Week 19: Week 19 — Timed Practice: Section 3 Informational Performance Task
Week of Mon, Mar 22 · week closes Sun, Mar 28
This week's items
Exact due times are in Canvas. Each week opens on its Monday and stays open. Practice is never late — but the MCAP window opens April 5, 2027, so keep pace.
Know these cold
- Section 3 is the informational performance task: two informational passages linked by a topic, about 6 to 9 items, and one constructed response, all in 70 minutes.
- Paired informational passages often take different angles on one topic. One author may support an idea, the other may raise concerns, or one may focus on science while the other focuses on people.
- As you read, label each author's main claim and purpose in a few words in the margin of your scratch paper. Those labels make comparison items and the essay much faster.
- Evaluate evidence, not just topic. Ask whether a statistic, expert quotation, or example actually proves the author's point, or only sounds impressive.
- When an item asks how Passage 2 relates to Passage 1, decide whether it supports, adds a new angle to, or challenges the first passage.
- If the constructed response asks for an argument, take a clear position, support it with evidence from both sources, and answer at least one counterclaim.
- Cite as you write. Name the source in your sentence, such as 'According to Passage 2,' and quote or paraphrase accurately.
- Keep the same pacing plan as Section 2: about 10 minutes to read, finish the items by about minute 35, about 30 minutes to plan and write, and 5 to proofread.
Meerk's quiz — open the Week 19 gate
10 questions, no time limit. One counted try: 85% opens the gate. Miss it and Meerk's Study Path opens: it teaches every miss back to you, then a mastery check — and it cannot finish before 25 minutes of real study. Then your second try opens. Work alone; the point is to know it, not to have seen it.
Stuck?
Raise your hand. Mr. James gets a message right away and can help you remotely. Nothing else is stored — just your last name, grade, and where you're stuck.
My Progress
Dinner Table Question
Ask at home: Think of a decision our town or school made recently. What would someone who agreed with it say, and what would someone who disagreed say?
En español: Piensa en una decisión reciente de nuestra ciudad o escuela. ¿Qué diría alguien que estuviera de acuerdo y qué diría alguien que no lo estuviera?