SS Lesson Plans - Lesson 9 - The SAT Essay—Part One

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Lesson 9 focuses on making students familiar with the SAT Essay task. Students learn the essay’s purpose, the reading/writing workflow, and the prompt’s consistent structure: analyze how an author builds an argument through evidence, reasoning, and stylistic or persuasive elements. Classroom activities include brainstorming persuasion tactics, examining sample paragraphs and their logical impact, and completing pair/group charting and discussion exercises. Homework requires additional student sample responses and related strategy reading.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Lesson 9 The SAT Essay—Part One

Focus and Objectives

Before the Lesson

Introductory Activity (20 minutes)

Group/Pair Practice (20 minutes)

Independent Practice (10 minutes)

Homework (30 minutes)

Student Materials—Lesson 9

Official SAT Practice Lesson Plans for Teachers by Teachers LESSON 9 The SAT Essay—Part One Focus: Becoming familiar with the SAT® Essay Objectives: Students will understand the scope and purpose of the task of the SAT Essay. Before the Lesson: à Review Chapter 14 of the SAT Study Guide for Students. à Preview the SAT Essay overview video. à Preview and print (if necessary) the student materials. LESSON 9 The SAT Essay—Part One Introductory Activity | 20 minutes 1. Be sure to let students know some basic facts about the SAT Essay: a. It’s optional, though students should research whether the schools they are considering require the Essay, recommend it, or neither. A regularly updated list for students to consult can be found here: [https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/college](https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/college) essay-policies. b. Students have 50 minutes to read the passage and to write a response. c. The prompt won’t ask you to take a stance on an issue. Rather, your task will be to analyze an argument presented in a passage in order to explain how the author builds the argument to persuade his or her audience. d. It’s scored on the following aspects: i. Reading: How well you demonstrated your understanding of the passage. ii. Analysis: How well you analyzed the passage and carried out the task of explaining how the author of builds his or her argument to persuade an audience. iii. Writing: How skillfully you crafted your response. e. You may want to show students this introductory video from Khan Academy® at this point: [https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/](https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/) [about-the-sat-essay/v/about-the-sat-essay-what-to-expect](about-the-sat-essay/v/about-the-sat-essay-what-to-expect.)[.](about-the-sat-essay/v/about-the-sat-essay-what-to-expect.) 2. The most important aspect to emphasize to students is that the purpose of their essay is to identify and analyze the tactics that the author uses to build the argument. 3. Ask students to brainstorm a list of ways that, in general, writers (or speakers) try to convince their readers (or audiences). They should say things like: facts, evidence, logical reasoning, but you should try to get them to think about how language, specifically diction and syntax, can also be used. 4. Let students know that the prompt for the SAT Essay always remains the same; it’s only the text that they analyze that changes. The prompt, included in the student materials for this lesson, will ask students to consider the following elements: a. Evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. b. Reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. c. Stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. 5. Look at the opening paragraphs of a sample text and ask students to identify any of the above elements that the writer uses to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States. 6. Ask students to think about how these first three paragraphs strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of Goodwin’s argument. Remind students that they are NOT to focus on whether they agree or disagree with the author, or to summarize what the author is saying, but to focus on the tactics he uses. Official SAT Practice Lesson Plans: for Teachers by Teachers 2 LESSON 9 The SAT Essay—Part One Group/Pair Practice | 20 minutes 1. In pairs or small groups, ask students to read the remaining article aloud, marking places where the author uses evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic elements. 2. Students should discuss the following question: What does the author include to try to persuade his audience about the need for foreign journalism? Ask t

FAQs

Is the SAT Essay optional, and how should students handle that decision?

The SAT Essay is optional. Students should research whether the schools they are considering require the Essay, recommend it, or neither, using the regularly updated list provided.

What is the main purpose of the SAT Essay?

The essay’s purpose is to identify and analyze the tactics the author uses to build the argument to persuade the audience.

How should students approach the SAT Essay prompt and what elements must they analyze?

Students consider how the author uses evidence, reasoning, and stylistic or persuasive elements (such as word choice or appeals to emotion) to support claims and connect ideas.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob