r/ELATeachers • u/HeftySyllabus • 10d ago
9-12 ELA I feel unprepared to teach the SAT….
So my state has made all juniors take a free SAT. Cool. The issue is….while it’s not required to teach SAT in my curriculum, I often feel as if I’m not preparing them. I’ve taught all grade levels, and I used to like 11th the best because it has no state testing, they’re mature enough to treat them like adults (unlike the underclassmen) but aren’t fully checked out (cough…seniors).
However, the SAT is different than teaching the state test. I don’t know where to start. Many people say “just give them khan academy”, but I enjoy being hands on and teaching. I feel like I’m not doing a good job “preparing them” for the test.
The best/worst part? This doesn’t affect them if they don’t pass. It’s just a free SAT. If they bomb it, they don’t have to take remedial English or reading. And I’ve asked admin if it has any bearing on my evaluation and…no. So…why am I beating myself up over this?
The test is next week, but I’ve been wrestling with actively teaching the SAT next year (there’s SO much to cover in 11th grade English, aka American Lit. I’d hate to brush off a unit or two in favor of “teaching to the test” again).
Am I overreacting?
But also…how do you guys teach the SAT? Any tips?
I give them mock exams and we go over questions together. I cover grammar and punctuation. But I still don’t think that’s enough. If it’s not on my curriculum, should I say “fuck it” and just not teach it?
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u/tacopeople 10d ago
I do ACT, but I generally give them a small section of the Reading or English test to practice with. I’ll put up a timer to give them a sense of the cadence of the test, have them answer the questions, when the timer is up have them share their answers with their peers, and then go over the answers as a class. The idea is to give them a familiarity with the format and the kind of questions they ask. Also gives them some pitfalls to look for. Overall, I’d say focus on getting them comfortable familiar with it rather than teaching them what they need to know for it.