It may surprise you--nay, it may even dishearten you--to learn about SAT research conducted by Dr. Les Perelman. In March 2004, he undertook an analysis of scored sample essays contained in the College Board's ScoreWrite book. He learned that, more than 90% of the time, the score could be predicted--just by counting the number of words in the essay.
Unthinkable, you say? Consider this. Dr. Perelman next trained high school students to write essays with "big words" in them. Those students who employed less-frequently used words received scores of 10 or higher, making their essays fall into the 92+ percentile.
The lesson is clear--at least according to Dr. Perelman's research: the better your child's vocabulary, the better he will do on the writing section of the SAT.
At KnowledgePoints, our tutors train students to do more than use arcane words--they also develop new appreciation for language and the beauty of both its concrete and abstract expressions. You can reinforce SAT preparation at home as well. How? Let us count the ways.
- Find some appropriate blogs that will expose your child to new words and new appreciation of language. We can recommend "Schott's Vocab - A miscellany of modern words and phrases," appearing in the NY Times online publication. For example, in his November 10, 2010 post, guest blogger Jonathon Keats (he writes the "Jargon Watch" column for Wired magazine) explores concepts like "sexualized nouns" and "epidemic conjugation."
- Discuss with your child a historical figure whom she really admires. Then, find a speech that individual wrote. Study the construction of sentences and the precise selection of "les mots justes," the words chosen, instead of their synonyms, for their ability to convey exactly what the author meant.
- At least once a month, review an essay your child has written. Together, look for synonyms in a Thesaurus and debate why one word is preferable to another. Stop long enough in your synonym-search to look up the meanings of words that are new.
And, take to heart the words of motivational speaker Jim Rohn, "Vocabulary enables us to interpret and to express. If you have a limited vocabulary, you will also have a limited vision and a limited future."