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Test Prep: SAT Writing Prof. Rebekah Hendershot
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4.0

185 ratings • 5 reviews

Level Upper Intermediate
9 Lessons (2hr : 31min)
13,128 already enrolled!
4.0 185 Ratings & 5 Reviews
Audio: English

The SAT is more than just filling in the right bubbles; you also need to know how to craft a well-developed essay. Professor Rebekah Hendershot’s SAT Writing course is designed to help you master the important skills necessary to organize, plan, and write an impressive essay. Your SAT essay shows the admissions boards that you can effectively answer written prompts, organize your thoughts, and clearly communicate your ideas. She will walk you through her own essay writing process on screen in real-time and teach you how to write clear, concise, and engaging essays. Rebekah will also work with you on grammar, sentence structure, word choice, and style for the multiple choice section of the SAT Writing section. Professor Hendershot has been an editor and instructor for over 6 years, and graduated from the University of Southern California with a master’s degree in Professional Writing. Recommended supplementary material to view SAT questions featured in lesson answer guides: The Official SAT Study Guide by the College Board.

Table of Contents
Course Details

Section 1: The Essay
	Essay Basics			14:46
		Introduction		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:07
		What Is An Essay?		0:28
			Essayer = To Try, To Attempt	0:31
			An Essay is An Attempt to Explain a Thought in Writing	0:44
		Why Does the SAT Ask for an Essay?		1:11
			Designed to Test Your Readiness for College	1:19
			Also Tests Your Ability to Think on Your Feet and Express Your Thoughts Clearly	1:34
		What They're Looking For		2:05
			Good Writing	2:11
			Good Content	2:57
		The Prompt		3:35
			Always the Same Form: An Excerpt Following By a Question	3:37
			Sample Prompt	3:58
		Essay Scoring		5:22
			Two Readers Read Each Essay and Score It on A Scale from 1-6	5:51
			Essay Readers Are Encouraged to be Forgiving and to Reward Students for Writing Well	6:16
			Essay Readers Are Trained to Ignore Handwriting	6:34
		Essay Scoring: 6		6:46
		Essay Scoring: 5		7:42
		Essay Scoring: 4		8:20
		Essay Scoring: 3		9:03
		Essay Scoring: 2		10:18
		Essay Scoring: 1		11:19
		Essay Scoring: 0		12:15
		Tips for a Better Essay		12:25
			Outline Before You Write	12:39
			Use a Variety of Examples	12:56
			Use Abstract and Concrete Nouns	13:49
	The Essay Prompt			8:06
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:07
		The Prompt		0:28
			Always the Same Form: An Excerpt Following By a Question	0:30
			Sample Prompt	0:47
		Why the Prompt is Horrible		1:30
			No Opportunity to Prepare Before the Test	1:34
			Timed Conditions	1:46
			Your SAT Essay is a First Draft	2:03
		Why the Prompt is Awesome		2:23
			The Prompt Explains the Excerpt For You	2:27
			Prompt Asks the Same Question in Two Ways	2:58
			It's the First Section of the SAT	3:09
			Readers Know This is Your First Draft	3:28
			There is No Wrong Answer and No Penalty for Guessing	3:38
		Three Ways to Answer the Prompt		3:55
			Agree	4:08
			Disagree	4:11
			In the Middle - Scarecrow	4:14
		Yes		4:18
		No		4:47
		Scarecrow		5:22
		Tips for Acing the Prompt		6:31
			Make Sure You Answer the Question You Were Asked	6:36
			Pay Attention to the Language Used in the Excerpt	6:43
	Outlining Your Essay			12:20
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:09
		Why Outline?		0:29
			A Good Outline is Like a Road Map	0:58
			An Outline Lets You Arrange Your Examples in the Best Possible Order	1:11
			Outlining Helps You Remember Your Examples	1:26
		Outlining Method 1: The Formal Outline		1:54
		Outlining Method 2: The Informal Outline		4:35
		Outlining in Action, Example 1		5:26
			Thesis	6:17
			Example 2	8:43
		Outlining Tips		10:44
			Read the Prompt Carefully	10:51
			Practice Outlining	11:06
			Don't Waste Time with Complete Sentences	11:39
			Choose Examples That Can Be Jotted Down in a Few Words	11:50
			Make Sure Your Outline Aligns with Yes/No/Scarecrow	12:07
Section 2: Grammar
	Grammar Errors: Part 1			19:49
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:09
		Verbs		0:32
			Subject-Verb Agreement	0:46
			Issues With verb Tense	0:49
			Singular Subjects take Singular Verbs	0:52
			Examples	1:35
			Collective Nouns Are Singular	2:47
			Gerunds As Subjects Are Singular	3:20
			Examples	3:31
			Verb Tense Should Remain Consistent	4:32
			Example	6:05
			The SAT Likes to Switch Would and Will	6:33
			Example	6:58
			The SAT Likes to Switch Gerunds	7:22
			Example	7:38
		Pronouns		8:33
			All Pronouns Must Agree with Their Antecedents in Number and Gender	8:35
			Example	8:46
			If a Sentence Uses 'One' or 'You' to Describe an Undetermined Person, It Must Not Switch Between the Two Terms	9:55
			Example	10:16
			Pay Attention to a Pronoun's Case	10:52
			Examples	11:21
		Adjectives vs. Adverbs		12:31
			Adjectives Modify Nouns or Pronouns	12:40
			Examples	13:17
		Parallel Structure: Lists		14:26
			When a Sentence Contains a List or Series of Items, Each Item Should Appear in the Format	14:37
			Examples	14:47
		Word Pairs		15:38
			Correlative Conjunctions Are Always Paired Up a Certain Way	15:41
			Example List of Words	15:53
			Example Sentences	16:15
		For Extra Grammar Help		19:16
	Grammar Errors: Part 2			11:02
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:09
		Noun Agreement		0:31
			Nouns Must Agree In Number When They Are Connected with Other Nouns By a Linking Verb	0:34
			Example	1:07
		Comparatives vs. Superlatives		1:46
			Comparatives	1:53
			Superlatives	2:05
			Examples	2:20
		Relative Pronouns		3:04
			Who vs. Whom	3:10
			Example	3:23
			Which vs. That	3:47
			Examples	4:18
			Where vs. Which	4:59
			Examples	5:14
		Double Negatives / Double Positives		5:53
			Don't Use More or Most with the Comparative or Superlative Form of an Adjective	6:16
			Examples	6:29
		Conjunctions		7:02
			Continuers	7:10
			Contradictors	7:23
			Example	7:44
			Cause-and-Effect Conjunctions	8:23
			Example	8:37
			Only One Conjunction Is Usually Necessary to Connect Two Clauses	8:58
			Example	9:14
		Redundancy		9:44
			The SAT Occasionally Includes Redundant Phrases in Sentence	9:49
			Example	10:06
		For Extra Grammar Help		10:34
	Grammar Errors: Part 3			12:19
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:09
		Sentence Fragments		0:28
			A Sentence Must Contain Both a Subject and Verb	0:33
			Example	0:59
		Commas and Semicolons		1:25
			Independent Clauses Are Clauses That Contain a Subject and Verb	1:33
			To Join Independent Clauses, Use a Comma and A Coordinating Conjunction	1:41
			Example	2:15
			To Join Independent Clauses, Use a Semicolon Only	2:31
			To Join Independent Clauses, Use a Semicolon and a Conjunctive Adverb	3:05
			Example	3:19
			To Join Independent Clauses, Review	3:42
		Passive Voice		4:10
			Active Construction	4:17
			Passive Construction	4:21
			Example	4:46
			Sometimes the Passive Voice is Necessary to Correct a More Serious Error	5:23
			Examples	5:35
		Modifiers		6:47
			Dangling Modifier	7:02
			Example	7:13
			Misplaced Modifiers	7:54
			Example	8:15
		Parallel Phrases		9:05
			Conjunctions or Comparisons Must involve Elements Phrased in Parallel Ways	9:17
			Example	9:25
		The Subjunctive		10:07
			Used to Express Needs, Requests, Suggestions, ad Hypothetical Situations	10:13
			Major Distinction Between the Subjunctive Mood and Indicative Mood	10:46
			Example	11:11
		For Extra Grammar Help		11:45
Section 3: Practice Test
	Answer Guide: Section 1 (Essay)			27:48
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:14
		The Prompt		1:07
			Assignment	1:35
		Outline		2:18
		Essay		6:03
	Answer Guide: Section 5 (Writing)			17:23
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:11
		Sentence Improvement		0:35
			Question 1	0:36
			Question 2	1:09
			Question 3	1:55
			Question 4	2:35
			Question 5	2:50
			Question 6	3:48
			Question 7	4:20
			Question 8	5:06
			Question 9	5:44
			Question 10	6:36
			Question 11	7:10
		Error Identification		7:36
			Question 12	7:48
			Question 13	8:09
			Question 14	8:21
			Question 15	8:48
			Question 16	9:12
			Question 17	9:29
			Question 18	9:53
			Question 19	10:06
			Question 20	10:43
			Question 21	10:54
			Question 22	11:03
			Question 23	11:52
			Question 24	12:00
			Question 25	12:25
			Question 26	13:03
			Question 27	13:25
			Question 28	13:52
			Question 29	14:19
		Paragraph Improvement		14:40
			Question 30	14:41
			Question 31	15:02
			Question 32	15:36
			Question 33	15:58
			Question 34	16:20
			Question 35	16:52
	Answer Guide: Section 10 (Writing)			8:36
		Intro		0:00
		Lesson Overview		0:11
		Sentence Improvement		0:28
			Question 1	0:29
			Question 2	1:07
			Question 3	1:30
			Question 4	1:49
			Question 5	2:26
			Question 6	3:22
			Question 7	3:57
			Question 8	4:30
			Question 9	5:13
			Question 10	5:51
			Question 11	6:24
			Question 12	6:53
			Question 13	7:16
			Question 14	7:51

Duration: 2 hours, 31 minutes

Number of Lessons: 9

Student Feedback

4.0

5 Reviews

100%

By Francisco Gonzalez•May 29, 2016

Good job.

By nehemiah washington•March 27, 2014

Hi Professor Hendershot,
My copy of The Crazy Years arrived today, and already I have a question. One page 1 "Introduction" the author has a 2 sentence paragraph. When are those okay to use? By those, I mean a paragraph that consist of only 2 sentences.

Thank you,
N

By lemar stanekzai•October 1, 2013

Thank you for your wonderful teaching!

By Alex Moon•July 12, 2013

Can I say "During the nineteenth century, Charles Dickens had been renowned as a great novelist"?

By Rajendran Rajaram•March 2, 2013

Hello,
A couple of months ago I took the Accuplacer test and got 5 out of 8 on my essay. I am just curious to know how will it compare with the SAT. Is it the same. I am desperate for a perfect essay score.
thank you,