SAT PSAT ACT Unlock the Text "Revised"

This is the small class experience. Private tutoring available $160/session. Contact instructor for enrollment. 

1. Initial Assessment and Goal Setting
•	Diagnostic Test: Student takes a full SAT Reading section (or a timed practice test). This will establish their baseline level, areas of strength, and weaknesses.
•	Goal Setting: Establish a target score and break it down into achievable goals for each session. For example, "Improve accuracy on passage-based questions by 10%."

2. Overview of SAT Reading
•	Test Format: Explain the SAT Reading section’s format: 52 questions, 65 minutes, divided into four reading passages (prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science).
•	Question Types: Discuss the different types of questions they’ll encounter, such as:
o	Detail and inference questions
o	Vocabulary in context
o	Author's purpose and tone	
o	Sentence structure and passage organization

3. Using the Guide
The guide is structured to help students develop systematic strategies for reading comprehension, improving accuracy, and becoming familiar with the common types of questions. Follow these steps:

4. Session Breakdown
Each session can be structured as follows:

Session 1: Basic Strategy and Reading Comprehension Foundations
•	Core Strategy: Start by teaching the foundational strategy: read the questions first, then read the passage.
•	Skimming for Structure: Teach students how to skim a passage efficiently, focusing on key elements (e.g., introduction, shifts in tone, conclusion).
•	Vocabulary in Context: Review strategies for figuring out unfamiliar words based on context and word structure.
•	Breakdown of Question Types: Focus on two types of questions during the session:
o	Detail Questions: Train the student to refer back to the passage to find specific evidence.
o	Inference Questions: Show how to use textual clues to determine what’s implied.
•	Practice: Complete a practice passage from the guide, then review the answers and discuss strategies used.

Session 2: Timing and Strategy Refinement
•	Time Management: Teach time management skills, such as spending no more than 12-13 minutes per passage.
•	Targeted Practice: Focus on areas where the student struggled in the diagnostic (e.g., inference questions or tone questions).
•	Question Types: Focus on two more types of questions:
o	Tone and Purpose Questions: Analyze the author’s tone, intention, and purpose behind specific lines or paragraphs.
o	Sentence Structure Questions: Review questions that test the structure and meaning of specific sentences or phrases.
•	Practice: Work through another passage with a focus on these two types of questions, then go over results.

Session 3: Advanced Techniques
•	Deep Dive into Passage Structure: Analyze long or complex passages and how to break them down effectively.
•	Advanced Question Types:
o	Big Picture Questions: Teach how to approach questions asking about the main idea, theme, or overall structure.
o	Evidence Support Questions: Show how to track where evidence for an answer choice can be found within the passage.
•	Timed Practice: Have the student complete a passage under timed conditions, and then review their approach and results.

Session 4: Practice Under Real Test Conditions
•	Mock Section: Have the student complete an entire SAT Reading section under test-like conditions (timed and without interruptions).
•	Review: Go over missed questions, paying particular attention to mistakes in time management, reading comprehension, or question type approach.
•	Review Mistakes: Use The Complete Guide to SAT Reading to pinpoint specific concepts or techniques the student needs to reinforce.

5. Homework Assignments
•	After each session, assign practice passages from the book that focus on the areas you worked on.
•	Encourage the student to track their mistakes and make notes on patterns they notice.

No End Date Structure:

Each lesson is self-contained, so students can join at any time without missing essential previous material.
The readings are varied (short stories, articles, poems, essays, excerpts from classic literature) to keep the content fresh and engaging.

"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe 
Reading Focus: Irony, tone, and theme.
Test taking tips from The Black Book

 "The Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln
Reading Focus: Rhetorical devices, purpose, and historical context.
Meltzer, 
Chapt. 2, Vocabulary in Context, p. 29-72
Academic and historic vocabulary
Literary Terms Vocabulary


Excerpts from 'To Build a Fire' by Jack London
Reading Focus: Character development, naturalism, and survival themes.
Meltzer, Chapt. 3, Making the Leap p. 73-85
Naturalism and survival theme vocabulary
Literary Terms Vocabulary

Excerpts from "The Sniper', by Liam O'Flayerty
Reading Focus:  themes of resilience and character.
See Survival Vocabulary in Week 3 To Build a Fire
Meltzer Chapt. 4 p. 86-106
Literary Terms Vocabulary

The following texts are more challenging, aligning with SAT-level reading passages, and will push students to think critically, analyze complex arguments, and improve their comprehension skills. 

 "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
Reading Focus: Satire, tone, and rhetorical strategies.
Meltzer Chapt. 6 Reading for Function p. 119 - 138
Vocabulary - Function Words 

 "The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf
Reading Focus: Themes of life, death, and human experience.
Meltzer Chapt 7 Text completions and exercise p. 139
Vocabulary - Greek and Latin

 "Civil Disobedience" (Excerpt) by Henry David Thoreau
Reading Focus: Philosophical argument, government critique, and moral duty.
Meltzer Chapt 8 Supporting and Undermining
Vocabulary Greek and Latin

Khan Academy SAT Grammar and Verbal Reasoning 

Practice Tests 

Timed Tests 

Curriculum will continue until all topics above are addressed, then loop back to the beginning. 
Using an ongoing schedule I will cover all the types of reading comprehension questions and strategies to answer them correctly: using context to determine meaning; main ideas, author's purpose, predictions, inferences, questions on genres, historical forms of prose, structure and meaning in poetry, point of view, figurative language, and literary devices. 
Please see reading focus by date. 
My style is friendly, encouraging, empathetic when we come to hard questions, encouraging, and motivating. Students interact with each other. 
I share my screen to show the readings, or attach to family email in advance.