SAT
Prep - Old
Lyme CT
Old Lyme,
CT students and SAT Math –
The Learning Consultants has worked with many students from the Old Lyme area who struggle with math portion of the SAT. Often times, they have difficulty with “reading” problems that test math vocabulary. For example, they recognize the term “integer” but can’t quite remember the exact definition. At this point, many students resolve that the problem is beyond their abilities because they are not confident in translating the question into terms they can understand. When we clarify the terms for the student, the intimidation fades and most Old Lyme students discover that the answer is well within their grasp. This is a prime example of why so many Old Lyme students are far more capable of scoring well on the math sections of the SAT than they realize – there is simply a lack of information that they are experiencing, not a lack of ability or talent.
Once the student is aware of the fact that they can improve
tremendously with just a little bit of information, they become more open to
the idea that they could score well beyond what they initially thought possible. With this in mind, we steadily build their
knowledge of math theorems and their ability to apply these concepts to SAT
math problems. After a certain amount of
instruction and coaching from our tutors, Old Lyme students begin to recognize patterns
in the math portion of the SAT. They can
see clearly that a particular problem is testing their knowledge of say,
triangles, and that the Pythagorean theorem applies to this case. This helps Old Lyme students to realize that
the problem is not able to trick them because they are aware of exactly which math
concept(s) the SAT is covering in that particular question. When our students witness their own
improvement, their confidence rises to new heights, thereby further lessening
their math anxiety and bringing them closer to the SAT math score they desire.
The 3D Model of the New Lyme-Old Lyme High School
Old Lyme,
CT students and SAT Reading –
As educators, we frequently witness significant
confusion among
Old Lyme students about the
nature of the SAT reading
section. As a school system, Old Lyme is
attentive to
the importance of developing critical thinking skills within its
students. By nature, this process focuses heavily
on
the honing of one’s own ideas and the development of logical lines of
reasoning
to support a thesis. This type of
exercise is a vital piece of the Old Lyme student’s English education. Unfortunately, the SAT reading section has
created traps for this kind of thinking.
After reading a passage that is full of complex sentence
structures and
some difficult vocabulary, students are posed with questions about the
passage. These questions can be especially
difficult
because the test designers insert possible answers that seem to be very
logical
conclusions based upon the reading. What
most Old Lyme students don’t know is that the SAT reading section is
designed
to test one’s ability to find the answer with the most support from the
passage,
not the ability to make assumptions based upon the reading. These “logic traps” are frequent in the
reading sections of the SAT. Our tutors
work closely with Old Lyme students to help them develop a strict habit
of
finding the evidence for the answers they choose so they know with
certainty
that there is support for what they have chosen as the best answer.
For Old Lyme students who struggle with SAT
vocabulary,
specifically, we have written our very own book – The SAT Vocabulary
Mastery
System. Our book contains a list of the
500 most commonly used vocabulary words on the SAT. We
have developed a system that ensures the student
will…
- Take the time to learn the words
- Make the learning a stress-free habit
- Remember simple definitions quickly and easily
- Stay accountable for learning the material
For a limited time, Old Lyme students can obtain a
free copy
of The SAT
Vocabulary Mastery System when they sign up for one of our SAT
courses. For more information and the
latest course schedule, click
here.
Old Lyme,
CT students and SAT Writing –
When our Old Lyme students come to us for help with the writing section of the SAT, we often find that they simply need a refresher on the grammar rules and some of the key strategies we use to spot grammar errors. Typically, students from Old Lyme High School have good “grammar sense” in that they can spot obvious errors with relative ease. What these students most often need help with are the sentences that sound fine when spoken out load (because it is so common to hear the incorrect version) but are, in fact, grammatically incorrect.
Example: “My brother
brought my friend and I to the store.”
This sentence needs to be revised – “My brother
brought my
friend and me to the store.”
This is just one example of the many common mistakes that we hear spoken in everyday English. There are, however, only so many types of these errors. Our tutors introduce Old Lyme students to each and every possible grammar error they may see on the SAT. Using the spot-the-error section and teaching Old Lyme students to evaluate each answer possibility at the point of contact helps to develop a solid grammar foundation for the essay and the sentence completion portions of the SAT writing section. After working with our tutors, Old Lyme students have thanked us for not only improving their performance on the SAT, but helping them to sharpen their overall grammar sense and writing ability in preparation for their college courses.
The
Learning Consultants
(860)
510-0410
dcapuano@learningconsultantsgroup.com