<p>My Junior son just took a sample SAT from Kaplan's. The results were worse then we had expected. Though son did say when he got home that evening that the test would not show his true colors since he lost focus 1 hour into the test. He also finally decided to let me know that the new ADD drug he had been taking for the last month was wearing off by 1 in the afternoon and could he go back to the Dr.
The math wasn't bad. He scored better then expected and didn't miss to many but didn't finish many of the problems due to time. With extra time I'm not worried about his math score.
His verbal and writing scores were terrible.
Any ideas as to how to help him improve his vocabulary. We need simple ideas here. He is not a reader. And as much as I push I can't turn him into one. He was a late reader and is a poor writer. Due to learning disabilities and ADD and being a nice kid no one has pushed him and he has always passed english without gaining a whole lot of skills. He realizes now that it has caught up with him and he needs to work really hard to even get a verbal score that will get him into any college.
We have gone through some flash cards and pulled out the words that he knows. The pile is small. Then I made a second pile of words that I think he should be able to learn and words that he should know. The 3rd pile is words that I don't think he will ever learn so we tossed those aside.
Has anyone heard the CD's that they sell that are suppose to help with vocabulary.
Also anyone have experience of getting into college when your math score is 300 points higher then the verbal?</p>
<p>You may want to ask on the test prep board. There are a lot of post on it about raising scores.</p>
<p>Is your son going to take the ACT. If so, can he get an extended time or untimed test?</p>
<p>Sign up for the Dictionary.com word of the day in your email.</p>
<p>there are cartoon vocabulary books - they link the word with a cartoon picture and a phrase to help remember the word. my daughter found them a relatively painless way to study vocab and the cartoons really did help her remember what the words meant.</p>
<p>My S used Up Your Score, back in 7th grade. It's a fun read so it makes reading definitions easy.</p>
<p>IMHO, there is no substitute for constant USE of the vocabulary. It's very nice if he "learns" the words, but much better if you ALL learn the words and they become part of everyday conversation.</p>
<p>I recommend books on tape, videos of Shakespeare plays (don't study them, enjoy them), reading the newspaper aloud (and read a complex one like the WSJ or the NYT) at dinner, and a family poem after dinner. Make improving EVERYONE's vocab the idea. </p>
<p>My parents were journalists, and discussion of the subtleties of word meanings were regularly part of meals. We kept the dictionary and the encyclopedias in the dining room for regular consultation. As an adult I find I have a larger vocabulary than most adults I know (including English teachers), and my children scored quite well on their verbal SATs.</p>
<p>I agree with dmd77. The best route to improving one's vocabulary is practice and actual use. Not only will this help improve verbal scores, it will benefit the child for the remainder of his life.</p>
<p>I regularly peruse the dictionary for new words or synonyms of words I already know, and make it into a bit of a game for myself.</p>
<p>The Verbal Advantage vocabulary building program (on cassette tape or CDs) is quite good, I think.</p>
<p>Books on tape is a great idea. </p>
<p>IMO, if your son is going to be a successful college student, he'll have to turn into a reader. The SAT is at least a blunt tool for measuring someone's capacity for that type of work. </p>
<p>I would recommend some sort of reading - while, IMO, 19th century novels are the best for SAT words, almost anything would help. If he reads and looks up words he doesn't know as he goes along, your S will improve his vocabulary. He'll also learn to read faster (that learning by doing thing), which will help on the SAT and in classes. Start off easy - no need to force anything. Just aim for maybe 20 minutes of reading a day. </p>
<p>From the kid perspective, it's rather tough to want to do something that you have always struggled with. Start on the easy end and have your S work his way up. Reading does require a lot of attention and focus - the things that ADD kids have the most trouble with. Of course your son isn't a reader - before he got treatment, reading must have been like some kind of torture for him. </p>
<p>Good luck. Sounds like he's in a tough place.</p>
<p>I agree with what has been said above. D's GC pointed out something I hadn't noticed. He said, "Did you ever notice how all good actors are good speakers, but not all good speakers are good actors. The same is true of the SAT. People who do well on the writing section almost always do well on the verbal section, but not everyone who does well on the verbal does well on the writing section."
Reading is the best way to get a feel for the language for the writing section and learn words. I too like the 19th century novels. Books on tape are a good substitute. The video of Pride and Prejudice with Collin Firth is also good.</p>
<p>I just spent a month as a sub in an English class, which was an experience for me in looking closely at the reading and writing abilities of an entire age group of students (juniors). I was struck by the paucity of the English vocabulary of the students whose parents were not native speakers. It seems to be especially difficult for those students to learn more than a small cross-section of English, despite daily exposure in the school. This was true regardless of the home language of the parents (the school has immigrant parents from all over the world).</p>
<p>I agree that reading things like excellent books, excellent newspapers and news magazines, is the way to do well on the CR section of the SAT. </p>
<p>Just learning vocabulary in isolation is not enough. One needs to be able to understand the meaning of what one is reading. One learns to do this by reading -- a lot. It also helps to look up unfamiliar words that one encounters while reading. This also will help sharpen one's understanding of the whole section that one is reading, which is what one will need to be able to do on the test.</p>
<p>It also could help if you and your son read the same books, articles, etc. and then talk about what you've read. Find things that interest both of you. The discussions and interpretations of what you read will not only be pleasureable but also will help your son with his critical reading skills. I've always done this with my sons, and both did extremely well on their SAT verbal/cr.</p>
<p>It also can help to listen to news shows like NPRs morning and evening ones. They are informative and interesting and provide lots of information about a variety of subjects. Lots of times students don't do well on cr because they lack the background info to correctly interpret the reading passages on the test. Listening to National Public Radio can help with this. </p>
<p>The vocabularly also is advanced.</p>
<p>
[quote]
He is not a reader. And as much as I push I can't turn him into one.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's not much use pushing reading at a student who does not like to read, especially in the short time-frame available.<br>
Listening to books on tape or radio news programs is a good idea, but the listening needs to be followed by discussion, so that the student is actively engaged in listening and absorbing the vocabulary and ideas rather than let words wash over him as so much background noise.</p>
<p>Great advice here!
Having lots of dictionaries around is good, too. I also love The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale.</p>
<p>I guess I am referring more to the love of words as a lifestyle ... if you are pressed for time, flash cards might help.<br>
(With as much discussion as you can muster!) </p>
<p>I find that learning vocabulary is like trying to learn the native plants and animals in my area -- I need to "learn" the words a number of times in differing contexts before I actually remember what they are.</p>
<p>I saw this on another thread: <a href="http://www.flocabulary.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.flocabulary.com/</a></p>
<p>Has anyone tried this program? </p>
<p>Here is an excerpt from the site: "Flocabulary is revolutionizing SAT test-prep by making learning what it should be: engaging, effective, and fun. Flocabulary is educational rap: strings of vocabulary-packed mnemonic devices set over hip-hop music. Just when you thought SAT vocabulary was out of your reach, Flocabulary delivers over 500 of the most popular SAT vocabulary words. Plus, we think you'll like our tracks enough to keep listening to them long after you score your 2400."</p>
<p>i love <a href="http://www.number2.com%5B/url%5D">www.number2.com</a> to help study vocab for the GRE. they have a vocab builder for the SAT also.</p>
<p>Post index cards with words all over, and I mean all over, your house and that way you just can't help but study everyday!</p>
<p>Does your S like puzzles? Maybe doing the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper might help out. It's certainly increased my vocabulary! In HS, we used an archaic method--the Manter Hall vocabulary book, but it worked. Looking up definitions (on-line will definitely speed up the process) helped to increase word knowledge.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Crosswords are a great, fun way to do it--in conjunction with some of the other methods mentioned (flashcards etc). Do the NYT puzzles, and use the dictionary when you get stuck.</p>