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February 2011 |
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February 2011 |
25 minutes and one blank piece of paper:
The SAT begins the same way for all students, with the essay, and it can be
overwhelming. Which examples best illustrate your thesis? How can you best sum
up (in 3 to 5 paragraphs) your position on the essay question? And how can you
get all your ideas together with the clock ticking?
The answers to all of these questions lie in one place: the Essay Brainstorming Bank. Essay prompts and assignments are general enough so different ideas and examples can be massaged to work for more than one topic. In other words, you can prepare them ahead of time. You don’t want to use precious minutes racking your brain for ideas; having a bank of ideas from which to choose will speed up the process of selecting examples to support your thesis.
Brainstorming by category will help you to generate, organize and sort through your ideas. Here’s our list of categories to help you get started:
- Current Events
- Science
- Technology
- Medicine
- History
- Politics
- Government
- Business
- Literature
- Art
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Television
To prepare your Brainstorming Bank, take some time and write down the topics you are most interested in and knowlegable about. You can start by creating subcategories from the list above. Then, choose a few to flesh out, so they can be easily incorporated into the essay prompt.
For example, consider if John F. Kennedy was a topic in your Brainstorming Bank. When you sit down for the essay, you’ll know that you can use this example to discuss civic responsibility (his call to action in his inaugural address), learning from mistakes (the Bay of Pigs invasion), and personal privacy (the media’s fascination with the Kennedy family). From just one topic, you’re ready to write on three different essay prompts.
By creating a Brainstorming Bank in advance of the SAT, you’ll be sure to start the test off cool, calm, and collected.
"Summit one-on-one tutoring has been the perfect solution for our son. Zach Klurfeld must have been hand picked for us. His interest in our son's sport (ice hockey) was "icing on the cake"! Zach is patient, polite and a wonderful motivator. Could not have asked for a better fit." -- Tamara J., Summit Parent
Every month we shine the spotl
ight on one of our
expert One-on-One, In-Home Tutors or Classroom Program Teachers. This month we
spoke with Massachusetts area tutor, Amy Cook. Amy tutors all sections of the SAT, ACT, SSAT, and ISEE, and across the board her students have nothing but praise. They describe her as a "terrific" tutor who "really explains the 'Why'" and helps "increase confidence."
How long have you been with Summit?
I first started with Summit in 2002 and tutored for about one year. I then went to graduate school, and continued with Summit in 2007 and have been tutoring ever since.
What do you do outside of Summit?
My field of expertise is sustainable agriculture, and I have worked in the nonprofit and public agricultural sectors since finishing graduate school in 2006. In 2010 I transitioned from working as a farm conservation planner to a vegetable farmer myself. I am currently applying for management-level positions on local organic vegetable farms. I also teach a farm business planning course to refugees living in Manchester, NH.
For fun, I love downhill and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, backpacking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, bicycling, and yoga. I enjoy many styles of music, and like to hear live music and play piano. I love to cook and read, and I listen to National Public Radio a lot!
What kind of tutor are you?
I believe in meeting my students where they are. If they are highly motivated and disciplined with their SAT prep, I will push them in all areas, including memory, accuracy, speed, and critical thinking. For my more “laid-back” students, I focus on the areas where improvement is most needed, and this approach has often resulted in students’ increased motivation. For all my students, I try to cultivate self-confidence through positive encouragement. I consider myself to be a straight-forward and genuine person with a good sense of humor and the ability to relate with busy teenagers, and I believe these qualities have helped me become a good tutor.
What was your favorite subject in school?
I liked most of my subjects but my favorite was probably a class called Conservation. We learned about ecology, plant and animal identification, and some aspects of environmental science, which helped to fuel my interest in the subject. The best part of the class was a multi-day camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which introduced me to my love on hiking and backpacking.
Where did you go to college and what did you study?
My undergraduate school was Brown University where I concentrated in Biology, with a focus on ecology and evolutionary biology. I had been interested in living systems and their connection to people, and Biology allowed me to study the science courses I wanted to take, as well as have time to take other types of electives as well.
I earned a masters of science from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. I decided to study agronomy (agricultural science) because I wanted to learn more about agricultural systems in the U.S., and I wanted to work with farmers to help them make more sustainable decisions on their farms.
What is your favorite book?
This is a very tough call, but I loved The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I could relate to some of the experiences of the family. I love Kingsolver’s writing style, and if I ever were to write a book myself, it would likely be modeled in part off of her manner.
What do you love most about tutoring for Summit?
It is extremely rewarding when I see a student’s hard work pay off, or when I see a student overcome a specific obstacle.
What is your greatest Summit tutoring success story?
That was probably when I had an ACT student who greatly struggled with the Reading section of the test. She worked relentlessly on improving her skills, and did many, many practice tests. I had never had a student work so hard before. She ended up bringing her Reading test score up by about 6 points, which is extraordinary.
Why did you become a Summit tutor?
I have always enjoyed teaching, and tutoring sounded like a good way to be able to teach without being a formal classroom teacher. I also actually like doing SAT math problems. I know that sounds weird, but it is true!
What advice do you have for any family considering test prep?
Talk to your child about goals. What does he or she want to achieve on the test? What schools is he or she looking at, and what scores do those schools want? Make sure your expectations and your child’s expectations are on the same page. Also, make sure you and your child understand that the tutoring sessions also come along with homework! If your child is truly interested in moving his or her scores up, I can attest that tutoring works.
Amy has helped countless students maximize their scoring potential, but she is only one of our expert tutors. Call us today at 1-800-MYTUTOR (800-698-8867) to speak with a Program Director to learn more about One-on-One, In-Home Tutoring and Classroom Programs in your area.
Summit's Newest Program Director
Summit is pleased to welcome Zach Klurfeld as our newest member of the Client Services Team. In his two months as a Program Director, Zach has counseled numerous families about the best way to prepare for the standardized tests and helped to match each student with the best tutor for him or her. Zach began his tenure with Summit as a tutor (he earned lots of praise, like the quote above!) and continues to work with students (on a limited basis) to raise their scores on the SAT, ACT, SSAT/ISEE and US History. Originally from Northern Virginia, Zach studied US History at Stanford University and graduated with honors. Zach loves to travel abroad and has backpacked through many parts of the world, including New Zealand, India, China, and Japan. In his free time, Zach enjoys playing pond hockey around Boston and going to art museums.
If you would like Zach to match you with a tutor, call Summit at 1-800-MYTUTOR (800-698-8867) or email him at zklurfeld@mytutor.com.
FREE Practice Tests
Summit Practice Tests offer students a great opportunity to take a standardized test under simulated proctored and timed conditions. These practice tests are a free service we offer as part of Summit's commitment to helping students maximize their test preparation. Students will receive a diagnostic analysis of their results in the mail.
Massachusetts
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tests Offered: SAT, ACT, or SAT Extended Time
Time: 9am-1pm (9am-3pm Extended Time)
Locations: Brandeis University or Hingham High School
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Tests Offered: SAT or ACT
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: Brandeis University
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tests Offered: SAT or ACT
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: Brandeis University
Connecticut
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tests Offered: SAT
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: Farmington Homewood Suites
Space is limited, so make sure to register soon!
Call 1-800-MYTUTOR (800-698-8867) or click here to
register.
SAT Word of the Month
attribute: (n) characteristic (attribute v, attributable adj)---Related Words: aspect, facet, idiosyncrasy
February 2011, VOL. 9, ED. 2
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