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00:00:00 – 00:18:55
The video by Parker from Test Prep Champions provides comprehensive strategies for excelling in the GED Language Arts essay, focusing on the extended response section. Parker outlines a step-by-step approach, emphasizing the importance of essay length, structure, and time management. Viewers are advised to prioritize multiple-choice sections and not stress excessively over the essay as they can still pass through high multiple-choice scores.
The video introduces a phased approach to essay writing, which includes reading passages, planning, writing, and editing. Three distinct time management strategies—a balanced plan, a reading-focused plan, and a writing-focused plan—are detailed to help avoid panic. A typical GED essay involves analyzing arguments from two passages, identifying the stronger argument, and supporting it with specific evidence.
Key steps to determine the strength of arguments include identifying data from surveys, expert opinions, and reliable sources, while weak arguments usually rely on personal opinions and outdated information. The video uses an example prompt involving the appropriate age for children to receive cell phones to illustrate these points.
A structured five-paragraph essay format is recommended, consisting of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The presenter details how to construct an effective introductory paragraph and structured body paragraphs using strong evidence to support claims, as illustrated by examples from a 2012 National Consumers League survey. The final segment underscores the need for practicing grammar, utilizing proper punctuation, and transitional phrases. Viewers are encouraged to follow the provided techniques to enhance their scores, with an invitation to subscribe for future updates.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Parker from Test Prep Champions introduces strategies to ace the GED Language Arts essay, also known as the extended response section. He offers a step-by-step approach to maximize essay scores while easing the writing process. Key points include essential details about essay length, structure, word count, and what to expect. Parker emphasizes that despite the stress associated with the essay, multiple-choice questions significantly impact the overall score. He refers to insights from a GED teacher and suggests not stressing too much if the essay score is low, as excelling in multiple-choice can still ensure passing. Moreover, Parker outlines time management strategies and specific writing guidelines, reassuring viewers not to worry and promising detailed guidance throughout the video.
00:03:00
In this segment, the instructor introduces a phased approach to essay writing, which begins with reading the two provided passages and formulating a plan. Emphasis is placed on the planning step, as a good plan facilitates smooth and natural writing. The video details how to allocate time for each phase: reading and planning, writing, and editing. Three time management strategies are suggested: a balanced plan, a reading-focused plan, and a writing-focused plan, each with different time allotments for the tasks. The instructor reassures viewers not to stress about strictly adhering to one strategy but to have a strategy to avoid panic. The segment also explains the typical GED test prompt, which involves analyzing arguments from two passages, identifying the stronger argument, and supporting the analysis with specific evidence.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses how to identify strong versus weak arguments. Strong arguments often include data from recent surveys, expert opinions, and results from research studies or experiments. Key signs of weak arguments include reliance on personal opinions without facts, unnamed experts, unreliable or outdated sources, and bandwagon appeals.
The speaker then presents an example prompt that asks viewers to analyze arguments from two speeches about the appropriate age for a child to get a cell phone. The first passage snippet provided argues that generally, age ten is appropriate for a child to get a cell phone. Key steps include identifying the author’s position and analyzing supporting evidence.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the presenter contrasts two differing perspectives on the appropriate age for children to be given cell phones. One argument suggests age ten, supported by a 2012 survey from the National Consumer League and quotes from authority figure Carolyn Noor, emphasizing children’s independence. The opposing view advocates for age sixteen, arguing that children are more mature and capable of handling the responsibilities of phone usage, yet fails to provide substantial evidence or data to back up the claims. The presenter highlights the importance of supporting arguments with facts and evidence. Additionally, the segment introduces the five-paragraph essay structure, detailing its components: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion, to improve essay writing.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker explains a structured approach to writing an introductory paragraph for an essay. The recommended structure includes starting with a topic sentence to introduce the subject, then stating the positions of two different authors, and finally, adding a sentence that outlines the writer’s own claim regarding which author’s position is best supported by evidence. The speaker emphasizes that while there are other valid methods, this approach can help maximize points. An example related to the appropriate age for children to have cell phones is provided to illustrate this formula.
Next, the speaker addresses how to structure body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that introduces one of three reasons why one author’s position is better or the other’s position is weaker. The rest of the paragraph should support that topic sentence. An example is given where the topic sentence mentions evidence from surveys to support the claim that around ten years old is an optimal age for children to have cell phones.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses how to effectively use evidence to support arguments in an essay. They use an example of a 2012 survey by the National Consumers League showing most children aged 8 to 12 already own cell phones to strengthen their argument about the appropriate age for children to have phones. The speaker contrasts their method of using survey evidence with another author’s essay that lacks such data, arguing that the former is more credible. They also emphasize the importance of having a structured, five-paragraph essay approach, including a clear introduction, body paragraphs with supporting evidence, and a concise conclusion. Furthermore, they stress the need to check for grammatical errors and improve sentence structure during the final review of the essay.
00:18:00
In this segment, the speaker emphasizes the importance of practicing and understanding grammar rules, using colons and semicolons correctly, and utilizing transitional phrases effectively to excel in essay writing. They encourage viewers to apply the techniques discussed in the video, promising that doing so will result in an excellent score. The speaker also mentions future videos on related topics and invites viewers to provide feedback, subscribe to the channel, and wish them good luck on their test.