Flocabulary

It’s called Flocabulary.
On the website, teens can download twelve rap songs to their iPods
that include 500 SAT-caliber words.

15-year-old Eric Steinberg says, “Rap isn’t my favorite
type of music, but I would probably listen to it to help me do
better on the test.”

The goal is to help kids score higher on the verbal portion of
the SAT. But can listening to rap really increase vocabulary?
Dr. Don DuPree, who teaches English and SAT prep at Pace Academy,
a private school in metro-Atlanta says, “I’m personally
in favor of any gimmick that works, and that certainly is a gimmick
worth trying.”

15-year-old David Carr says, “You can remember just about
anything if it rhymes.”

Dr. DuPree says hearing the rap song is only a start. “They
would have to hear the word and isolate it enough to go look it
up,” he says, “and then be attentive to it when they
encountered it in their reading.”

15-year-old George Jonsalves says, “Just even hearing a
new word, I may even look it up in the dictionary.”

But, experts say knowing the definition is not enough. The new
essay portion of the test requires students to use high
level vocabulary words in context. Dr. DuPree says, “The
best way to learn that is to read, and read, and read.”

So where does Flocabulary fit in to preparing for the
SAT?

Carr, who has been studying for the exam says, “It’s
a good complement to, but doesn’t take the place of traditional
SAT prep. I would probably still get a tutor or go to a course,
but I would use that in addition, say on my own time.”

You can download any of the twelve Flocabulary songs for
99 cents each. Just log on to the company’s website, at flocabulary.com.

Flocabulary songs and lyrics are designed to help students prepare for the
SAT, and the more prepared students are, the more they will be able to take
a test with a relatively low level of stress. Even with a tremendous amount
of studying and preparation, however, anxiety stemming from standardized tests
is not uncommon among today’s teens. In fact, a recent poll conducted
by Public Agenda showed that 73 percent of surveyed students said they get
nervous before taking a test, while 5 percent said they become too nervous
to even take the test. These are a couple of the reasons the College Board
made changes to the SAT in order to make it more closely reflect what students
learn and how they learn it.

The major test changes include the following:

• The verbal reasoning section has been renamed “critical
  reading.” Analogies have been dropped. In their place are
  short passages aimed at gauging reading ability. Passages come
  from academic disciplines such as science, history, literature
  and popular texts.
• The math section includes problems from third-year high school
  math, specifically Algebra II. Quantitative comparisons, in which
  test-takers use algebraic equations to compare the volumes of similar
  geometric objects, have been dropped.
• A two-part writing test has been introduced – one part
  consists of multiple-choice questions and the other is an essay
  question.
• Each section is graded on a scale of 200 to 800 points, just
  like the former version. But with three sections, the highest possible
  score is now 2,400.
• Students will have three-and-a-half hours to complete the new
  SAT tests, compared with about three hours for the old ones.

The new changes represent the second time in a decade in which the
SAT has been revamped. In 1994, antonyms were eliminated, reading
was emphasized in the verbal section, nonmultiple-choice questions
appeared on the math test and calculators were permitted. But critics
fear that these changes, specifically the addition of an essay question,
will penalize students for whom English is not a native language.

Since the new test will place the highest emphasis on reading, mathematics
and writing, College Board officials say the best way for students
to prepare is by taking challenging courses and reading and writing
as much as possible. They also recommend that students familiarize
themselves with the types of questions that will be on the new SAT
by studying sample questions that can be obtained for free.

The University of Illinois Extension says that most students
experience some level of anxiety during an exam, and this anxiety is due to
a variety of reasons:

• Poor time management
• Failure to organize information
• Poor study habits
• Negative test-taking experience
• Low self-confidence
• Negative attitude about school

According to the State University of New York at Buffalo, children
who frequently experience test anxiety also worry about the future
and become extremely self-critical. Instead of feeling challenged by
the prospect of success, they become afraid of failure. This makes
them anxious about tests and their own abilities. And ultimately, they
become so worked up that they feel incompetent about the subject matter
or the test.

The National PTA says that it does not help to tell your child to
relax, to think about something else or stop worrying about standardized
tests. But you can help your child reduce test anxiety and prepare
for tests like the SAT by encouraging the following actions:

• Space studying over days or weeks. (Real learning occurs through
  studying that takes place over a period of time.) Understand the
  information and relate it to what is already known. Review it more
  than once. By doing this, your child should feel prepared at exam
  time.
• Don’t “cram” the night before – cramming
  increases anxiety, which interferes with clear thinking. Get a good
  night’s sleep. Rest, exercise and eating well are as important
  to test taking as they are to other schoolwork.
• Read the directions carefully when the instructor hands out the
  test. If you don’t understand them, ask the teacher to explain.
• Look quickly at the entire examination to see what types of questions
  are included (multiple choice, matching, true/ false, essay, etc.)
  and, if possible, the number of points for each. This will help you
  pace yourself.
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, skip it and
  go on. Don’t waste time worrying about it. Mark it so you can
  identify it as unanswered. If you have time at the end of the exam,
  return to the unanswered question(s).

As a parent, you can be a great help to your child if you observe
these do’s and don’ts about tests and testing from the
U.S. Department of Education:

• Don’t be too anxious about your child’s test scores.
  If you put too much emphasis on test scores, this can upset your
  child.
• Do encourage your child. Praise him/her for the things he or she
  does well. If your child feels good about himself or herself, he/she
  will do his/her best. Children who are afraid of failing are more
  likely to become anxious when taking tests and more likely to make
  mistakes.
• Don’t judge your child on the basis of a single test score.
  Test scores are not perfect measures of what your child can do. Other
  factors might influence a test score. For example, your child can
  be affected by the way he/she is feeling, the setting in the classroom
  and the attitude of the teacher. Remember also that one test is simply
  one test.
• Meet with your child’s teacher as often as possible to discuss
  his/her progress. Ask the teacher to suggest activities for you and
  your child to do at home to help prepare for tests and improve your
  child’s understanding of schoolwork. Parents and teachers should
  work together to benefit students.
• Make sure your child attends school regularly. Remember, tests
  do reflect children’s overall achievement. The more effort
  and energy your child puts into learning, the more likely he/she
  will do well on tests.
• Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home.
• Make sure that your child is well rested on school days and especially
  the day of a test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention
  in class or to handle the demands of a test.
• Give your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a
  healthy, active mind.
• Provide books and magazines for your child to read at home. By
  reading new materials, your child will learn new words that might
  appear on a test. Ask your child’s school about a suggested
  outside reading list or get suggestions from the public library.