Educators agree that reading is critical to any high school student’s summer agenda if they plan to take the ACT or SAT for college admissions. The ultimate goal is not about preparing the students to take those standardized tests to get into college, they say, but about preparing them to go to college and be literate.
“Right now we are seeing a great deal of students in this current generation who are products of their testing,” says Tamara Anderson, a student advocate and former adjunct instructor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. “They cannot read the assignments in college, it’s difficult for them. Their attention spans are very short. They can’t complete long, deep articles. The students don’t understand them, so professors can’t converse with them about the material.”
Several studies indicate that book reading among U.S. high school students has dropped significantly over recent decades, although nowadays many students are reading books in more diverse, technologically advanced formats.
However, reading should be a priority for any student hoping to attend college, says Lexi Aguayo, associate director of admissions at Pepperdine University‘s Seaver College in California. “Reading allows students to expand their vocabulary and explore experiences outside of their own through the writer’s words,” she wrote in an email. “I recommend reading 10 pages per day.”
Reading a variety of genres can help increase a student’s vocabulary, experts say. Here are some titles they recommend reading over the summer that may help students planning to take the SAT or ACT.
Fiction Books
Anderson strongly recommends genres like science fiction, mystery, and historical fiction, like “Ghost Boys” by Jewell Parker Rhodes, because students have to think in order to follow the storylines.
“To me, those books are very much like the classics when we used to read ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ by J.D. Salinger and ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding,” Anderson says. “Those books are based on some sort of problem that has to be solved by a group of young people. Historical fiction books give students a look into what they consider to be a time that happened so long ago, but didn’t really happen that long ago. And it makes it look very interesting.”
[Read: How Important Are SAT, ACT Scores in College Admissions?]
Aguayo recommends five books: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott and “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker.
“Reading novels and ‘great books’ like these will improve students’ reading comprehension, extend their vocabulary, and allow them to work on their analytical skills,” she says. “These individual skills will have a direct impact on their reading comprehension sections of the SAT/ACT.”
Anderson also recommends books of poems, but says students need to prepare for how to read poetry, understanding the language and meter without necessarily knowing the literary work. She prefers “The Winter’s Tale” or “Titus Andronicus” by William Shakespeare.
“Poems are great because they require you to use your imagination to get the imagery and the metaphors,” Anderson says. “Poetry is connected to reading plays, like Shakespeare and Shaw.”
Stacy Harper, a high school English teacher with the Conroe Independent School District in Texas, recommends “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman or a poetry collection by Maya Angelou.
Noting that all types of fictional books are now TV shows and movies, Anderson advises students watching them to read the actual books and follow the stories.
Nonfiction Books
Reading nonfiction books can improve students’ comprehension skills, as the ACT and SAT ask questions about narratives and opposing viewpoints.
[Related:Why Standardized Tests Matter Beyond College Admissions]
“I always recommend anything from Isabel Wilkerson or Eve Ewing because they write in a very matter-of-fact way,” Anderson says. “Even Michael Harriot is a great nonfiction writer. It’s not so academic that you’re like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ It’s told in a very anecdotal and humorous way.”
She also recommends reading any book by bell hooks or an autobiography. “One suggestion is to find an autobiography of a person the student looks up to. This way, there’s a stronger interest and desire to read.”
Tips to Enhance Reading, Prep for Tests
Educators offer several strategies to bolster reading and prepare for standardized tests.
Harper suggests scheduling times to get enough sleep. “I always keep telling my students that endurance is what you need for these types of tests. So many times the students just fall asleep on it, while they’re taking it.”
Anderson recommends eating a high-protein breakfast before the exam. “Protein allows you to stay awake while you’re taking the test, and it keeps you alert and it makes sure your stomach isn’t growling while you’re sitting there.”
[Read: 7 Tips to Prepare for College Reading Assignments]
Educators also suggest that students limit time watching television and on social media because too much can affect learning retention.
“There’s nothing wrong with being on social media, but if you’re on it every day and not doing something, I would say academic, it’s going to affect your learning retention a lot,” Harper says.
Aguayo says her primary concern with overexposure to television or social media is that it trains the brain to expect short and preferred content.
“We can choose what we want to see, when we want to see it, and for how long we’ll pay attention to it,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons why TikTok’s algorithm is so successful. It shows us what we want to see, and we can easily swipe away when we’re done. One of the most beautiful things about opening a book is that it will take you places you didn’t know you were going. In doing so, you open yourself up to learning new things that will stay with you forever.”
Aguayo recommends taking a practice test once every four weeks in the three months leading up to the test. “You don’t want to overtest and feel overwhelmed or discouraged. Instead, create a plan that incorporates practice tests throughout.”
She likes to use the acronym SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely — as goals to help students handle the ebbs and flows of a demanding summer schedule.
Harper says families should check with their schools or districts about test-prep programs.
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Summer Reading to Help on the SAT, ACT originally appeared on usnews.com
