There’s no substitute for a comprehensive review of Standard Written English, but as I’ve taught English over the past several years I have found that there are a handful of skills that nearly all of my students require help relearning. I present here my attempt to hash some of these skills out, and I’ve happily narrowed it down to five. But, before getting to the good stuff, why not a quick skills check? Answers are listed right afterwards; no peeking! 1. Despite bankruptcy rumors the staff at the marketing firm continued showing up for work. A. NO CHANGE B. bankruptcy rumors; the staff C. bankruptcy rumors – the staff D. bankruptcy rumors, the staff 2. Joselyn unexpectedly decided to see the new horror film. Everyone knows they hate scary movies! A. NO CHANGE B. they all hate C. she hates D. I hate 3. Not one of the many colorful machines with flashing lights were a pinball machine. A. NO CHANGE B. were an actual C. would have been an actual D. was a 4. As a six year-old girl, Jane would sit by the window for hours, wishing and hoping for the rain to stop A. NO CHANGE B. Wishing C. Wishing and yearning D. Wishing and hoping without end 5. After moving to Colorado, Zack decided to hike, go fishing, and skis. A. NO CHANGE B. to hike, fish, and ski. C. to go hiking, fish, and ski. D. hiking, fishing, and skiing. Answer Key: 1. D, 2. C, 3. D, 4. B, 5. B
How well did you score? Each of these problems highlight a specific English language skill, and it’s absolutely worth discussing each of these skills more in depth. Punctuation In Standard Written English there are dozens of rules governing punctuation marks. Sometimes the only difference between two answer choices is the placement of a single apostrophe; while it can be tricky, mastery of these straightforward rules means you will always get these questions correct and inevitably improve your score! Let’s look at the example from before: Despite bankruptcy rumors the staff at the marketing firm continued showing up for work. The underlined portion screams of a punctuation error! Standard Written English tells us that a comma should always be placed after the introductory element of a sentence, in this case “Despite bankruptcy rumors...” Consider our answer choices again: A. NO CHANGE B. bankruptcy rumors; the staff C. bankruptcy rumors – the staff D. bankruptcy rumors, the staff A student well-versed in punctuation rules would arrive at choice D. Even if this student were not entirely confident in their answer, they would easily be able to eliminate the other answer choices. Choice A leaves the sentence without a needed break, choice B incorrectly uses a semicolon, and choice C incorrectly uses a dash. Parts of Speech: Pronouns Understanding the role of different elements of English speech – verbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, interjections – is crucial! Oftentimes, students with experience writing are able to compose sentences and paragraphs without serious consideration of their parts of speech. That is because as students mature as English-speakers, they develop a natural “flow” and work quickly to put their thoughts together. Here is our example from above: Joselyn unexpectedly decided to see the new horror film. Everyone knows they hate scary movies! The pronoun “they” and the verb “hate” are underlined. Many students might read this sentence and think no error exists here, but the rules governing pronoun cases are very clear. “They” is a plural pronoun, but what is “they” intended to replace? It is intended to replace to proper noun Joselyn, but Joselyn is a singular feminine noun, and so the singular feminine pronoun “she” is the only acceptable pronoun to use here… A. NO CHANGE B. they all hate C. she hates D. I hate … so we know that C would be the only acceptable answer. (Note too that the verb “hate” must be changed to accommodate the newly singular pronoun.) Parts of Speech: Verbs Verb forms require a similar level of meticulousness. The key to successfully addressing both pronoun and verb errors is to identify the subject of the sentence. Here’s the example again: Not one of the many colorful machines with flashing lights were a pinball machine. A. NO CHANGE B. were an actual C. would have been an actual D. was a This shows perfectly why you should always identify the true subject! The verb “were” (past-tense of the verb “to be”) is in plural form, and here lies the error. The descriptors “many colorful machines” and “flashing lights” mislead us towards the plural verb, but we actually need to go further back to identify the true subject, “Not one,” which is a singular subject. Because our subject is singular, we need to verb form to be singular. This is why we should arrive at answer choice D. Notice, if we took out all of our extra descriptors, our subject-predicate would read “Not one was a pinball machine.” which is perfectly acceptable. Answer choice C uses the correct verb form but is needlessly wordy. Speaking of wordiness… Wordiness and Redundancy Less is more! Standard Written English is clear and concise, meaning ideas are presented as clearly as possible and in as few words as possible. Good writing always includes appropriate details and imagery, but filling a text with unnecessary words results in clunky and awkward-sounding sentences where the main point becomes lost. Even if an answer choice is technically correct, it can still be an incorrect answer choice on the grounds of wordiness or redundancy. As a six year-old girl, Jane would sit by the window for hours, wishing and hoping for the rain to stop A. NO CHANGE B. Wishing C. Wishing and yearning D. Wishing and hoping without end Underlined here is an example of a redundancy error. “Wishing” and “hoping” have nearly identical meanings in this context, and so to use both words makes the sentence needlessly wordier. Ideally you would arrive at answer choice B. Not only is it the clearest and most concise answer choice, but all of the other answer choices here add unnecessary words, answer choice D being the worst culprit. It’s okay to let your eyes gravitate towards the answer choices with the fewest words; as long as no crucial or unique details are being left out, these often turn out to be the correct choice! Parallelism Elements in a series, or list, must match in tense/form. Not sure what that means? See if you can spot the parallelism error here, in our example from above: After moving to Colorado, Zack decided to hike, go fishing, and skis. This sentence has a series with three elements: “to hike,” “go fishing,” and “skis.” There are three verbs, but they are all in different forms. To hike: infinite verb form Go fishing: present-perfect verb tense Skis: basic present tense Standard Written English dictates these three elements must match, and so we would choose an answer choice that provides three matching elements. A. NO CHANGE B. to hike, fish, and ski. C. to go hiking, fish, and ski. D. hiking, fishing, and skiing. Answer choice B provides us with three verbs, in infinite form, that match. It’s important to note that articles (a/an/the) and elements such as “to” must match a certain way as well. Either they must be placed before each specific element, or listed only before the first one. So, our correct answer choice also could have been written as “to hike, to fish, and to ski.” Also, while answer choice D provides us with three verbs in present-perfect tense, but that tense does not match the way the rest of the preceding sentence is written. In conclusion… Self-teaching is easier than ever before, but there is no replacement for an experienced teacher who is driven to help you achieve your goals. I would highly recommend enrolling in a tutoring program today to help prepare you for your next standardized test. As you plan for your future, keep in mind that that universities continue to use standardized test scores to quickly differentiate between thousands of applicants. If you hope to be a competitive college applicant, it is never too early to begin preparing yourself! Alex, iLearn Academy ACT Instructor
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Our goal is to help students succeed in academics now and in the future. We believe students should not rely solely on Digits to build a strong math foundation. It appears many students spend time guessing the right answer instead of learning how to solve math. We feel your student's math skills will significantly improve if math concepts are introduced by a qualified math teacher then reinforced through practice with online programs like Digits or even by solving problems step-by-step using the good ol' fashioned way--pencil and paper. iLearn Academy Followers:
My name is John Campbell. I am a manager, here, at iLearn Academy. I am writing to let you all know about a program we launched last spring called Guided Test Prep! Guided Test Prep was put together to offer students a convenient, low stress way to start preparing for standardized tests such as the PSATs or Terra Novas. Students who participated last year gave a lot of positive feedback, and said it was a very helpful to them. I wanted to take a moment to make sure that all iLearn Academy followers knew Guided Test Prep is available for you as well! What it is... Guided Test Prep was put in place to help 7th-11th grade students to prepare for standardized tests. We are offering Guided Test Prep for Math and Guided Test Prep for Reading Comprehension/English. During Guided Test Prep students will: - review math, and reading/English skills and concepts in an organized sequence - learn to cope with being tested over many different skills at once - develop strategies for reading and retaining longer passages - practice timing and pacing - learn to take advantage of multiple choice questions - be made aware of common question phrasing or common traps in word problems - receive frequent, timely feedback to measure progress on an ongoing basis - get the repetition needed to master test taking skills Why we made it... Standardized tests are becoming a larger and larger part of a student's academic career. There are MAP tests, Terra Nova, PARCC, SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, PreACT, PSAT, ACT and SAT. Just too name a few! I, and other iLearn Academy teachers, found ourselves being asked by parents and students alike to prepare them for standardized tests during our regular iLearn Academy sessions. We're happy to do that, but there are so many concepts to review for any standardized test, and students need a good amount practice to retain them. We always felt crunched for time to try and prepare students for standardized test and simultaneously help them prepare for their regular school work. So, we put together Guided Test Prep for students to have a time and place which is devoted only to test preparation, where students could get the practice needed to master test taking concepts and skills. Who it's for... This program is for all students 7th-11th grade. However, it's most important to me that 8th graders and 10th graders participate, because these students have the most important upcoming tests to prepare for. 8th graders have high school placement and or admittance tests to prepare for (NWEA, Terra Nova, etc) , and 10th graders have college admittance exams (ACT, SAT, PSAT) looming on the horizon. 8th and 10th grade students who join Guided Test Prep now, will have ample time to prepare for these tests in a structured, low stress way. Guided Test Prep is only $75/mo per subject for any student enrolled in concurrent iLearn Academy classes! Please contact us at (847) 834 -0791 or contact us via or contact page if you are interested. To begin students will need to schedule a placement exam to determine starting levels for Guided Test Prep for math and/or Guided Test Prep for reading comprehension/English. Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you, - John With the shift to the SAT as the official Illinois State Standardized Test, many students and parents are left wondering which college-readiness exam to prepare for as they near the end of their high school track. ACT or SAT? Choosing the right test largely depends on the strengths of the students themselves, as each test caters to certain skill sets. iLearn Academy offers these helpful tips for making this big decision.
Play to your strengths
The SAT completely does away with the Science portion in its layout. While it may cover less material overall, SAT math includes Data Analysis on top of Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry and the SAT Reading portion contains one more passage than does the ACT. The writing is optional on both tests. Speak with your iLearn Academy teacher Taking time to sit down with your iLearn Academy teacher – who knows very well your particular strong areas – will help you make an informed decision that will leave you confident in your choice. With all the nice weather and long summer days, the inevitable return to a school routine falls easily to the back of the mind. For parents and students alike, this usually means the beginning of the fall semester is characterized by a sense of unpreparedness. The PSAT is a two-hour test administered in October, giving students very little time to readjust to the early morning hours and homework grooves, much less adequately prepare for this crucial juncture in a high schooler’s four year stint. Many people focus on the ‘P’ in PSAT (which stands for practice) and thus view the test as merely a trial run leading up to the more important SAT, but here are three reasons the PSAT is more than just an exercise in standardized testing:
3. Both sophomore and junior high schoolers take the PSAT, but all PSAT scores from juniors are automatically considered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation – a program which awards finalists a variety of corporate- and college-sponsored scholarships that help reduce the cost of college.
Teaching writing is a time-intensive endeavor that most middle and high schools simply cannot afford.
Grading well crafted essays requires little effort. Most of the structural elements are in place and the sentences make sense. Grading a poor essay? Uh-oh... The words don't make sense inside sentences that aren't coherent within paragraphs that aren't ordered logically inside the whole essay. Yikes! And many public school districts have around 20 students in a single class, which means the chances of each student getting the individual attention their specific writing skill set requires is next to impossible. This is no small issue relegated to the English department either. Students who cannot form cogent arguments and articulate their thoughts clearly and effectively fall behind in all areas of high school, in college, and later on in life. This very writing predicament inspired iLearn Academy English teachers to take advantage of the unique amount of free time available over the summer to teach the art of writing well from the ground up, using a comprehensive curriculum that takes students through each and every step of the writing process - an experience most high schoolers will miss out on, unfortunately. iLearn Academy students will research and write about a topic of interest to them, not choose from a list of pre-approved prompts. They will put their ideas and arguments to the test, develop their vocabulary, and consider their audience. But most importantly, students of writing learn how to think. And that's a skill we cannot afford to let them pass over. iLearn Academy is proud to officially announce the opening of our brand new Test Prep program - a self-guided, multi-level test curriculum which gives students a competitive edge over their peers!
ILearn Academy Test Prep Test taking is a developed skill, and just like any athletic or creative ability, it requires practice and repetition to maintain. Becoming proficient at taking standardized tests is a long lasting process, but one that is critical to any student's academic career. High school entrance exams may determine a child's enrollment eligibility. Students placed in advanced high school classes have the opportunity to prepare for college undergraduate-level courses and even earn early credits. Moreover, scoring well on the ACT and SAT greatly improves college admission chances and may even qualify students for scholarships and grants. Students grades 8 through 12 can now register on a monthly basis and take advantage of the materials, expert support, and learning environment which produce the results they want. 1. Set Your Goals After a diagnostic exam to evaluate their skill level, students will be placed on a test preparation pathway that sees them meeting their individual goals. 2. Build Your Skills Our Skills Review curriculum ensures that students know what to expect for each standardized test and feel confident in the subject matter being tested. 3. Get Support Certified teachers administer each test and are available for questions and clarification every step of the way. 4. Track Your Progress Students will have a detailed record of their developing strengths as they work on time management, test taking stamina, and problem-solving skills. Think that iLearn Test Prep might be right for your student? Contact us today and schedule a diagnostic exam. Dear iLearn Academy Parents,
The summer is approaching quickly. If you are thinking about how to maintain or improve your students' reading comprehension and math skills during the summer yet still want them to have fun, we have an excellent solution for you. Our students come to iLearn Academy with different abilities and needs. That's why this summer, the language arts teachers, math teachers, and science/technology teachers have all collaborated to develop a curriculum that meets the learning needs of our diverse learners. We created a thematic unit plan "Eyeing Tornadoes" for our summer program. Over the summer, our students are going to learn all about tornadoes; students are going to read, write, do math and science, and create a tornado story through a fun and engaging ITI model - they are going to learn and research about a tornado by watching video clips, reading informational texts, creating science experiments, building 3D replicas of a tornado shelter, and taking a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. The i-Generation learners, your children, today are constantly exposed to technology, and it's a natural evolution for us to employ technology in our unit plans. Students will have fun utilizing video clips, interactive writing tools, computer simulations, and hands-on materials to keep them engaged in the learning process. Together, we will create some lasting memories this summer and stay engaged in an exciting learning environment. We are looking forward to teaching the new "Tornado" unit to our students. Youngah Anderson Summertime can be so chock-full of sporting events, spontaneous trips to the beach, overnight camps, and vacations to exotic lands far and wide, at times it seems busier than the commotion of the school year itself! For students, it's all too easy to let schoolwork and the fundamentals built upon during the spring semester slip away as they dive headfirst into all those summer activities.
At iLearn Academy, we understand the need to find the perfect balance between academic review and adventurous recreation throughout the break. That's why we've teamed up with local businesses in Glenview to give our students a summer they won't soon forget! Our academic classes will take place at the learning center, followed by a whole host of afternoon classes in arts and athletics. By partnering with various companies, iLearn Academy is able to offer more enrichment courses than ever before, including painting, music, drama, karate, engineering and hands-on science to students who want to have fun without falling behind. We're even providing transportation to and from all afternoon classes so parents can rest easy. So, what do you say? Let's make the most of this summer without sacrificing study! Most students don't worry about preparing for the ACT until the spring of their junior year, if at all. That is when many schools offer students a free attempt at the exam, so it stands to reason that students should begin to study around then, right?
Well, not exactly. Spring of any student's junior year is bound to be one of the busiest times they will encounter in high school. Most sports, extracurricular activities and competitions begin in this season. It's important to note, though, the ACT isn't only offered in the Spring. Students can take the exam in September, December, February and June as well. Another option is to start preparing over the summer! Students will have little else going on and will be able to devote their full attention to getting a leg up on the ACT. iLearn Academy offers a comprehensive ACT program throughout the summer. Our program ends one week prior to the official ACT test in September, giving our students no time to let their test taking skills fade before their first attempt at this crucial test. Join us in taking advantage of the summer and get the score you need! A lot of students come to iLearn Academy wondering whether or not to take the optional writing portions of the standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. These essays are scored separately from the test, and not all universities require them when determining a student's eligibility. So why bother? A good writing score will make any student stand out compared to their peers, thus opening doors to colleges that do require a written sample. Smart students do their homework on which schools need an essay beforehand, and iLearn Academy teachers are always here to help.
It was discovered last month that Pearson Review's prices for SAT Test Preparation change greatly from place to place. The prices that appear on Pearson's website change depending on the zip code from which you are searching. The prices they post can vary nearly $2,000 dollars from the highest to lowest. This sort of price discrimination is becoming more and more rampant for online services, and could likely effect you if it doesn't already.
Please follow the link attached to read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/asians-nearly-twice-as-likely-to-get-higher-price-from-princeton-review
Sometimes the peculiarities of the English language take some time to sort through. Fortunately, Grammarly has a great video on a common cause of confusion for many writing students: sometime, some time, and even sometimes. Brush up on the difference here and be sure your writing is conveying the meaning you want!
So what do you think? Are there other English phrases that give you trouble? Tell us in the comments below and let's figure them out together!
Hi iLearn Academy blog followers,
The College Board has sort of released 2015/2016 SAT results last week. You can view them HERE. The report details results for tests dates prior to the June 2016 test, which was the first date of the new SAT format and scoring. The college board sighted these reasons for not including these new scores in its report:
The college board is essentially saying that there is not an empirical way to compare the scores of old SAT to the new SAT. This makes it very hard for students, parents and learning facilities like ours to know what a "good" score for the new SAT is. Until students who took the new SAT start getting accepted into colleges there is no clear way to definitively set target scores for students. You can prepare for the content of the new SAT but will have a hard time setting goals for your preparation. Time would be better spent prepping for the ACT, where not only content but scores are defined and consistent.
As far as the new format of the essay writing test, virtually nothing has changed. The most recent essay prompts implemented in 2015 are still in effect. Students are asked to analyze and evaluate multiple perspectives on a complex issue, responding to each individual perspective's arguments in their writing. Essays are still scored using a rubric with the four main areas of writing competency (ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use and conventions). Each of these categories are scored out of a total 12 points by two independent readers, resulting in a sum score out of 48. Where last year's ACT Essay scores were scaled to match the other ACT test portions (giving students a number out of 36), the new 2016 ACT Essay score will now be an average of the four scores (producing a final score out of 12). If you are unsure whether the ACT Writing Test is right for you, feel free to consult iLearn Academy today to discuss the benefits and expectations of the most recent test format. For more information on ACT's new Writing Test Scores visit: ACT.org
Welcome back to the school year everyone. I hope your years are off to a great start. We are settling into our new semester as well and scheduling students as you read this. Please let us know once you've settled into your own fall semesters and know when your students will be available for iLearn Academy classes.
Today's post is addressed to a specific group among you, our 8th graders and their parents. This is a friendly reminder to be sure to prepare yourselves for high school placement tests this year. Whether you're in private school, public school, or any combination of the two, high school placement tests play a significant role in determining your beginning courses in high school and set the possibilities for courses your entire high school career and sometimes even determine which schools you'll be able to attend. You should spend some time preparing for these tests. They really have a large sway in determining your freshman classes. Your freshman classes do greatly effect the trajectory of your high school career. These tests can be beaten with a little prep so get on it. No matter whether you are taking the Terra Novas in December in Glenview or the PSAT 8/9 in October in Skokie, or the ISEE/SSAT at a private school, these tests matter. Teacher recommendations, grades and these test results are all an admissions director has to determine where you or your student should begin his/her high school journey. Standardized tests results are the only concrete evidence someone placing a student has over that student's actual capabilities. You'd better believe they will be considered. Where you start as a freshman can really lock you into a pathway. Start off your high school career in the best position you can. It is a shame when students don't even have the option of making it into higher level classes. Low placement as a freshman can bar a student for example from reaching honors courses, AP courses and the free college credits that accompany them. This can hurt their prospects of going to the colleges they wish to attend. If you are placed in classes which you feel are too hard you can always ask to be moved down. However, to ask to be moved up from a class you feel is too easy for you is a long process with less chance of success. Do well on these test and get into the highest classes you can manage to get into. These test differ in format, and length. However, as far as content, they are not vastly different and cover the same topics. They are testing your capabilities in reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, mathematics, and data interpretation. Strategies and materials made for the test you or your student will specifically be taking may be hard to find, but materials which cover these content areas are everywhere. Here are a few helpful places: Terra Nova PSAT 8/9 ISEE/SSAT Go luck prepping, everyone. If you need extra information over test dates, need more materials, or want some help reviewing before your test, stop by iLearn Academy and let us know what you need. Thank you all, iLearn Academy School's back in session! Make sure to read our Fall Newsletter for up-to-date information about tutoring services, standardized testing, important dates, and much more.
Hi ACT Students and Parents,
What a mathematical wonder! Named after the French Mathematician Blaise Pascal, this video is worth watching... Click here to view Pascal's Patterns.
Hi college bound students and their parents,
I want you all to be aware of collegescorecard.ed.gov. This website was just made live last Saturday, and from what I've seen it's a great use of your tax dollars. The site helps you look for colleges. It has a wealth of data for every college I know, including graduation/retention rates, average annual cost, average student debt, average income immediately after, 5 years after, and 10 years after graduation. Check it out: collegescorecard.ed.gov iLearn Academy Parents and Students,
Many of you will be taking the fall MAP tests soon. Please let us know what your MAP scores were at the end of the last school year so we can track your student's progress. Our classes are focused on Illinois state standards and improving MAP scores over time in Language Arts, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics classes. Contact us to learn more about how we track progress and improve student scores. Hi Everyone,
As you all know the nation has been implementing new standards called Common Core for public schools in science, English, reading comprehension and math. The ACT has also been changed slightly to more closely test students over standards set by Common Core. We at iLearn Academy are changing our curriculum as well to align ourselves to the new standards. I have been getting questions from parents and students alike as to why some units in certain classes have been changed or omitted. Please be cognizant of the new standards as they may explain changes in you iLearn Academy curricula. Here is a helpful place to start: http://www.corestandards.org/ |
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