My Personal Directions for the CATW

1.On the day of the test, I must arrive early. Have everything I need such as pens,pencils and dictionary.Be relaxed and not nervous. When the test is handed out, I first go over the directions before reading the text, which is "

Read the passage above and write an essay responding to the ideas it presents.  In your essay, be sure to summarize the passage in your own words, stating the author’s most important ideas.  Develop your essay by identifying one idea in the passage that you feel is especially significant, and explain its significance.Support your claims with evidence  or  examples  drawn  from  what  you  have  read, learned  in  school,  and/or personally experienced. Remember to review your essay and make any changes or corrections that are needed to help your reader follow your thinking. You will have 90 minutes to complete your essay."

I have to keep in mind that I only have 90 minutes. So I would give to breakdown how I am going to use the 90mins.I will allow myself about 30 minutes  to read the passage twice,then 10minutes to brainstorm-gather information for my essay. Next I would take 40mins to write my essay and use the remaining 10 minutes to review my essay. First time, I would read the passage, second time i will read and underline the main idea and supporting ideas. Next I will brainstorm as in how I am going to start writing my essay. Once I have gathered all the things i need to go in my essay, I will begin writing.  I will write my write my thesis statement/summary-introduction first, next in the body paragraphs(2-3) I will discuss one idea with supporting evidence or examples,and final is an conclusion, summarizing everything up.

2.Things I have to look for keywords, and main ideas.I tend to get nervous when it comes to writing essays, because i know I am not very good at it. I have a problem organizing an essay, such as putting one together. I also tend to only give only one supporting claim instead of two.I need to work on stucture. my essay looks more like a free write. I also need to work more on my grammar.

3.One of my big problems is development.I need to review more good essays and practice on writing more. If i practice more i think i will become more better at writing essays. I believe i can do good, if i just take my time and follow step by step on writing/developing an essay, Just takes practice.