English Regents Exam Strategies

English Regents Exam Strategies

I. Listening and Writing (Task #1)

· Directions: Read the directions and underline the phrases repeated in the situation, task and guidelines. Star (*) the first two bulleted guidelines and the task since they will guide your note-taking and essay writing.

· Listening and Note-Taking: You will listen to a reading passage and take plentiful notes while listening. You must take notes both times you listen to the passage. Take notes on main ideas and supporting details that support your task and guidelines (taken from the directions). Also, take notes on proper nouns (names, places and things that require capitalization), dates, other numbers, transition words (examples: but, however, on the other hand, as a result, etc.), and the reader’s emphasis on certain words and change in tone. When taking notes, abbreviate (for example: Amer. instead of American) and write in phrases (not complete sentences).

· Multiple Choice Questions: Scan the questions before listening to the passage and in between readings. Underline key words in the questions to help you find the answers when listening. When answering the questions, cover up the answer choices (with a piece of paper or your hand) so you’re not distracted by the answer choices. Look at your notes and figure out the answers on your own. Write your answers in the margin before looking at the answer choices. You will have a better chance of getting the answers correct. Now, look at the answers and eliminate answer choices that are obviously wrong. Then, identify the best answer to each question. Don’t leave any answer blank.

· Essay Writing: Using the task and guidelines in the directions, begin to write your essay. You may need to brainstorm and/or write an outline before you begin. You should write 4-6 long paragraphs with 6-8 sentences for each paragraph. If you write more, you will earn a higher score. Remember, this is not a personal essay (though, you may include very limited personal elements in the introduction and/or conclusion). You must include a great deal of details from the listening passage to support the task and guidelines. Explain the importance and relevance of each of the details to the task and guidelines. After writing your essay, proofread to correct errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization, commas, run-ons, and other grammatical errors. Your essay should be 2-3 pages, at the minimum. You will be graded on the following: meaning (your understanding, interpretation and analysis of the task and text), development of your ideas with supportive evidence, organization, language use (your effective use of words, sentence structure and sentence variety), and conventions (proper use of spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization and other grammar rules).

II. Reading and Writing for Information—Problems and Solutions (Task #2)

· Reading and Note-Taking: Read the informative passage and the graph/chart. You must write summary notes in the margins provided. The summary notes should focus on the main ideas and put each paragraph in your own words. Remember, you should be guided by the task and guidelines as you read. Pay attention to the captions (the explanation above and below the graph/chart), the legend/key, labels and small print because they will also offer additional, necessary information for your essay. You should also identify problems and solutions (as directed by the task and guidelines). Also, underline proper nouns (names, places and things that require capitalization), dates, other numbers, and transitions. It’s also recommended to underline the first and last sentence of each paragraph because these sentences offer the main ideas for each paragraph.

· Multiple Choice Questions: Scan the questions before reading the passage and graph/chart. Then, after reading, you should answer the questions. Underline key words in the questions to help you find the answers. When answering the questions, cover up the answer choices (with a piece of paper or your hand) so you’re not distracted by the answer choices. Look at your summary notes and underlined words in the passage and graph/chart to figure out the answers on your own. Write your answers in the margin before looking at the answer choices. You will have a better chance of getting the answers correct. Now, look at the answers and eliminate answer choices that are obviously wrong. Then, identify the best answer to each question. Don’t leave any answer blank.

· Essay Writing: Using the task and guidelines in the directions, begin to write your essay. You may need to brainstorm and/or write an outline before you begin. You should write 4-6 long paragraphs with 6-8 sentences for each paragraph. If you write more, you will earn a higher score. Remember, this is not a personal essay (though, you may include very limited personal elements in the introduction and/or conclusion). You must include a great deal of details from both the passage and the graph/chart to support the task and guidelines. Your essay should include the problems and solutions as they were explained in the passage and the graph/chart. Explain the importance and relevance of each of the details to the task and guidelines. After writing your essay, proofread to correct errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization, commas, run-ons, and other grammatical errors. Your essay should be 2-3 pages, at the minimum. You will be graded on the following: meaning (your understanding, interpretation and analysis of the task and texts), development of your ideas with supportive evidence, organization, language use (your effective use of words, sentence structure and sentence variety), and conventions (proper use of spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization and other grammar rules).

III. Reading and Writing for Literary Response—Literary Elements (Task #3)

· Directions: Read the directions and underline the phrases repeated in the task and guidelines. You should underline and focus on the controlling idea (the main idea that will connect both passages). Star (*) the first two bulleted guidelines and the task since they will guide your note-taking and essay writing.

· Reading and Note-Taking: Read the literary passages (you will be given short stories, poems or both). You must write summary notes in the margins provided. The summary notes should focus on the main ideas and put each paragraph in your own words. Remember, you should be guided by the task and guidelines as you read. Pay attention to literary elements (for example: characterization, conflicts, themes) and how they support the controlling idea. Also, underline proper nouns (names, places and things that require capitalization), dates, other numbers, and transitions. It’s also recommended to underline the first and last sentence of each paragraph because these sentences offer the main ideas for each paragraph. You should always be focused on the controlling idea and the literary elements that you can identify.

· Multiple Choice Questions: Scan the questions before reading the passages. Then, after reading, you should then answer the questions. Underline key words in the questions to help you find the answers. When answering the questions, cover up the answer choices (with a piece of paper or your hand) so you’re not distracted by the answer choices. Look at your summary notes and underlined words in the passage and graph/chart to figure out the answers on your own. Write your answers in the margin before looking at the answer choices. You will have a better chance of getting the answers correct. Now, look at the answers and eliminate answer choices that are obviously wrong. Then, identify the best answer to each question. Don’t leave any answer blank.

· Essay Writing: Using the task and guidelines in the directions, begin to write your essay in which you connect both passages to support the controlling idea. It’s recommended to write a Venn Diagram (this is used to identify similarities and differences between the passages) and/or brainstorming before you begin. You should write 4-6 long paragraphs with 6-8 sentences for each paragraph. If you write more, you will earn a higher score. Remember, this is not a personal essay (though, you may include very limited personal elements in the introduction and/or conclusion). You must include a great deal of details from both passages to support the task and guidelines. Your essay should focus on the controlling idea. You should also explain the importance and relevance of the literary elements to the task and guidelines. After writing your essay, proofread to correct errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization, commas, run-ons, and other grammatical errors. Your essay should be 2-3 pages, at the minimum. You will be graded on the following: meaning (your understanding, interpretation and analysis of the task and texts), development of your ideas with supportive evidence, organization, language use (your effective use of words, sentence structure and sentence variety), and conventions (proper use of spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization and other grammar rules).

IV. Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis—Critical Lens, Two Novels and Literary Elements (Task #4)

· Directions: Read the directions and underline the phrases repeated in the task and guidelines. You should underline and focus on the Critical Lens quote. You need to interpret the quote’s meaning, explain why you agree or disagree with the quote (it’s usually easier to agree!) and support your opinion using two literary works. Star (*) the first three bulleted guidelines and the task since they will guide your essay writing.

· Essay Writing: Using the task and guidelines in the directions, begin to write your essay in which you identify two literary works that support your opinion of the Critical Lens quote. It’s recommended to write a Venn Diagram (this is used to identify similarities and differences between the literary works) and/or brainstorming before you begin. You should write 4-6 long paragraphs with 6-8 sentences for each paragraph. If you write more, you will earn a higher score. Remember, this is not a personal essay (though, you may include very limited personal elements in the introduction and/or conclusion). You must include a great deal of details from both literary works to support the Critical Lens quote. Your essay should focus on the Critical Lens quote. You should also explain the importance and relevance of the literary elements (examples: characterization, conflicts, themes) from the literary works to support the quote. After writing your essay, proofread to correct errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization, commas, run-ons, and other grammatical errors. Your essay should be 2-3 pages, at the minimum. You will be graded on the following: meaning (your understanding, interpretation and analysis of the quote and the literary works), development of your ideas with supportive evidence, organization, language use (your effective use of words, sentence structure and sentence variety), and conventions (proper use of spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization and other grammar rules).