SAT and PSAT Prep: Reading Comprehension

The new Reading and Writing section of the SAT can be intimidating and stressful for many students. The questions are designed to be difficult, and at times confusing, but don’t despair. With practice and some strategies, you can improve your performance. The Reading and Writing section on the SAT has some quirks, and understanding patterns and strategies can help you deconstruct the answers faster and more accurately. 

A SAT redesign starting Spring 2024 has meant some significant changes to the Reading and the Writing and Language portions of the test. For example, the entire test is shorter and the Reading and the Writing and Language portions of the test have been combined into a one section called Reading and Writing. 

The changes to the reading comprehension questions are quite significant, and it is imperative that students study the new style of questions. The questions are shorter but require more analysis now, for example. The reading comprehension questions follow several distinct patterns - each requiring their own strategies. We will cover all of these styles throughout the class. 

Students will need to answer questions that evaluate how the author uses evidence, understand words in context, and analyze history, science, and social studies. Our practice questions will allow students to become comfortable with these concepts. 

In this ongoing class, we will focus on strategies for improving performance on the SAT reading section. 

This class focuses primarily on the reading comprehension aspect of the Reading and Writing portion of the SAT. I offer another class that focuses on the words in context and grammar questions. 

Class topics: (Each week we will practice several types of question from the list below, so students will feel confident going into the test that they have done every style of question). 

Central Ideas: How to identify and summarize the main ideas and themes of the passages

Paired Passages: How to compare and contrast two related passages on the same topic

Evidence Based Questions: How to find and use evidence from the passages to support your answers

Quantitative: How to interpret and analyze data, graphs, and charts in the passages
Inferences: How to make logical and reasonable inferences from the passages

Structure Questions: How to recognize and understand the organization and purpose of the passages

Rhetorical: How to evaluate the author’s use of rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques in the passages

Transition Words: How to choose the best transition words and phrases to connect ideas and sentences

Grammar: Understanding the foundations of grammar in order to correctly identify errors

Words in Context: Mastery of vocabulary within the context of the passage. Students will 
be asked to define or choose the correct word to fit the passage.

CLASS STRUCTURE OF TYPICAL CLASS (some classes may follow a slightly different format)

1. Warm Up Question: A question will be displayed for students to work on independently while everyone checks in. We will then review the question together and discuss the answer. Please turn on your camera when you come into class. 

2. Summary Work: Students will practice summarizing passages similar to the new digital SAT style. This exercise will help them identify key words and condense the summary to as few words as possible. Quick summarization is a challenging skill that improves with practice and aids students in answering Reading and Writing questions efficiently. We will tackle one or two passages per week, covering topics from literature, science, social science, and history.

3. Topic of the week. Students will learn about topics related to the specific types of questions on the test and strategies on how to solve them as well as general reading comprehension lessons and test taking tips. 

4. Practice Questions: The remainder of the class will be dedicated to working through practice questions. 


Weekly Topics (All classes each week will follow the same topics)

March 31 Test Taking Strategies 

April 7  Charts and Graphs

April 14 Charts and Graphs Part 2

April 21 Tracking pronouns in poetry and literature 

April 28 Former and the Latter

May 5 Finding the Main Idea

May 12 Finding the Main Idea in literary passages

May 19  Finding the Main Idea in poetry

May 26 Literary Passages and Structure 

June 2 Main idea review (General, Literary, and Poetry)

June 9 Practice all types of questions 

June 16 Practice for all types of questions

June 23 Main point versus primary purpose

June 30  Text Completion

July 1 Detail questions

July 8 Detail questions (Poetry and literature)

July 15 Detail questions (Poetry and literature continued)

Class will continue during the summer with new topics and practice questions. 

*Transition word, grammar, and words in context questions are included in this class because all questions on the Reading and Writing portion of the test are reading comprehension questions at the heart of them. Thinking about them as reading comprehension questions helps students answer them more efficiently and accurately. 



THE CLASS MATERIAL HAS OVER A YEAR OF UNIQUE MATERIAL WITHOUT ANY PRACTICE QUESTIONS, HOMEWORK, OR PASSAGES REPEATING. 

I offer a SAT Vocabulary and Grammar class as well which is a great supplement to this class. I also offer private tutoring. Message me for details.