So hi everyone, this is Kathleen and I go by Mrs. McTutor on my YouTube channel. So today we're going to talk about the English Regents exam and we're going to do an overall review of all three parts of the Regents exam. Okay, so English Regents part one is always a reading comprehension section and there are always three passages in this section.
The first passage is always a literary passage. It's typically an excerpt from a short story or an excerpt from a memoir, and there are multiple choice questions that go with that. Passage two is always a poem, sometimes long, sometimes short. It also has its own multiple choice questions. And passage three is always an informational text.
Oftentimes it's a science type of text, yet not always. And of course there are questions to go with that. Okay, my advice for part one, you definitely want to highlight important information and annotate when you read.
You want to keep those annotations short. Definitely look back at the text. Usually students have plenty of time to be able to look back at the text and see in context the portion that they are referring to for the question.
So, you know, don't rely on your memory. Really go back to the text. Use the process of elimination. You want to try to narrow down your choices to maybe two before you select your final answer.
If you have no idea, and this actually applies more even for like an SAT exam where you have a lot of multiple choice questions. If you're ever taking a test that has a lot of multiple choice questions and you have no idea. what the answer is at all. You can't even narrow it down.
Again, this works best when you have a test with many, many, many questions. They say it's good to have like a letter of the day, you know, just choose like, all right, anytime I really have no idea at all, I'm going to choose choice A and just kind of stick with that same letter. Because statistically, if you're always putting the same choice every time you have no idea.
you're more likely to get it right sometimes, right? Rather than just randomly choosing sometimes A, sometimes C, you're not as likely to get some of them right if you're moving your letters around. So only if you really have no idea, you should kind of come in with a letter of the day and have a choice that you'll always pick if you literally do not know the answer. Okay, so for part two of the regions, I always call this the big kahuna.
Okay, this is the big argument essay. And it's worth a lot of writing points. So my advice for part two of the regions, which is, again, the argument essay, you are going to read the topic.
They will give you four texts to read and really try to learn about both sides of the argument. Even if you already know a little bit of something about the topic, really try to approach it where you want to understand both sides of the argument. Highlight the pro information in green.
and highlight the con information in orange. It really will help you to sort out your information, and it'll make it easier for you to decide which side to pick, which one has more evidence that you can support it with, and it can help you to find the information in the text. So I always tell my kids to highlight with the two different colors, pro stuff in green, con stuff in orange.
And of course, you want to annotate in the margins there. Choose one side to write about. You cannot be flipping and flopping through this essay. You have to really choose and argue one side. I suggest you use the five-paragraph essay where you'll have an introduction, two body paragraphs on your side of the argument, one paragraph of counterclaim and rebuttal, and then a conclusion.
You must include information from at least three of the texts. It does say that in the directions. And you have to use in-text citations.
They do want your in-text citations to look like this. Text 2, comma, lines 32 and 33. Make sure that you include that counterclaim and rebuttal paragraph. Okay, so again, here are the five paragraphs the way I suggest that we do it. Introduction.
First body will be your first main reason. Lots of evidence you'll include in there. Lots of explaining you'll include in there.
Your second body paragraph will be about your second main reason on your side of the argument. Lots of evidence well explained in there. And then that next paragraph is going to be your counterclaim rebuttal paragraph, where you're going to show that you do have an understanding of some of the arguments on the other side, but only to rebut them. So you want to kind of knock down those arguments, you know, either that they're wrong, or that your side is just more important, more valuable.
And then of course you'll go on to your conclusion. Okay, so I do have in this PowerPoint, I have some actual examples of what will turn out to be an entire five paragraph essay. So let's pretend we were writing an argument essay about dress codes.
This could be an appropriate introduction paragraph. When people talk about dress codes, one controversial issue people argue about is school uniforms. Some people believe that school uniforms should be required because they increase academic success.
Other people believe school uniforms should not be required because it limits students'abilities to express themselves. I think school uniforms should be required because they are economical and they lead to higher grades. You see, my thesis statement comes at the end of this.
I think school uniforms should be required because they are economical and they lead to higher grades. Okay, so the first body paragraph then is going to be all about my first main reason, which I said was economical. So let's see if we have a topic sentence here. One reason why school uniforms should be required is that they are economical. Perfect topic sentence for this first main reason.
Compared to buying clothes in regular clothing stores, uniforms are significantly cheaper. According to a 2017 study by Stony Brook University, Parents can spend nearly half as much on school uniforms than they would on popular designer clothes. In-text citation. One parent states, the jeans my daughter wants to wear cost $40 each, and her shirts cost about $30 each.
The school uniform only costs $40 for the entire outfit. This saves our family a lot of money over the school year. In-text citation.
Since the uniform is worn every day in school, students would only need two or three of them. and then wash them to have enough clean clothes for the week. Without school uniforms, many students need to buy many different outfits to wear each day. End text citation.
This can be very expensive. School uniforms are clearly more economical. Your second body paragraph will be your second main reason. Another reason why school uniforms should be required is that they lead to higher grades in school.
That's a nice topic sentence for that second main reason. Many studies have been done about the effects of school uniforms, especially how they relate to academic success. A 2015 study showed that in one public school in Texas, academic achievement rose significantly when school uniforms became mandatory.
Quote, the graduation rate in the high school rose 10% in one year alone. End text citation. In one school district in New York City, students reported that they felt more able to focus when students were required to wear school uniforms.
They felt less distracted about fitting in and felt more a part of their school. In-text citation. Additionally, one study reports that across the United States, overall, schools that require students to wear uniforms scored higher on standardized tests.
In-text citation. School uniforms are certainly having a positive effect on student performance. Excuse me. Okay, so here is that third body paragraph which is the counterclaim rebuttal. In the purple, you will see the counterclaim.
I will show some understanding of the other side of the argument. And in the green part is my rebuttal where I'm going to try to knock down that side. Okay, I'm going to knock down the other side best I can to strengthen my side.
Those who are opposed to school uniforms argue that it takes away students'ability to express themselves. They argue that students should be able to wear whatever they like to express to the world who they are and what they represent. In text citation, although this may be true, here's my rebuttal. I'm going to try to smash down that argument. Although this may be true, when students choose their own clothes to wear to school, it can lead to some problems.
Some students wear clothing that represent gangs, for example. This can cause anxiety and pressure for students in the school, which can be distracting and lead to an uncomfortable school environment. In other cases, students might feel pressure to buy and wear certain types of clothes to fit in.
All of these things can be distracting and get in the way of learning. School uniforms do not cause such a distraction, and this is better for students. And the final paragraph, of course, is the conclusion.
I like nice strong words like this. It is evident that. It is evident that school uniforms should be required in school districts.
There's my thesis statement again, said very strongly. Uniforms are much more economical than buying regular clothes. And wearing school uniforms clearly leads to higher grades. School uniforms are a good idea for all students. Okay, so that really is a good example of the five-paragraph argument essay for part two.
Okay, English Regions Part 3 is the text analysis. And the task for Part 3 is read a passage, identify the central idea, write about one literary element the author uses to develop the central idea. Okay, my advice for Part 3, of course, it's going to include annotating. So you want to annotate when you read that text.
Ask yourself while you're reading, what is the central idea? What does the author want me to learn? understand, or appreciate.
Ask yourself, what literary element does the author use to get me to see this idea? What is the author doing for me to understand the point of the story? Okay, characterization are usually my favorites here because every story is going to have characterization.
Every story is going to have a conflict. But of course, there are so many literary techniques that you can choose from. Okay.
The directions will say to write a two to three paragraph essay. I always suggest a three paragraph essay. I just think it's much easier to do intro body conclusion for the text analysis.
So introduction. Introduce the literature with a tag, title, author, genre. Identify the central idea.
Name the literary element the author uses. In your body paragraph, you're going to write a topic sentence that connects the character, the literary element, and the central idea. Make sure you explain and give examples. Make sure you have at least two quotes and put the line numbers as well. Refer to the literary element and central idea throughout the body.
You really want to echo that because that's the whole point of writing this text analysis. What is the point of the story, the central idea? How does the author get us to see that using literary strategies?
So you want to kind of echo those strategies and echo that central idea as you write. Your conclusion? You want to restate that central idea in a strong way. It is clear that. It is evident.
that. Restate the literary element the author uses to develop the central idea. Okay, I do have a couple of examples here.
Now in my class, we like to practice sometimes with a video instead of a text. And so one day we went on YouTube and we watched a very short video of Maya Angelou speaking. It was titled, Be the Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud. And it's just wonderful, so you should watch it. But we wrote a text analysis about this one.
So notice this intro. Body Conclusion In the video, Be the Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud featuring Maya Angelou, the central idea is that people should recognize the kindness they have experienced from others during difficult times, and they should try to make others feel better when they are having hard times as well. Angelou uses metaphors throughout her presentation to emphasize how she appreciates the kindness others have given her and the kindness she tries to give to others who need it.
Maya Angelou uses metaphors throughout the presentation to express her idea. She refers to difficult times in her life as clouds. She says that she has experienced many clouds in her life, but at the same time, there have been many people who have been kind to her. When she speaks of the people who were kind, she speaks metaphorically as she refers to them as rainbows, implying that they brought light and hope for her during dark times.
She also speaks metaphorically when she explains that she carries these kind people with her everywhere she goes according to angelou when she goes on to the stage teaches a class or directs a movie i bring everyone who has ever been kind to me with me she appreciates the kindness she has received as she says i've had rainbows in my clouds she keeps this appreciation in mind and tries to do the same for others as she states the thing to do it seems to me is to prepare yourself so that you can be a rainbow in someone else's cloud. She encourages the listener to do the same. Maya Angelou uses metaphors throughout the video, Be the Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud.
Her use of metaphors emphasizes how important it is to appreciate the people who are kind to you and to bring kindness to others who are going through difficult times. Okay, here's one more example. We actually used an excerpt from This Son of Mine by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., which actually was part of a reading comprehension section.
Sometimes I take part one texts and turn them into a text analysis assignment. And that's what we did for this one. So I'll read this example as well. In the short story, This Son of Mine by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the central idea is that people should have the right to chase their dreams rather than being told how they should spend their lives.
The author uses conflict throughout the story to show how people should be able to choose their own paths in life. The author uses conflict throughout the story to express his idea. Franklin experiences an internal conflict about finding his passion in life. He does not want to upset or disappoint his father, who wants him to own the metalwork factory one day.
Franklin tells his father what his father wants to hear when he says, Unbelievable skill. There aren't craftsmen like that anymore. Line 49. He pretends to be interested in metalwork to make his father happy.
However, Franklin really is not interested in metalwork. He thinks metal projects are criminal waste of time and great bores. Line 51 and 52. He struggles with being honest with his father. Franklin also has an internal conflict as he struggles to find his own passion in life.
He does not know what he wants to do with his life. He says, I don't know for sure what I want to do yet. I'm just playing with ideas, trying to find myself.
Lines 8-7, 88. He wishes he had a strong passion like his father has, but he realizes he needs time to figure it out. Although Franklin does not know what he wants to do with his life, he should be able to figure out what his passion is on his own. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. uses internal conflict throughout the story, This Son of Mine. His use of conflict shows how important it is to be able to find your own passion in life, even though it might take some time to figure it out.
All right, so you have a couple of good examples of some Task 3 text analysis essays, which wraps up the Regents exam. So it really is just these three parts. I do have on my channel separate videos for Regents Part 1, Regents Part 2. Regents Part 3 which go a little bit more in depth than this video, which is an overall review so you might want to check those out and also my annotating video and If you think this lesson was helpful, please like it here below and subscribe to my channel I'll keep making these videos if you find them helpful Teachers if you'd like a copy this PowerPoint you can go to my teachers pay teachers page and download Any of my resources really I have lots of them.
The link should be right below here. Alright, so that's it Good luck on the regions