2005:
The Year of the Timed Essay
by Kim Kautzer, from WriteShop
SAT. A simple enough acronym. But for college-bound high schoolers
and their parents, well, it's amazing just how much power those
three little letters wield.
The SAT has long been the benchmark for college admissions
boards seeking to determine an applicant's academic readiness.
Hoping to muster a high enough score to gain admission to their
school of choice, teens work through prep courses and practice
exams in anticipation of that terrible day when their math and
English skills are put to the test. And if the pressure of algebra,
reading comprehension, and vocabulary hasn't been enough to wrack
the nerves of the most confident student, the College Entrance
Examination Board just turned up the heat with the introduction
of several new components, among them the dreaded timed essay.
The class of 2006 will be the first to take this new SAT in
spring 2005.
In a 1990 nationwide study, researcher Brian Ray "found
home educated students to be scoring, on average, at or above
the 80th percentile in all areas on standardized achievement
tests." However glowing, these statistics don't reflect
any writing. And as the new SAT looms on the horizon, parents,
who admit that writing often takes a back seat to other subjects,
find themselves scrambling for a program that will help prepare
their teens for the essay portion of this exam.
According to CollegeBoard.com, the SAT will feature a question
asking students "to take a position on an issue and support
it persuasively with examples from [their] studies and experience."
Not surprisingly, the College Board wants well-developed, focused,
organized essays that show evidence of critical thinking and
use supportive details. But interestingly enough, content alone
will not satisfy the criteria of a solid SAT essay. The College
Board is also expecting "skillful use of language"
and "meaningful variety in sentence structure." Well-chosen
words and sentence variations enhance a good essay and contribute
to its overall appeal.
So where can students learn these skills? Happily for future
SAT takers, help already exists within the pages of a humble
red binder known as WriteShop
II. And while many programs, including WriteShop, teach organization
and structure, WriteShop is unique in its purposeful incorporation
of vocabulary and sentence style as well. Students
learn ten ways to vary their sentences and gain useful skills
for choosing the best word for the job. These very things will
serve them well when it's time to add sparkle to otherwise lackluster,
subject-verb riddled essays.
WriteShop
I, the first book in the series, covers the basics of descriptive,
informative, and narrative writing. WriteShop
II expands these skills and concludes with six meaty lessons
on essay writing, not the least of which is the timed essay.
Comprehensive and complete, the accompanying Teacher's Manual
takes insecure parents by the hand, providing tools for objectively
teaching and evaluating writing.
Suitable for eighth- to twelfth-graders, WriteShop
II can be completed in a semester or a year. Followed by
frequent practice with timed essays, it will help boost both
the skills and the confidence needed to master the writing portion
of the new SAT.
More about WriteShop
and how to contact Kim.
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