SK SSA ELA 4 study plan

Annotate three informational passages of 600-900 words each, marking main idea, supporting evidence, and any place where the author's claim outruns the evidence provided.

Distinguish central idea from topic in ten short practice texts by writing a one-sentence central idea and a two-word topic label for each, then comparing the pairs.

Identify and label five common informational text structures (cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, chronological, description) across four passages by mapping signal words onto an outline.

Write a 150-word summary of one passage that cites two explicit text details and contains no personal opinion, then check it against the source line by line.

Trace how an author builds an argument across a full passage by numbering each claim and drawing arrows to the evidence that supports it.

Evaluate the strength of four pieces of evidence in a single passage and rank them from strongest to weakest with a one-line justification for each ranking.

Explain in writing how two texts on the same topic treat the same fact differently, quoting the exact wording from each.

Answer eight selected-response questions on informational text in a single timed sitting of 20 minutes and log the reasoning behind each answer choice.

Track the internal and external conflict of a protagonist across a full short story, noting the exact moment the conflict shifts.

Characterize two characters using only evidence from their actions and dialogue, avoiding adjectives the text never supports.

Identify the theme of three literary passages and defend each theme with two moments from the text that build toward it.

Explain how a single setting detail or object functions symbolically, or argue that it does not, using textual support.

Analyze how a narrator's or speaker's point of view shapes what the reader knows in two passages, citing two lines per passage.

Interpret figurative language in a poem or literary excerpt by naming the device, restating its literal meaning, and explaining its effect in one sentence.

Use context clues to define 20 unfamiliar words drawn from your week 1-3 reading, then verify each guess against a dictionary and record whether the guess was close.

Distinguish connotation from denotation for ten word pairs (for example, cheap versus inexpensive) and explain which word a given author would choose and why.

Correct 25 sentence-level errors covering subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, misplaced modifiers, and comma use, and state the rule violated for each.

Combine choppy sentences into complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions, producing ten revisions that preserve the original meaning.

Choose the precise word among three near-synonyms in 15 sentences and justify each choice with a connotation or register reason.

Edit a 250-word draft of your own to eliminate vague verbs, redundant phrasing, and inconsistent tense, marking every change.

Write a thesis statement for three different informational prompts and check each against the prompt to confirm it answers the exact question asked.

Draft a 500-700 word explanatory essay with an introduction, three body paragraphs each built on a distinct point, integrated evidence, and a conclusion that extends rather than repeats.

Use two credible sources in one essay, introducing each source and explaining how the evidence supports the point rather than dropping a quotation and moving on.

Revise the essay once for organization and once for conventions, producing a change log that names what you altered and why.

Outline and draft a 500-700 word narrative built around a single clear conflict, using dialogue and sensory detail rather than summary.

Apply two deliberate craft moves, such as a shift in pacing or a repeated image, and label where each appears in your draft.

Deliver a three-minute spoken summary of a passage you read this week, recording yourself and noting two strengths and two clarity problems on replay.

Evaluate a short speech or video for claim, evidence, and audience appeal, writing a five-point critique with one quoted example per point.

Complete two full-length timed practice sections under exam conditions and score them by domain to find your two weakest areas.

Re-teach your two weakest domains by rewriting the relevant notes into a one-page summary sheet from memory, then checking against your earlier work.

Revise your strongest week 6 or week 7 piece into a final portfolio draft that addresses every note from your change log.

Build a 15-item error log from all eight weeks and write the corrective rule beside each item so it can be reviewed in five minutes.