NYTimes

SAT Success Using the New York Times

Editorial Analysis | Greek Roots | Latin Roots |

SECTION I

THE NEW YORK TIMES READING LOG

Getting started: Nothing helps you practice for the SAT better than simply reading --- as much and as widely as possible. The New York Times is the perfect source for SAT-level reading because the article are written on a sophisticated level and cover a wide rang of topics. Copy this log and use it to keep track of Times articles you have read and enjoyed; as you read, make sure to choose articles from a variety of sections and places in newspaper.

Article headline:_________________________________________________________

Section:_________________________________________________________________

Why I chose this article: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One interesting thing I learned from this article: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One connection I can make between this article an anything else I know about (whether from personal experience, something I learned in school, a book I’ve read, a movie I’ve seen or anything else)

Editorial Analysis

Read an editorial from A22-23, and identify-

the date the editorial is published and the topic of the editorial.
the argument (position on a an issues) the writer makes
three pieces evidence the writer uses to support his argument
three examples of fact
three examples of opinion

SECTION I

OBSERVATIONS, INFERENCES AND THE NEW YORK TIMES

Getting started: the Critical Reading sections of the SAT require that you read a passage and infer the writer’s message based on his or her word. Use this log to practice reading carefully by taking the writer’s words, interpreting them and then drawing your own conclusions.

Choose a feature article or an opinion piece, such as an editorial or a review (rather than a news article), and fill in the log below with your observations and inferences.

The Times Headline: _____________________________________________________

Date of Article: __________________________________________________________

OBSERVATIONS

(direct quotations from the article)

INFERENCES

(conclusions you draw based on each observation)

SECTION I

THE NEW YORK TIMES VOCABULARY LOG

Directions: Every Critical Reading section of the new SAT poses questions about difficult vocabulary words- and each of these questions demands that you make sense of the word by understanding it in context. To practice for these sections, read articles from The New York Times that interest you and keep a vocabulary log as you go. Underline any unfamiliar words that are not proper nouns, then complete a log entry for each of them.

ARTICLE’S HEADLINE:_________________________________________________

1. Unfamiliar work in context of its paragraph:

2. Are there any contextual clues in the paragraph that could help you figure out the word’s definition? Go back to the paragraph and circle those clues.

3. I think the word _________________ means _________________________________

since___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Now write the dictionary definitions that most closely fits the word as it was presented in the paragraph: _________________________________________________________

5. How did you do? How did your definition compare to the dictionary’s definition? Now that you have seen the dictionary’s definition, are there contextual clues that you should have considered more closely? _________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Why? __________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. Finally, in the space below, draw a simple illustration that you think will help you remember this word. (Stick figures are just fine!)

SECTION I VOCABULARY AND THE NEW YORK TIMES:

ROOTING YOU WAY THROUGH THE SAT

Getting Started: When contextual clues fail you on SAT vocabulary questions, look within the words themselves. If you are familiar with part of the word or with one of its “roots,” then you may be able to figure out enough of the word’s definition to guide you to the right answer.

This exercise gives you a list of Ancient Greek and Latin roots that are commonly found in English words and then sends you and your group to The New York Times to find them “at work” within SAT-level vocabulary words related to the roots.

STUDENT DIRECTIONS:

A. Join two or three other students to form your team.

B. Read through the Greek and Latin roots, their meanings and related SAT-level words (see following handouts).

C. Divide today’s Times among your team members so every member has at least one section of the paper.

D. You will have 20 minutes to search for as many Greek- and Latin- based words (from the handouts) as you can.

E. When you find a word containing one or more Greek or Latin roots from the handout, circle it in context in the Times article and enter it on your team’s root log along with your definition for the word. If you finish your entries with time left, make sure to do the fun “extra credit” activity.

F. When the teacher says, “STOP,” your team must turn in its log. Points will be tallied for each team according to the system outlined in your roots log.

TEACHER DIRECTIONS:

A. Time students as they complete student steps A through E. After 20 minutes, say, “Stop!”

B. Tally each team’s points according to the system outlined in the roots log.

C. Use an unabridged dictionary when tallying points to ensure that the words students selected from The Times are indeed formed from the roots on the Greek and Latin root charts

D. Announce the winner of the “root search”!

Times Words Containing Greek or Latin Roots (one point for words with one root, two points for words with two roots, and so on)		Greek or Latin Root and Meaning (one point per root)		Your Team’s Definition of Times Words (correct definitions worth three points each)
EX. Unique	1	unus=one	1	One of a kind	3
EX. megalopolis	2	megas=large; polis=city	2	Large city	3

FOR 3 EXTRA BONUS POINTS: Invent your own word and its definition by combining roots. For example a “pyrocorpus” could be “a body on fire.”

New Word:

Definition:

TOTAL POINTS: 15

GREEK AND LATIN ROOTS REFERENCE

Greek word Roots

The following list is made up of 25 ancient Greek roots, their meanings and sample SAT-level vocabulary words related to the roots:

Greek Word Root	What It means	Related SAT-level Vocabulary Words
Anti	Against	Antipathy, antithesis, antiseptic
Autos	Self	Autocratic, autonomy, autobiography
Bios	Life	Biology, bionic, antibiotic
Chronos	Time	Chronological, anachronism, synchronize
Demos	People	Demographics, epidemic, democratic, demotic
Dia	Across, through	Diabolical, diadem, diaphanous
Geo	Earth	Geologist, geographer, geometry
Graph	To write or draw	Graphic, lithograph, hologram
Logos	Word, study	Anthropology, psychology, monologue
Megas	Great; large	Megalomania, megalopolis, megaphone
Metron	Measure	Optometry, symmetry, metronome
Micros	Small	Microcosm, microbe, micrometer
Neo	New	Neologism, neophyte, neonatal
Para	Beside	Parallel, parable, parenthesis
Pathos	Feeling, suffering	Empathy, pathological, antipathy
Philia	Love	Bibliophile, philanthropist, philologist
Phobos	Fear	Phobia, hydrophobia, claustrophobia
Phone	Sound	Megaphone, phonics, phonetics
Photos	Light	Phototropic, microscopic, telescopic
Polis	City	Metropolis, politician, apolitical
Pyro	Fire	Pyromaniac, pyrotechnics, pyre
Skopeo	Look at	Periscope, microscopic telescopic
Syn/sym	With, together	Synchronize, synonym, symphony
Techne	Art, skill	Technology, architecture, technical
Tele	Far away	Telepathy, telekinesis, telescopic

GREEK AND LATIN ROOTS REFERENCE

Latin Roots

The following list is made up of 25 ancient Latin roots, their meanings and sample SAT-level vocabulary words related to the roots:

Latin Word Root	What it means	Related SAT-level Vocabulary Words
Ad	To, toward	Adhere, admonish, adjacent
Qua	Water	Aquatic, aqueduct, aquifer
Bene	Good, well	Benefactor, benevolent, benediction
Capitis	Head	Capitalism, recapitulate, capitol
centum	Hundred	Centennial, centigrade, century
Circ/circum	Around	Circumnavigate, circumlocution, circumvent, circumscribe
Corpus	body	Corporeal, incorporate, corpulence
Duo	Two	Duality, duplicity, dubious
Ex/ec	Out, out of, beyond, from	Extemporaneous, external, excretion
Fixum	Fix, fasten, attach	Transfix, affix, suffix
Ignis	Fire	Ignite, ignition, igneous
Inter	Between, among, amid	Interject, intervene, interlude
Mal	Bad, ill	Maladjusted, malady, malcontent, malfeasance
Manus	Hand	Manuscript, manifest, manual
Mille	Thousand	Millennium, millipede, millimeter
Nomen/nominis	Name	Nomenclature, nominal, denomination
Pedis	Feet	Pedestrian, pedigree, pedometer
Positum	Lay, put, place	Repose, depose, imposition
Prae/pre	Before	Preamble, precursor, prefix
Pro	Fore, before	Prologue, projectile, pronoun
Sol	Sun	Solar, solarium, solstice
Tempus	Time	Temporal, extemporaneous, contemporary
Terra	Land	Terrestrial, extraterrestrial, terrain
Trans	Across, over, beyond	Intransigent, transparent, transcription
Unus	one	Unison, unique, unilateral

· Getting Started: Signal words, the words that help make a transition from one though to the next, are key to understanding the logic of a sentence:

Words such as “but,” “although,” ”however” ”yet” and “even though” tell you that contrary information will follow.
Words such as “in addition,” “moreover” and “further” tell you that information that adds to the same idea will follow.
Words such as “thus,” “therefore” and “so” tell you that a conclusion or summing up will follow.

· Follow the directions below with a copy of today’s New York Times to practice observing how signal words are used to change sentences:

Read any article from the front section of today’s Times. As you read, circle the signal words you find.

Copy three sentences with signal words: _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now erase or cross out the signal words above. Discuss how the meaning changes.

Choose one signal word used above and describe its meaning and use in sentences.

Word: _______________________Meaning and use: _________________________

Finally, challenge yourself (or work with a partner) to write a paragraph in which you use your signal word correctly as many times as you possibly can. (Don’t worry if your paragraph becomes a bit ridiculous in the process; just make sure it’s grammatically correct.) ___________________________________________

CREATE YOUR OWN SENTENCE COMPLETIONS

· Getting Started: Play test-maker and create sentence completion problems for your classmates by following the directions below. This exercise can be completed individually, with a partner or in a small group.

A. Select five sentences from various sections of today’s Times – sentences where you can leave out a word or two to create sentence completion problems and stump the class. Choose sentences that give enough context and logic clues for a reader to insert words that make sense. On your copy of The Times, circle the sentences you used as your Answer Key. Save the pages.

B. Write your sentences below, leaving blanks for the missing words:

1. From the International pages of The New York Times in the main news section: ________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. From the National news pages of The New York Times in the main news section: _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. From the Business Day section of The New York Times: _____________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. From the Arts section of The New York Times: _____________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Choose another section of The New York Times (Sports, Science Times, etc.): __________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Exchange your sentences with those of another person or group, and fill in possible answers.

D. Let the original group that gave you the sentences “grade” your answers. How close were your words to The Times’s originals? Share your results with each other.

TASK:

The reading passages on the Passage-Based Reading sections of the SAT come in a variety of shapes and sizes (i.e., long, short or paired), but they all require the same essential tasks: read a selection and answer questions about its content. Some of the passage-based questions might ask students to locate supporting details or to define vocabulary words in context, but the majority of the questions require students to make inferences based on what a write has stated.

For example, here is an excerpt from a Times review on the Bolshoi Ballet:

For legions of admirers, the Bolshi Ballet has never been simply first-rate. With dancing that exudes power and passion, it has always been a company distinct from any other. (Weekend section: 7/15/05)

And here is an example of a question based on the excerpt. Which do you think is the right answer?

The passage suggest that the term “first-rate” is

A. a term that overrates the status of the Bolshi

B. an inadequate term to express the unique qualities of the Bolshoi

C. an accurate term to describe the qualities of the Bolshoi

D. a term that is reserved for the admirers of the Bolshoi

E. a term that exaggerates the power and passion of the Bolshoi

Based on the writer’s use of the word “simply” before the term “first-rate” and based on the description of the Bolshoi as “distinct from any other,” the writer seems to be ironically suggesting that the term “first-rate” is perhaps too common and weak to describe the Bolshoi. Therefore, the best answer is “B.” “B” is the only choice that expresses the writer’s opinion that the Bolshoi deserves a stronger or more original term than “simply first-rate.”

TIP:

Students often run out of time during the Passage-Based Reading sections of the SAT. To make sure you save enough time for answering all the Passage-Based Reading questions, spend the majority of your time on the questions and finding their answers – not on studying the passage in isolation. Follow this sequence when you approach passage based questions:

1. Read through the passage quickly, to gain a general idea of what the passage is about.

2. Answer each question one at a time, referring back to the passage to find your answers.

TIMES:

Answer the following questions:

· What skills does this section seem to test?

· How might you practice for this section through reading The New York Times?

Getting Started: This exercise will help you practice the key reading comprehension skill of identifying the main idea and its supporting details in an informal article. It will also help you practice understanding difficult, SAT-level passages. Choose an article from today’s New York Times and form a small group with others who will be reading the same article. Using three colors of pen, crayon, or marker (red, green, and blue), “paint” the passages you read according to the directions below.

Read the entire article quietly to yourself.
When you have finished, go back with your green pen and mark the sentence (or, sometimes, sentences) that you believe state the main idea of the article.
Now take your blue pen and underline those sentences, phrases or even individual words that you believe provide supporting details for the main idea.
Finally, use your red pen to highlight or bracket sections of the article that seem confusing, difficult or unclear for any reason, whether because the vocabulary is new, a reference is made to something with which you aren’t familiar or simply because it is densely written.
Meet in small groups to share the colors you used in the various parts of the article. Did you “paint” your passage the same way? If not, why not? Answer the following questions on this sheet together with your group.

In your own words, what was the main idea of this article? __________________

In your own words, list some of the details the author used to support this main idea. _____________________________________________________________

Discuss sentences that your group colored red to show they were difficult to understand. As a group, write your interpretation of the passage as a whole here.

Getting Started: Every day The New York Times chooses a “quotation of the day” to feature on the second page of the main section. Practice passage-based reading by looking at the relationship between this quote and the Times article from which it came, then thinking about its relevance to other issues in the paper today.

1. What is the Quotation of the Day today? __________________________________

2. In your own words, what does this mean? _________________________________

3. Now locate the article from which it was drawn. What does the quotation mean in the context of the article as a whole? __________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why do you think this quotation was chosen today? _________________________

5. To what other news items or articles today or in recent days might this quotation apply? How? ____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Try finding a “quotation of the day” for your won life. Consider everything- wheat you read, what you learn in school, conversations with family and friends, song lyrics you hear or anything else- to find a line that somehow encapsulates something important or profound and that can be widely applied. At the end of today, write this “quotation of the day” below: __________________________________________________________

SECTION II

TIMES ACTIVITY: OPPOSING POINTS OF VIEW

Getting Started: ON the SAT, you will encounter paired passages, where a single topic is addressed form two different points of view. Check out the New York Times Letters to the Editor page to practice reading and interpreting a variety of opinions on one topic. The following activity will familiarize you with a specific topic and the Letters to the Editor written in response to the topic.

A. With a partner, read through a group of Letters to the Editor that were all written in response to a particular topic or article. Write down the topic or article addressed by the letters here: _____________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

B. Choose two of the letters that state opposing points of view on the topic. Label your first letter “Letter X” and the second letter “Letter Y.”

C. Answer the following questions in reference to Letter X:

What is the overall point of this letter? ________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How did the writer of Letter X make his or her main point using supporting details, anecdotes, logical argument, rhetorical devices or a combination of these techniques?___

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D. Answer the following questions in reference to Letter Y:

What is the overall point of this letter? ________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How did the writer of Letter Y make his or her main point using supporting details, anecdotes, logical argument, rhetorical devices or a combination of these techniques?___

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

E. Locate a news article from The New York Times that was originally published on the topic of the opposing letters. The article may have been mentioned in one or both of the opposing letters you chose or it may be another article on the same topic. Read the article and underline its main ideas.

F. What more do you know after reading the news article on the topic? Do you agree or disagree with the letter writer? Write your own letter to the editor on the same topic.

SECTION III

TASK, TIP AND TIMES INTRODUCTORY WORKSHEET

TASK:

In 2005, the College Board added an essay to the SAT. Now, students are required to write rather than simply fill in multiple choice bubbles. This new Essay section of the test has gotten by far the most attention of any section on the new test. We encourage you to consult an official SAT practice book or the College Board Web site (www.college-board.com) to look at sample prompts and student writing examples and plan your won writing strategy. In a nutshell, however, here is what you need to know:

· You have 25 minutes to respond to a topic or “prompt.”

· The topic will be open-ended so that it can be applied to anything from your won life to literature, sports, history, the arts, technology, politics or almost any other field.

· You must first state an opinion on the topic, then support that opinion with details, reasons and examples.

· Those marking the test will grade on the basis on how well you organize your thoughts and us language.

· Your essay is not expected to be a polished work but rather a “first draft.” An occasional error in grammar or punctuation will not count heavily against you, but several errors will. Make sure to save time to read over your work at the end and correct it.

TIP:

Practice! The best way to do this is to write often and in a variety of forms. But even if you do not have the time to practice writing complete essays under timed conditions, there are many relatively painless ways to rehearse for this section:

Read widely, both fiction and nonfiction. Reading The Times regularly will supply you with current events examples that you can use to support any writing topic given. (And it will painlessly increase your vocabulary in the process!)
Think about how what you read connects to other things you are learning or reading. For example, does the Times article you read about Hurricane Katrina connect in some way with the Dust Bowl history you are learning as you read “The Grapes of Wrath”?
You might practice doing a kind of “oral rough draft” of an essay with a partner. This is quicker than writing, but requires you to think under pressure, and shows you how flexible your ideas can be. On the actual test, this is the kind of thinking you’ll need for the crucial minutes you’ll spend planning your essay. The following exercises are designed to help you with this task.

TIMES:

Discuss the following questions.

What skills does this section seem to test?
How might you practice for this section through reading The New York Times?

SECTION III

TIMES ACTIVITY: SUPPORTING A POINT OF VIEW

Getting Started: On the new SAT, you will have 25 minutes to write an essay about a general topic. You will be asked for your opinion, and you must take a stance and defend your point of view. Do the following two exercises to practice honing an argument and finding evidence to support it, using stories from recent issues of The New York Times for inspiration.

Read the following statement by anthropologist Margaret Mead:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Tell what you think it means in your own words:
Do you agree or disagree with the idea expressed in the statement? Describe your opinion on the topic:
List evidence from your own life, books you have read, films you have seen, current events or anything else that comes to mind that could be used to bolster your argument:

Now, turn to a recent issue of The New York Times to find even more support for your position. Find at least three articles that apply to this topic in some way, and explain how these articles apply to how they help your argument. (Be creative: The articles you find may not seem to others to apply, but if you can make a good case for their connection, you are practicing a necessary skill for the SAT essay.)

SECTION III

TIMES ACTIVITY: SUPPORTING A POINT OF VIEW

ARTICLE HEADLINE:

Brief description of how you could use this article to support your stance:

ARTICLE HEADLINE:

Brief description of how you could use this article to support your stance:

ARTICLE HEADLINE:

Brief description of how you could use this article to support your stance:

E. Finally, share with your classmates what articles you chose and why. Which of you was able to use The Times to build the strongest case? How?

SECTION III

TIME ACTIVITY: AD LIB ESSAY

Getting Started: With a partner, use this quick and easy exercise to prepare for the essay section of the new SAT. Instead of writing the essay, you “ad lib” it, or talk it through, timing yourself to see how quickly you can read the prompt, state an opinion and build an argument for it.

Materials: The topics listed on page 31 and 32 and put them in an envelope or face down on your desk.

PART 1

Cut up the bulleted topics listed on pages 31 and 32 and put them in an envelope or face down on your desk.
With a partner, follow the directions below. One of you will be the Speaker and the other will be the Listener in each round. Go through two rounds each.

Decide who will be th eifrst Speaker. That person should turn a topic sheet over or pull one from the envelope, then read it aloud.
The Listener uses a watch to time the Speaker who has two minutes to talk about this topic.
The Speaker first states an opinion about the topic. Then the Speaker should begin to “ad-lib” on the topic by supporting the opinion with as many examples as come to mind. These examples can come from experience, reading, lessons learned in school, current events or anywhere else. (For example, if you pick a quotation that concerns creativity, you can mention your won experiences in a photography class; the example of your cousin who is a gifted dancer; what you recently read in English class about how a particular writer gets her inspiration, etc.)
The Listener takes notes as the Speaker talks.

When two minutes is up, the Listener reports back to the Speaker.. Together, spend a minutes or tow discussing how wlel the Speaker supported this topic. The Listener can contribute other ideas that the Speaker might have used to support the opinion. How could you have supported your opinion? If a question on this topic was given on the SAT how you do think you would do?

Switch roles and now let the Listener from Round 1 become the Speaker in Round 2. Repeat steps C and D so tha teach of you has been speaker and listener two times.

When you are finished, answer the following questions.

SECTION III

TIMES ACTIVITY: AD LIB ESSAY

PART 2- QUESTIONS FOLLOWING THE AD LIB ESSAY EXERCISE

Choose one of the four topics you previously “ad-libbed” that you’d like to do more work on together. What is that topic?
Work together to list as much evidence as you can to support a stance related to the topic. Include what the speaker already said, as well as anything new that you can think of, and list each point below.

Now open today’s Times. Find at least two articles on two different topics from anywhere in the paper that relate to your topic.

ARTICLE HEADLINE:

Brief description of how you could use this article to support your stance:

ARTICLE HEADLINE:

Brief description of how you could use this article to support your stance:

SECTION III

TIMES ACTIVITY: SAMPLE ESSAY TOPICS

Use these for the Ad Lib Essay exercise on page 29, or to practice writing on your own. Cut out each of the bulleted topics that follow and put into an envelope to use with the Ad Lib exercise.

Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival. (Rene Dubos)

A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change. (Katharine Butler Hathaway)

Individual commitment to a group effort – that’s what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. (Vince Lombardi)

As long as the differences and diversities of mankind exist, democracy must allow for compromise for accommodation, and for the recognition of differences. (Eugene McCarthy)

Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and ability to satisfy them. (Henry Steele Commanger)

Creative activity cannot be forced. The creative people of th0is world have always been the free, unchanneled minds, the non-conformists, the individuals, the uninhibited. (Charles D. Orth)

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. (Albert Szent-Gyorgyi)

A stumble may prevent a fall. (English proverb)

The difficulty in most scientific work lies in framing the questions rather than in finding the answer. (A.E. Boycott)

It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them. (Alfred Adler)

All government – indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act – is founded on compromise and barter. (Edmund Burke)

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. (Winston Churchill)

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. (Edmund Burke)

Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning. (Winston Churchill)

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do. (John Holt)

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. (Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759)

NOTE: Though the new SAT presents essay topics with more elaboration than we have here, the essential task is the same as in our exercises: read a quote, state your point of view about it and support your point of view with examples, reasons and ideas. Students can try the College Board Web site for a few more examples:

www.http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep-one/essay/pracStart.htm10

Section IV

Task, Tip and Times Introductory Worksheet

TASK:

In the Identifying Sentence Errors questions on the SAT, you must read a sentence in which four words or phrases have been underlined and labeled “A” through “D.” Your job is to decide which of the four labeled words or phrases (A, B, C, or D) in the question sentence contains a grammar or usage error. There will also be a choice “E” – “No Error” following each sentence that will mean the sentence is fine the way it is. For example, circle the letter that represents the error (if you think there is an error below).

Each of the New York Times journalists nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 were

A B

known for his powerful writing. No error.

C D E

To solve this puzzle, you have a understand subject-verb agreement. The subject of the sentence is “Each,” a singular pronoun that requires a singular verb to agree with it. Now here is the tricky part: spotting the verb that must agree with “Each.” Don’t get thrown off by all the extra information about the subject that lies between the subject and its verb (“of the New York Times journalists nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2004”); ignore the lengthy string of prepositional phrases and simply inspect the verb “were known.” Does the plural “were known” agree with the singular “Each”? Absolutely not. That’s why “C” is the sentence error and your answer.

TIP:

Like any good detective on a case, look for clues! In the case of Identifying Sentence Errors, look for the grammar and usage errors that the SAT likes to sprinkle throughout the Identifying Sentence Errors questions.

TIMES:

Answer the following questions on the lines provided.

What skills does this section mean to me? ________________________________

How might you practice for this section through reading The New York Times?

Getting Started: Form a small group and choose one of the five types of errors, listed below. Your understanding of these errors is most likely to be tested on the SAT.
- verb tense errors
- subject-verb agreement errors
- pronoun case errors
- pronoun agreement errors
- idiomatic phrasing errors

What error type has your group chosen? _______________________________________

Using any reference books you might need, explain the grammar principle you need to know in order to avoid this type of error in your writing. Also explain why this grammar principle can be tricky to follow under certain circumstances. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Find a sentence in today’s Times that models this grammar principle correctly: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, break the rules and rewrite the original Times sentences in such a way that it violates the grammar principle that you just researched. ___________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Write your own original sentence (based on the Times sentence, if you like) that models this grammar principle correctly: ________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Using the information above, create with your group a poster, skit, mini lesson, mnemonic device, illustration, or anything else that will help your classmates understand this error and avoid making it themselves. (Be as creative as you like: make props, have a talk show, “interview” the error, or create a rap. Your goal is to include information your classmates will need to understand the error, to easily locate it in the Identifying Sentence Errors section of the SAT and to avoid making the error on the SAT or in their own writing.) Make sure you use all three of the sentences you wrote above – the original Times sentence, the incorrect version of this sentence, and your own original sentence – in your presentation in some way.

SECTION IV

TIMES ACTIVITY; SENTENCE RACES

Getting Started: The SAT repeatedly tests your knowledge of certain errors. In this game, create a word bank for homework that will help you get to know the different parts of speech. Next, in class create grammatically flawed sentences with a partner. Finally, race against your peers to correct them.

FOR HOMEWORK:

Use the sheet on the following page (“Word Bank”) and a copy of today’s New York Times to begin. Keep a grammar reference book handy to look up any terms that are unclear.
Go through The Times to find five nouns. Try to find offbeat words, including people’s names and the names of places and objects. Write them down on your worksheet.
Repeat step B for each category of word or phrase.

IN CLASS:

Form groups of three and share your lists. Your task: to create intentionally bad sentences using the words you found in The Times. To do this, take words from the different categories and mix and match them to write sentences that contain one of the errors you learned about in Error Mini Lessons. You might create sentences that have:
- subject- verb agreement errors, for example: “The Mets goes to the movies.”
- pronoun case errors, for example: “George W. Bush and me are watching the History Channel.”
When your group has compiled several examples of error-ridden sentences that use words found in The Times, write your favorite flawed sentence on a large piece of paper.
When the other groups are ready with their own flawed sentence, have someone post them all. Then each student should race individually to fix each example and create new sentences that have the same basic words but are without error.
The Sentence Race winner is the person who can finish first, raise his or her hand, and submit the new, improved sentences to the scrutiny of the teacher and/or class.

SECTION IV

TIMES ACTIVITY: WORD BANK FOR SENTENCE RACES

Find five examples for each of these in today’s New York Times:

PLURAL NOUNS: _______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SINGULAR NOUNS: _____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PRESENT TENSE VERBS:_________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VERBS IN SIMPLE PAST: ________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PAST PARTICIPLE VERB FORMS: _________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOMINATIVE CASE PRONOUNS: _________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OBJECTIVE CASE PRONOUNS: ___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

SINGULAR PRONOUNS: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PLURAL PRONOUNS: ___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ADVERBS: _____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ADJECTIVES: ___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IDIOMS (could be more than one word): ______________________________________

SECTION V

TASK, TIP AND TIMES INTRODUCTORY WORKSHEET

TASK:

Each Improving Sentences problem will be presented as an underlined sentence or as a sentence with some words underlined. There will be five choices following the sentence. The first choice will repeat the underlined words without changes and the other four choices will offer different options for improving the sentence. And, of course, only one of those five choices will have a correct usage.

Here’s an example:

Walking down the avenue, a tomato hit the unsuspecting student’s head.

(A) a tomato hit the unsuspecting student’s head.

(B) the unsuspecting student w hit on the head by a tomato.

(C) a tomato was hitting the unsuspecting student’s head.

(D) the unsuspecting student’s head was hit by a tomato.

(E) a tomato hit a head of a student who was not expecting it.

The original sentence gives the impression that tomatoes are capable of walking down avenues since the modifying phrase “Walking down the avenue” was placed right next to the noun tomato. (B) and (D) are the only two choices that place the unsuspecting student next to the phrase that describes him or her. And (B) is the best choice since (D) makes it seem like the student’s head is walking down the avenue.

TIP

· Instead of rushing to madly plug in the middle choice options to determine what “sounds right,” take a moment to consider what the sentence’s problem might be and how you would solve the problem. Remember the College Board plays “favorites” as it develops its flawed sentence, so be on the lookout for some of their favorite sentence errors. The question in the previous example featured a misplaced modifier. Other sentence errors you often need to understand are run-on sentences, sentence fragments and faulty parallelism.

TIMES:

Answer the following questions:

· What skills does this section seem to test?

· How might you practice for this section through reading The New York Times?

SECTION V

TIMES ACTIVITY: INTENTIONALLY MISPLACING MODIFIERS

Getting Started: This activity will give you practice in identifying modifying phrases and intentionally “misplacing” them in order to stump your classmates.

A. Find a partner and together find a sentence in today’s New York Times that contains a phrase that modifies a noun.

B. Write it here.

C. Underline the modifying phrase and circle the noun it is modifying.

Now, create an Improving Sentences problem. (1) Rewrite the Times sentence with its modifying phrase intentionally misplaced to modify another noun or pronoun. (2) Write four other flawed alternatives for the multiple-choice answers. (3) Place the original sentence form The Times that is the correct answer choice for your question among the other four incorrect options.

SENTENCE #1: _________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Alternatives

1) _____________________________________________________________________

2) _____________________________________________________________________

3) _____________________________________________________________________

4) _____________________________________________________________________

5) _____________________________________________________________________

Copy your sentence #1 and alternatives onto another sheet of paper. Exchange with others. Check and discuss each other’s answers to the questions.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Draw a cartoon of the most visually absurd example of a misplaced modifier. Illustrate its literal meaning. Post all the cartoons around the room and submit the funniest examples to your school newspaper.

“Grade” your neighbor’s quiz and see if they correctly identified the original Times sentence with its modifier in the right place.
Choose the most visually absurd example of a misplaced modifier that came up in your quiz or your neighbor’s quiz and draw a cartoon to illustrate a literal interpretation of a sentence with a misplaced modifier. Post all the cartoons around the room and submit the funniest examples to your school newspaper.

SECTION V

TIMES ACTIVITY: COMPLETE THAT THOUGHT!

Getting Started: In the Improving Sentences sections of the SAT, you will likely encounter a few questions involving sentence-fragment or run-on errors. This activity will let you practice identifying such errors. First, choose a partner, then work together to follow the directions below. Eventually, you will exchange your sentences with another pair of students.

Select a section of The Times to search for model complex sentences. (A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. For example, here’s a complex sentence that appeared in an article on 9/12/05 about Hurricane Katrina: “Hopeful signs and sobering reminders came in about equal numbers on Sunday, as has been the pattern of many recent days.”)
Find two sentences that you think are especially well written. Try to find sentences that are complex enough to offer options for subtle changes.
Write these sentences down on a piece of scrap paper.
Now, mess each sentence up! In other words, alter each sentence in such a way that it no longer is a complete sentence. For example, you could add punctuation to create sentence fragments. Or you could take punctuation away in order to create a run-on sentence.
Rewrite the original Times sentences and their fake counterparts on the lines below, not necessarily in that order (remember, you are trying to trick another pair of students).
Exchange your “quiz” with another partnership and see how they do.

QUIZ QUESTION I.

Sentence version 1:

Sentence version 2:

Which is a complete sentence and why?

QUIZ QUESTION II.

Sentence version 1:

Sentence version 2:

Which is a complete sentence and why?

SECTION V

TIMES ACTIVITY: EXTENDING THE PATTERN

Getting Started: Complex sentences sometimes follow certain patterns, such as parallelism. For example, the following Science Times sentence about barnacles in Cape Perpetua demonstrates parallelism in its repetition of verbs in a series: “the barnacles have a lot more food, are growing a lot faster and have much greater reproduction.” (Science Times 7/12/05)

This activity sends you on a scavenger hung to find an example of parallelism in today’s Times, to recognize the specific pattern within the sentence, and to extend that pattern in an amusing or clever way. (Hey! That last sentence demonstrated how to find, recognize and extend parallelism!)

Find an example of a sentence of a sentence demonstrating parallelism in today’s Times and write it here:
What pattern is being repeated in your sentence? Circle those words that form the pattern in the sentence above.
What part of speech classifies the words you circled? (Consult a dictionary if you cannot tell.)
Now, extend the parallel structure of the sentence by adding another item in the series that follows the same part of speech pattern in the previous items. This can be a creative or absurd addition; the point is to demonstrate that you understand the pattern.

SECTION V

TIMES ACTIVITY: SENTENCE SKELETONS

Getting Started: A “sentence skeleton” is a simple sentence (such as “The man walked”) that invites elaboration to make it more vivid and interesting. (“The man strode angrily toward the children, a grim look on his face.”)Below are several basic messages or skeletons underlying more developed sentences you’re likely to find in The New York Times; we invite you to find sentences in different sections of the paper that creatively “put flesh” on the bones of those skeletons. Finally, practice for the SAT by trying your hand at writing your own lively sentences using The New York Times as a model.

Read this sentence skeleton: “The team/player beat another team/player.”
Here’s how a sportswriter for The Times wrote it: “It was a ten-round slugfest won by Corrales, who rose from the canvas to knock out Castillo in the tenth round.”
Find another example from The Times conveying this same idea of victory.
Now write your own sentence that puts “meat” on the simple idea of one team beating another. Use teams you’ve watched or played for or teams mentioned in The Times.
Now try writing a lively sentence based on another sentence skeleton – from any review in the Arts section.

Sentence Skeleton: “The movie/play/book/concert was good/bad/O.K.”

Times version:

Your own original sentence:

SECTION VI

TASK, TIP AND TIMES INTROCUTORY WORKSHEET

TASK:

The new “improving paragraphs” section of the SAT asks you to make sense of how sentences work together to make paragraphs, and how paragraphs flow from one to the next to make a coherent essay.

First the test will present you with passage that is described as an “early draft” of an essay. Like your own first drafts, it isn’t perfect – parts of it will have to be rewritten. After you have read the entire paragraph, you will be asked questions about the numbered sentences. Some questions will ask you to think about the word choice or sentence structure; others will direct you to look at the organization and development of the passage. Here’s an example, based on an article in The Times on 6/22/05 by James Dao headlined “Taught at Home, But Seeking to Join Activities at Public Schools.” TH paragraph below is something a high school student might have written as the first draft of a summary of the article. Read it, then answer the two sample questions that follow.

1.The best way to improve sentence 4 is to add which of the following words to the beginning of the sentence?

(A) Moreover,

(B) However,

(C) Further,

(D) Rightly,

(E) In addition,

Answer? B. This simple change just adds a word that helps make a transition to show contrast: people want this, however, some districts are resisting it. Choices A, C, and E suggest words that would make it seem as if this new sentence is all part of the same idea rather than whole new bit of information.

TIP:

When asked about a sentence in an Improving Paragraphs question, read the sentence again in context before considering the possible multiple-choice answers. It seems much easier to look down at each question and then go only to the sentence it directs you to – but that would be a big mistake. Often the error you are asked to correct in one sentence has to be understood in the context of the sentence immediately before or after it. If you don’t know this, you might fall for one of the “trick” answers that assume you’ll take the short cut and not read the whole passage first.

TIMES:

Discuss: What skills does this section seem to test? How might you practice for this section through reading The New York Times?

SECTION VI

TIMES ACTIVITY: EDITOR FOR A DAY

Getting Started: Imagine that you are a New York Times editor who has accidentally spilled ink on sections of a reporter’s article. This article has to go to press tomorrow, but can’t until you figure out the missing words. Read the paragraph your reporter gave you, and, with help from fellow editors, try to supply the missing words or phrases based on the context around them.

Choose an article from today’s Times. As you read, choose various words or phrases to black out that another group will have to supply from context. Choose words or phrases that can be deduced from the context and logic of the sentences and paragraphs.

Form small groups and exchange articles. Silently read the altered article individually to yourselves, mentally supplying words and phrases for the blanks as you go. (Keep a running list of ideas for each blank on another sheet of paper.)

Now, go back to each blank and share your ideas. Together, try to choose the best word or words that will complete the thought and fill in the blanks.

Finally, check the original Times article. What words did the author originally choose? How do they differ from yours? Why? ___________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SECTION VI

TIMES ACTIVITY: TIMES PUZZLE PIECES

Getting Started: One way to practice for the Improving Paragraphs section of the SAT is to observe how good writers make sentences flow together to create paragraphs. The following exercise offers a fun way to practice making sense of an article’s flow by working with a partner to make puzzles out of cut-up New York Times articles.

(NOTE: This exercise can be done by cutting up an article by paragraphs OR by sentences.)

Select a Times article from any section of the paper, and have your partner do the same. (Be careful you don’t show each other what you choose as you follow these directions.)
Either photocopy your articles or make sure you have two copies of the paper so that at the end of the exercise you can show each other the original articles.
Now count the first five to seven sentences of your articles. (These might comprise several paragraphs. Judge how many sentences to cut out based on the difficultly of each article and your sense, after reading it, of where a sensible place to stop might be.)
Cut out each sentence separately. (Tip: Trim each sentence so that it no longer physically fits neatly, as a puzzle piece would, with the sentences before and after it – you don’t want your partner to cheat by simply refitting the sentences where you would cut them out!)
Put your sentences into an envelope, or keep them together with a paper clip.
Exchange sentences with a partner.
Lay out the sentences you receive and read them to figure out an order that makes sense and helps the writing flow well.
Below, write your reasons for putting the sentences in the order that you have chose: ____________________________________________________________

Now check your sentences with the original Times article. Did you get any wrong? If so, why? _________________________________________________