Facebook, Twitter, emails, blogs, and text messages—the younger generations are reading and writing in their daily lives more than ever. While many critics have been predicting a decline in reading due to technology, studies have shown that students’ exposure to language is very high due to social media. With this constant immersion in text, it would be expected that students’ scores would begin to rise on the SAT, but to the contrary, they are not. The reason being, a student’s score on the SAT Critical Reading section is dependent on their ability to understand complex language and questions. For parents, students, and teachers who wish to see their student’s SAT scores rise, they must consider how to improve verbal processing skills. What do experts suggest? No fancy solutions here—it’s time to return to the good, old classics of literature.
The Complexity of SAT Reading
In its report, “Reading Between the Lines,” the American College Testing Services reported on the connection between a student’s ability to understand complex questions and their scores. They found that when students with low scores were faced with questions that included more complex language, they answered correctly the same amount as someone who was just blindly guessing. In contrast, the students who received high scores missed the questions with complex text in a similar ratio to questions with simpler language. These results indicate that, for students with better critical reading skills, the wording of the question presented no additional challenge. While for students with lower critical reading skills, the complex-text questions became a guessing game. Further proof that strong critical reading skills are essential for scoring well on the SAT.
The Text of Social Media
There is no doubt that social media, and the new vocabulary it has brought, is here to stay. In fact, when asked to rank their favorite forms of reading, the younger generation ranked text messages, magazines, and social networking sites the highest, leaving e-books at the bottom. While many educators may cringe to see these results, there are some positives to these trends. Students’ exposure to the written word is higher than ever as they interact through text on a daily basis. They practice creative expression through writing and develop their own voice. Social media sites like Twitter even teach brevity by only allowing 140 characters in a post. These forms of reading and writing have some positive impacts on student literacy.
However, there are some drawbacks that have to do with complexity. The language that students are frequently reading and writing is the simpler, less complex language of conversation. It incorporates many slang words without increasing students’ vocabularies greatly. The concepts are straightforward, removing any need to critically analyze and interpret to find meaning—skills that are essential for comprehending the more complex questions on the SAT. When it comes to how to improve SAT critical reading, students need more exposure to complex language and more practice deciphering meaning from intricate text.
The Value of the Classics
Some students may object to the suggestion that their critical reading skills are poor, arguing that they read books all the time. Still, the modern, popular fiction that most of the younger generations are reading currently fall far below their grade level. Books like the Hunger Game series, very popular reading material for teenagers, have been evaluated to be about a 5th grade reading level. Even our textbooks have fallen in complexity level. Studies have now shown that after early middle school, students no longer increase in reading level. With our modern fiction not providing the challenge or skills that our students need, the classics are the perfect vessel to increase students’ critical reading skills.
Students may moan about reading the classics because of the more difficult vocabulary and the different language structure and dialogue; however, it is precisely these qualities that help students to become better readers. Students are exposed to a much wider variety of language than they see in social media or adolescent fiction. And the difficulty of the texts teaches students how to decipher meaning out of more complicated phrasing and language by using context clues. While it may take more work and time to read the classics, the practice of reading, in addition to their powerful themes, is essential for our youth.
Getting Your Child Hooked on the Classics
Encouraging your child to mix classics into their reading can be difficult. Often, reading the classics is best done with a group in order to help decipher the meaning and provide motivation to plow through the text. If your student isn’t tackling these texts in school, you can approach their teacher and ask them about adding some classics into the curriculum. Another way is to provide a private English tutor for your student who can help guide their reading and aid in their comprehension of the material. A private tutor can help select books that are more relevant and engaging for your student as well. You can also join your student in their reading: it’s never too late to experience the classics! Finding support for your student and encouraging them to read classic literature and other high-level reading material will make a significant impact on their critical reading skills and thereby, their SAT scores. Time to break out the Shakespeare and the Dickens!
