14.2 Banking Examples
BRAINSTORMING/PLANNING STRATEGIES.
This assignment should help you with the following aspects of the essay – and help you score a 5 or 6!
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Using your 3-5 minute planning time effectively
Making use of BANKED examples that can be used on MOST essay topics
Showing CRITICAL THINKING (will increase your score more than any other factor)
Showing strength in apt vocabulary
Showing varied and effective sentences
1.
BANKING EXAMPLES: One of the most important things you can do before the SAT is BANK at least 3
topics to write about – the worst thing you can do is go into the test with a million topics to choose from!
Think of the topics that you (a) know many details about, more than the average person (b) are passionate about
(c) would be useful in answering a variety of philosophical questions
COMMON MISTAKE: Students often write about topics that they have only a general knowledge about
because they think they will impress the grader.. HINT: Write about something you are passionate about
– and something that you know specifics about (don’t write about Rosa Parks or Thomas Edison unless
you know more than the average person about those two). The grader does not have to know about your
topic – in fact, the less you assume the grader knows, the better your essay will be!
Some great topics that score really well:
 A person you have read extensively about –
o Steve Prefontaine, Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, or other business people
o a politician
o a person in history (but you need MORE info than the normal history textbook or lesson)
o a literary character
o an athlete
o a philosopher / writer /
o person of great achievement
 a personal experience
o school
o sports
o family
o relationship
 historical event (hint, wars are not usually effective – a battle maybe)
o revolution (American one is overdone, consider one of the recent ones in the Mid-East?)
o a social movement
o a fad or social niche
 current events
 MOVIES! (I once scored an essay about Talladega Nights and Ricky Bobby that scored a 5! Movies
have great visual images that can be “accessed” easily during the short planning time you will have)
 Significant event that illustrates the value or importance of a philosophy or human trait (creativity,
laughter, family, progress, ambition, nature, etc.)
ASSIGNMENT: USE 3 topics listed above to complete this chart: (complete the chart
and attach it in your assignment)
TOPIC (be specific)
What do I know other than
the obvious? (at least 5)
Ex. Steve Jobs
(if you would like a quick tutorial
on him to prep for SAT – google
his Stanford University graduation
speech)
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Quit college
“sat in” on creative classes calligraphy class & Used
calligraphy concepts (serif,
spacing) in developing Apple
applications (first to do so –
says Windows “copied”
Apple)
Began Apple with Steve
Wozniak in 1976 at 21 –
worth over 1 billion in 1980
Forced out of Apple,
embarrassingly so – and
founded (1986) Pixar (Toy
Story, Finding Nemo) sold
for billions – back to Apple in
1997
Diagnosed pancreatic cancer/
liver transplant
What TOPICS will this be
effective for? (at least 5)
Vocabulary words and
their possible use with this
topic (at least 5)
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Serendipity (the calligraphy)
Ironic (forced out of Apple,
turning it around after he came
back – was losing money)
Innovative (his ideas)
Plausible didn’t seem so when he
faced adversity
Diverse his motto was “think
different”
Complacent (he wasn’t)
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Overcoming adversity,
challenges
Creativity and innovation
Serendipity / chance / good
fortune
Work ethic / success from
failure
Individual spirit
Discipline/sacrifice
Attitude
Communication
Compromise/pride/
1. (your topic)
2. (your topic)
3. (your topic)
PART II. HOW TO USE THE BANK!
SAMPLE SAT ESSAY PROMPT
(from http://www.proprofs.com/sat/exams/sat_2/section1.php?n=1&xid=1&section=englishindex&asign=)
Directions: (hint – remember, never stop to read the DIRECTIONS – they are ALWAYS the same – so SKIP right to
the ISSUE and QUESTION.
1. The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can develop and express ideas. You should,
therefore, take care to develop your point of view, present your ideas logically and clearly, and use language
precisely.
2. An off-topic essay will receive a score of zero.
3. You have twenty-five minutes to write an essay on the topic assigned below.
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent."
-Norman R. Augustine
Assignment:
Do we need both motivation and talent to be an expert in a field? Plan and write an essay in which you
develop your point of view on this. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your
reading, studies, experience, or observations.
A SAMPLE USING SOMETHING I WOULD BANK TO PLAN FOR THE PROMPT!
TOPIC THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THIS PROMPT?
Ex. Steve Prefontaine (Pre, as he is known – from Oregon) – famous runner known for guts and motivation
Quickly, in 1 minute, FOCUS your thesis
Ex. In sports, more than anywhere else, motivation will almost always beat talent.
How does my topic prove this?
Ex. Steve Prefontaine used discipline and hard work to beat much more talented runners – long- distance runner
who would punish himself near end of race – motivation was more important than talent
WHAT ARE THE KEY WORDS IN PROMPT = MOTIVATION / TALENT – which more important?
MOTIVATION
TALENT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM
Ex: “I can endure more pain than anyone you’ve ever
met. That’s why I can beat anyone I’ve ever met” long
distance running requires it
- motivation to win often helped him push
through more pain than many runners with
talent – Don Kardong of Stanford .. lost to him
a lot – more talented as a runner and more
mature
Motivation creates an edge in any physical competition
because of pain/endurance (long distance runner)
OUTLINE – DON’T INCLUDE THE OBVIOUS (you will remember those details when you write) –
FOLLOW THIS MODEL
I.
Interesting Fact/opener (I would start with this quote: “How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than
the other win races?” I know this quote because I know my topic well! – BANK at least 3 topics this well BEFORE the
test! – and never open with “Some people in the world today…” Your grader will be groaning 
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Thesis: Though talent can be a beginning point, motivation is more important than talent. In fact, motivation
will often makeup for a lack of talent.
MOTIVATION – what is it? How did Pre use it to illustrate more important than talent?
TALENT –how his talent not as important as his motivation – how and why
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO IN THIS TOPIC
You will be using your BANK to plan for an essay prompt in the next
assignment!