Your teen is in school mode and everything is going a mile a minute. The next SAT/ACT test date is right around the corner and parents should know where their teen is in preparing for and taking the exam.
Planning for tests such as the SAT and ACT is extremely important in a teen’s educational career. As a parent, knowing how ready your teen is to take the SAT/ACT is vital to helping them plan and prepare to do their best.
In order to help parents assess their teen’s “SAT/ACT readiness,” Sylvan Learning has created a quick quiz.
SAT/ACT Readiness Quiz:
Please answer the following questions with a “yes” or “no.” For each “yes,” give yourself and your teen 2 points. At the end of the quiz, add up your points and see how prepared your teen is for SAT and ACT.
1. Do you and your teen feel confident that his classes and school have prepared him for the SAT/ACT?
2. Have you and your teen identified her weakest subject areas and developed a strategy for those portions of the tests?
3. Is your teen familiar with the rules of the SAT vs. the ACT?
4. Have you bought a test prep review book for your teen?
5. Have you made a SAT/ACT study schedule with your teen to set aside a minimum amount of time each day or week?
6. Has your teen made his own flashcards outside of those provided in a review packet?
7. Has your teen taken more than one practice exam for the SAT or the ACT?
8. Has your teen practiced writing an essay in 25 minutes?
9. Has your teen developed a time strategy for the tests?
10. Has your teen enrolled in or taken a test prep course?
SCORING
0-5 Points
It's never too late for your teen to begin preparing for either test! Here are tips that your teen can use to begin preparing now. And remember, there are always multiple test dates!
• Buy a test preparation book.
• Make flash cards.
• Enroll in a test preparation class.
• Take a practice SAT/ACT test.
5-10 Points
Congratulate your teen on beginning to practice for the SAT/ACT. Now is a perfect time for your teen to concentrate on creating a "SAT/ACT study guide." Here are some tips you can give your teen to get started.
• Divide the study guide into three sections: math, critical reading and writing.
• For each section, write down your weak areas.
• Under the weak areas, write down any formulas, vocabulary words or grammar rules that you need to learn.
• Flip through the quick guide once a day.
10-15 Points
Practice makes perfect. Give your teen these testing tips to consider while he continues to map out his strategy for the big day.
• Skip an answer. If you are unsure of an answer, skip the question and go back if time permits.
• Share your time. Don't spend too much time on any single question.
• Read, read, read. Read the questions and answers critically.
• End each section by reviewing. Revisit the questions that you either circled or marked with a question mark.
• Stop and check. After every few questions, stop and check to make sure the question number on the answer sheet corresponds with the question being answered in the test booklet.
-more-
15-20 Points
Your teen is on her way to achieving a great score on the SAT or the ACT! Give her these last minute tips to top off her test preparation.
• Enter the exam with confidence. Know the instructions for each section before you enter the exam room -- don't waste time reading the instruction the day of the exam.
• The night before, read a book or a magazine. This is a good way to work your mind with a non-stressful subject.
• Get a good night sleep before the exam.
• Always eat breakfast.
• Relax! You’re prepared. Go in confident.
To find out more about SAT/ACT test preparation opportunities at Sylvan Learning, visit the “College Prep” area of www.SylvanLearning.com
Sylvan Learning Directors and teachers from Flemington, New Jersey dish on the latest educational trends and what you can do to help your child achieve academic success!
Showing posts with label Mercer County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mercer County. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Beat the Winter Blues
With the impending snow forcasted for our area this week, we thought that we would share some of our favorite tips and suggestions to beat the winter blues with the cabin fever you might be experiencing shortly, if not already after last week's storms!
How did your child do in the first half of the school year? Were you pleased with his or her performance, or do you think there is room for improvement? No matter what letters appeared on your child’s report card, January is the perfect time to help him or her get excited about going back to school and learning.
This can be accomplished by creating an atmosphere in your home that encourages learning. Sylvan Learning offers a few tips concerning how to get involved with your child’s learning process and help motivate him or her in the new year.
• Have family reading time at least once a week. Utilize Book Adventure, a free Sylvan-created interactive, reading motivation program that can be found on Book Adventure. Students choose their own books from more than 7,500 titles, take short comprehension quizzes and redeem their accumulated points for small prizes. Book Adventure also offers teacher and parent resources and tips to help children develop a lifelong love of reading. A snowy day is a great time to set this up together and begin earning points.
• Set aside a specific time for homework and studying. Take advantage of this quiet time to sit with your child and work on your paperwork. This visually demonstrates the importance of “work time” to your child.
• If homework was a struggle during the first semester, set up a reward system for this semester. For example, deposit change in a small jar when homework is complete. As soon as the jar is full, treat the whole family to something everyone will enjoy.
• Refresh your child’s “study space.” Make sure that all materials, such as pencil sharpeners, erasers and extra paper are easily accessible and in adequate supply. When something is new and exciting, kids will want to use it. As one of our students recently commented after starting in our Study Skills program, he went out and bought a new agenda book because he knew he would be so excited about it he would actually use it.
• Create study plans. Have your child do his most challenging assignment first, while he is most focused, then have him work on easier tasks. Finish each homework session with a fun activity.
• Search the Internet with your child to learn more about topics being covered in school. Try TeacherTube (kind of like YouTube but more kid-friendly) for videos on different items from Social Studies or freerice.org to learn new vocabulary.
• Invite your child to participate in cooking or shopping to strengthen his or her math skills.
• Encourage your child to choose a classmate with whom he can study and swap reading books. On Amazon.com, you can download an app for your home computer or smartphone to read Kindle books, many of which you can also download for free from Project Gutenburg or other free sources.
• Get your child organized inside and outside of school. By being organized, your child will have plenty of time to complete all assignments, and she will also learn the value of time management.
• Talk to your child’s teachers. The second half of the year can be more challenging than the first. Find out if your child needs extra help in a specific subject in order to keep up with the class.
For more educational resources for children in grades pre-K through 12, please visit www.SylvanLearning.com or call your nearest center.
Clinton, NJ 908-638-6788
Hamilton, NJ 609-588-9037
Flemington, NJ 908-806-4010
How did your child do in the first half of the school year? Were you pleased with his or her performance, or do you think there is room for improvement? No matter what letters appeared on your child’s report card, January is the perfect time to help him or her get excited about going back to school and learning.
This can be accomplished by creating an atmosphere in your home that encourages learning. Sylvan Learning offers a few tips concerning how to get involved with your child’s learning process and help motivate him or her in the new year.
• Have family reading time at least once a week. Utilize Book Adventure, a free Sylvan-created interactive, reading motivation program that can be found on Book Adventure. Students choose their own books from more than 7,500 titles, take short comprehension quizzes and redeem their accumulated points for small prizes. Book Adventure also offers teacher and parent resources and tips to help children develop a lifelong love of reading. A snowy day is a great time to set this up together and begin earning points.
• Set aside a specific time for homework and studying. Take advantage of this quiet time to sit with your child and work on your paperwork. This visually demonstrates the importance of “work time” to your child.
• If homework was a struggle during the first semester, set up a reward system for this semester. For example, deposit change in a small jar when homework is complete. As soon as the jar is full, treat the whole family to something everyone will enjoy.
• Refresh your child’s “study space.” Make sure that all materials, such as pencil sharpeners, erasers and extra paper are easily accessible and in adequate supply. When something is new and exciting, kids will want to use it. As one of our students recently commented after starting in our Study Skills program, he went out and bought a new agenda book because he knew he would be so excited about it he would actually use it.
• Create study plans. Have your child do his most challenging assignment first, while he is most focused, then have him work on easier tasks. Finish each homework session with a fun activity.
• Search the Internet with your child to learn more about topics being covered in school. Try TeacherTube (kind of like YouTube but more kid-friendly) for videos on different items from Social Studies or freerice.org to learn new vocabulary.
• Invite your child to participate in cooking or shopping to strengthen his or her math skills.
• Encourage your child to choose a classmate with whom he can study and swap reading books. On Amazon.com, you can download an app for your home computer or smartphone to read Kindle books, many of which you can also download for free from Project Gutenburg or other free sources.
• Get your child organized inside and outside of school. By being organized, your child will have plenty of time to complete all assignments, and she will also learn the value of time management.
• Talk to your child’s teachers. The second half of the year can be more challenging than the first. Find out if your child needs extra help in a specific subject in order to keep up with the class.
For more educational resources for children in grades pre-K through 12, please visit www.SylvanLearning.com or call your nearest center.
Clinton, NJ 908-638-6788
Hamilton, NJ 609-588-9037
Flemington, NJ 908-806-4010
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Good Attendance Matters
The holidays are over. It’s a New Year, and a time for renewed academic resolutions.
Here’s a goal that many students will find compelling and achievable this year: Good Attendance.
While academic goals take a while to show results—students organize, study, break down big tasks into smaller ones, and wait for grades and report cards to appear—maintaining a good attendance record is more immediate. It’s easily understood. Each day is a small achievement.
Good attendance is not an empty achievement, either. There’s a strong correlation between attendance and achievement, behavior, post-secondary schooling, and drop-out rates. There’s plenty of research, and our common sense backs it up. Good attendance numbers also tell us something about the school and the instruction that’s going on there.
Here are some ways to motivate students to keep attendance up.
Show you care. Good attendance is important to you as a parent. Show that you don’t approve of lateness, fake illnesses, or dodging responsibilities. Have high expectations. Your child should bereally sick before missing school. High fever? Okay. Lethargy? Unprepared? Not so much.
Communicate with the school. When your child must be absent, call or e-mail the school to tell them. Let your child see you do this. Now the school will know that they can expect to hear from you in the future, and your child will know that adults are monitoring his health and academics.
Schedule when you can. Help your child keep up her good attendance record by making routine pediatrician, optometrist, and dentist appointments for days when school is not in session. This won’t always be possible, but your child will see that you’re serious about school attendance when you try.
Have back-up plans. Snow? Car trouble? Alarm not working? Have back-up plans, so your kid doesn’t get the idea that any disruption is a convenient excuse for taking a day off. If you want a good laugh, ask a teacher for some of his or her favorite absence excuses. You won’t believe what you hear.
Don’t be an accomplice. Don’t allow your child to talk you into making excuses for him. Follow your instincts. Your job is to teach him responsibility and self-discipline. His job is to go to school. Don’t upset this balance of power.
Show why good work habits are important. Good attendance is a good habit. Help your child by establishing helpful routines, having a study area, monitoring her homework, keeping her on schedule for important school projects, and celebrating success. Show how you maintain good work habits to be successful in your job or other important activities.
Watch confidence rise. Good attendance isn’t the only criterion for success, but its part of a wide range of characteristics of highly-achieving students. Watch your child’s confidence rise as he sees more success, starting with the perseverance needed for good attendance.
Don’t give up. Like so many other child-rearing goals, staying positive is key. Let your kid know that his health is paramount, but his academic achievement isn’t far behind. Absences from school are going to get your strictest attention.
Here’s a goal that many students will find compelling and achievable this year: Good Attendance.
While academic goals take a while to show results—students organize, study, break down big tasks into smaller ones, and wait for grades and report cards to appear—maintaining a good attendance record is more immediate. It’s easily understood. Each day is a small achievement.
Good attendance is not an empty achievement, either. There’s a strong correlation between attendance and achievement, behavior, post-secondary schooling, and drop-out rates. There’s plenty of research, and our common sense backs it up. Good attendance numbers also tell us something about the school and the instruction that’s going on there.
Here are some ways to motivate students to keep attendance up.
Show you care. Good attendance is important to you as a parent. Show that you don’t approve of lateness, fake illnesses, or dodging responsibilities. Have high expectations. Your child should bereally sick before missing school. High fever? Okay. Lethargy? Unprepared? Not so much.
Communicate with the school. When your child must be absent, call or e-mail the school to tell them. Let your child see you do this. Now the school will know that they can expect to hear from you in the future, and your child will know that adults are monitoring his health and academics.
Schedule when you can. Help your child keep up her good attendance record by making routine pediatrician, optometrist, and dentist appointments for days when school is not in session. This won’t always be possible, but your child will see that you’re serious about school attendance when you try.
Have back-up plans. Snow? Car trouble? Alarm not working? Have back-up plans, so your kid doesn’t get the idea that any disruption is a convenient excuse for taking a day off. If you want a good laugh, ask a teacher for some of his or her favorite absence excuses. You won’t believe what you hear.
Don’t be an accomplice. Don’t allow your child to talk you into making excuses for him. Follow your instincts. Your job is to teach him responsibility and self-discipline. His job is to go to school. Don’t upset this balance of power.
Show why good work habits are important. Good attendance is a good habit. Help your child by establishing helpful routines, having a study area, monitoring her homework, keeping her on schedule for important school projects, and celebrating success. Show how you maintain good work habits to be successful in your job or other important activities.
Watch confidence rise. Good attendance isn’t the only criterion for success, but its part of a wide range of characteristics of highly-achieving students. Watch your child’s confidence rise as he sees more success, starting with the perseverance needed for good attendance.
Don’t give up. Like so many other child-rearing goals, staying positive is key. Let your kid know that his health is paramount, but his academic achievement isn’t far behind. Absences from school are going to get your strictest attention.
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