ACT

Off of Collegeboard: “A note from the college: Primary consideration given to academic credentials and holistic qualities such as intellectual curiosity, out-of-class interests, and personal character.”• Holistic review = all qualities of the

applicant are evaluated. Common at liberal arts schools.

Unique Programs Specialized engineering programs: Since Oxy doesn’t have any engineering majors, it pairs up with Caltech and Columbia U in two special programs.

3/2 program Oxy/Caltech: Three years at Oxy, two years at Caltech, two degrees – a BA from Oxy and an engineering degree from Caltech, one of the most competitive universities in the country.

4/2 program Oxy/Columbia: Four years at Oxy, two years at Columbia, one bachelor’s and one master’s degree – a BS from Oxy (in either math or science) and a master’s of engineering from Columbia.

Walk in My Shows (WIMS): a job-shadowing program that pairs students with professionals in their desired career field

ACT format

The ACT has four sections – English, math, reading, and science. We will be looking at each section and figuring out strategies for each!

English

The English section has passages you need to read

It differs from the reading section because the questions are based on grammatical errors and choosing the best phrase to complete a sentence

Let’s look at an example of some English section questions!

English

The Andean PanpipeWhether its bright and jaunty or haunting and melancholic, the music of the Andes highlands has a mellow sound unique in the musical world. The instrument responsible for this sound is the antara, or Andean panpipe, known for the hollow-sounding,breathy notes it creates. The antara has its origins in the Incan civilization, once the more richer and more powerful empire in South America.

1. A. NO CHANGEB. they’reC. it’sD. its’

2. F. NO CHANGEG. one of the richest and mostH. the richest and mostJ. the richer and more

English: strategies

The parts of the passage that questions refer to are underlined. Read the question, then go to the part of the passage it refers to!

You do not need to read the whole passage to get the questions! This will save you a ton of time.

Keep an eye on the clock. When you’ve got about two minutes left, start guessing!

Math

The math section contains questions from the following subjects:

Pre-AlgebraAlgebraCoordinate GeometryPlane GeometryTrigonometry

These are all math skills you should have by the start of your senior year of HS

Let’s look at a math question!

Math

1. A typical high school student consumes 67.5 pounds of sugar per year. As part of a new nutrition plan, each member of a track team plans to lower the sugar he or she consumes by at least 20% for the coming year. Assuming each track member had consumed sugar at the level of a typical high school student and will adhere to this plan for the coming year, what is the maximum number of pounds of sugar to be consumed by each track team member in the coming year?

A. 14

B. 44

C. 48

D. 54

E. 66

Math strategies

With math, either you know it or you don’t.

A calculator is not necessary for any question. You can definitely use your calculator, but it may take up more time.

If you find that you’re spending more than a couple minutes on a question, skip it and come back if you have more time.

If you have no idea how to even begin a problem, skip it and come back if you have more time.

Keep an eye on the clock. When you’ve got about two minutes left, start guessing!

Reading

More passages! These are longer and a bit more involved

The emphasis in the reading section is on themes, making inferences, and drawing conclusions

Next up, we’ve got a couple reading questions!

Reading

One thing he did thank the Masons for was keeping him out of gangs. There was a strict curfew in their home that was rigidly observed. And church was 60mandatory. “When you're out on your own,” Father Mason always said, “you can do whatever you want, but in my home you do as I say.” No, they weren't mean people, but they were stingy—stingy with their food and with their affection. Existing that way all the 65time, on the edge of hunger, on the edge of kindness, gave Abshu an appreciation for a life fully lived. Do whatever job makes you happy, regardless of the cost; and fill your home with love. Well, his home became the community center right around the corner from 70Brewster Place and the job that made him most fulfilled was working with young kids.

1.As it is used in line 65, the term the edge refers to a place where Abshu felt:

A. most alive.B. unfulfilled.C. defeated.D. most competitive.

2.According to the passage, which of the following most closely identifies Abshu's definition of a life fully lived?

F. Happiness in your work and love in your houseG. The pursuit of your goals and the realization of your dreamsH. Togetherness with your family and the sharing of laughterJ. Working in the community and striving for equality

Reading Section

Reading strategies

Glance at the questions first to have an idea of what you’re searching for when you’re reading

You will likely need to read the whole passage, as many questions are about overarching ideas

You may find it helpful to underline parts of the passage that relate to questions, so you don’t lose your place

You may also find summarizing paragraphs to be helpful as well

This is why practice is important: there are many different strategies that might be your best strategy!

Keep an eye on the clock. When you’ve got about two minutes left, start guessing!

Science

The different levels of science covered are as follows:

BiologyChemistryPhysicsEarth & space sciences

Advanced knowledge in these fields is not required. You should, however, be able to interpret data and understand how to set up experiments

Let’s look at a science question!

Science Table 2

Storagetemperature(°C)

Number of peony seeds that germinated when maintained at a germination temperature of:

13°C 18°C 23°C 28°C

 0 5101520

1516 0 0 0

24236 0 0

2121 4 0 0

11000

Study 2Peony seeds were placed in dry containers. The containers were stored at various temperatures for 10 weeks.The peony seeds were divided evenly so that there were 20 sets of 25 seeds. Twenty petri dishes were then prepared. Each contained damp paper. Each set of seeds was placed in a petri dish. The petri dishes were maintained at 1 of 4 temperatures for 30 days. Table 2 shows the number of seeds that germinated in each dish.Tables adapted from Joel Beller, Experimenting with Plants. ©1985 

1. Suppose another set of 25 peony seeds had been included in Study 2 and these seeds had a storage temperature of 25°C and a germination temperature of 18°C. Based on the information provided, the number of seeds that would have germinated after being maintained for 30 days would most likely have been closest to:

F.  0.G.  8.H. 16.J. 24.

2. In Study 2, at the storage temperature of 5°C, as germination temperature increased from 13°C to 28°C, the number of seeds that germinated:

A. decreased only.B. increased only.C. decreased, then increased.D. increased, then decreased.

Table 2

Storagetemperature(°C)

Number of peony seeds that germinated when maintained at a germination temperature of:

13°C 18°C 23°C 28°C

 0 5101520

1516 0 0 0

24236 0 0

2121 4 0 0

11000

Science strategies

Read the questions, then look at the data

Or, you could read the data, figure out what it says, then answer the questions

Remember that it doesn’t require actual knowledge of science, just knowing how to read charts and graphs and interpret data

Keep an eye on the clock. When you’ve got about two minutes left, start guessing!

Further Prep

There’s an app for that!ACTStudent is a free app created by the ACT makers

Practice questions abound!CoFo Homework: Do some practice questions with the ACTStudent app!