<p>This article appeared in our local paper today. It may be a little too simplistic for some of those fairly high achievers on CC (whose vocabulary is probably already way ahead) but it may be another way to help those who need it. Personally, I have a son who will not read and whose PSAT verbal scores equated to 200 points less than his math scores and who can use all the help he can get. </p>
<p>Just an FYI sharing.</p>
<p>Similar series at Sparknotes:
<a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/satfiction/headoverheels/%5B/url%5D">http://www.sparknotes.com/satfiction/headoverheels/</a> online
<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?userid=Rf45RwoB0a&cds2Pid=6323&isbn=141140081X%5B/url%5D">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?userid=Rf45RwoB0a&cds2Pid=6323&isbn=141140081X</a> in B&N</p>
<p>And crosswords, too
<a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/spuzzles/vocabulary.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.sparknotes.com/spuzzles/vocabulary.html</a></p>
<p>"Looking for a new stratagem as you study for the Scholastic Achievement Test?"</p>
<p>I am always dubious of authors who do so little research that they can't even spell the test correctly. There is no such thing as a Scholastic Achievement Test -and has not been for a while. </p>
<p>In theory, the more vocabulary one knows the better he will be equipped for the SAT. Accordingly, reading a novel filled with complicated words or spending time on the rote memorization of lists could be helpful. However, none of those methods will yield great results unless the test taker spends the time to understand the test itself. Contrary to popular belief, the SAT is not a vocabulary test; the SAT tests the reasoning and the ability to concentrate under time pressure. Most of the test is different from what is tested in school. One of the reason why improvements for critical reading are so hard to achieve is that high school teachers -actually k-12 teachers- are not well prepared to help students. While there is nothing inherently wrong with what is taught in the English classes, it rarely covers logic and rarely requires intense focus. In turn, those are necessary for doing well on the verbal components of the SAT. For a number of students, the "SAT" abilities come naturally. Students who have spent a lifetime of reading voraciously -and critically- have a hard time believing that others can struggle with such an easy task. However, they also have a hard time EXPLAINING why it comes easy to them. Inasmuch as pundits hate the term, there is a degree of aptitude testing in the SAT. The good news is that there are solutions that do work to improve the SAT verbal, and they can be acquired through the development of sound techniques. In fact, knowing how to approach a reading comprehension exercise is critical -no pun intended. This is accomplished only via interactive practices.</p>