Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
March 6, 2020 by Mike Bergin

The Need for a Strategic Reading Club

As someone who speaks often to groups of parents of college-bound high schoolers eager to help their teens advance and prosper, I hear all kinds of questions. I’ve answered most inquiries about the SAT and ACT, why they matter, and what should be done about them so often that my responses tend to spawn detailed articles. One common question, however, appears easy on its face but has proven difficult to fully answer over the years:

“What can or should my 9th or 10th grader be doing now to prepare for the SAT or ACT?”

Simple, right? The early grades may be too soon for formal prep but they are exactly when teens should be building their academic foundations for future test success. Since the SAT and ACT test fundamental reading, writing, and math skills, freshman and sophomores should focus on excelling in those core areas in two basic ways:

1. Take the highest levels of math possible, based on access and ability level.
2. Read (and understand what you read) every day.

No parent struggles with the first step. The math tracking system in most schools provides a clear path to grade-appropriate and advanced math instruction, even if teachers don’t focus as often as they could on the kind of conceptual understanding and problem solving the tests prize. Reading presents a tougher nut to crack, though, as school assignments don’t fully satisfy the reading requirement based on what is known about mastery in this area. If you want to be able to understand unfamiliar written text quickly and readily, you need to read high-level fiction and non-fiction every day.

Nobody disputes this point. In fact, most parents and teens agree that reading more would undoubtedly lead to better grades, test scores, and outcomes in college and beyond. Yet, that sage advice rarely ever leads to high schoolers picking up books outside of school and reading every day. Why not?

  • They don’t know what to read.
  • They don’t know when to read.
  • They don’t know how to read.
  • They don’t have someone outside their family monitoring their reading.

Basically, the question of what freshmen and sophomores should do to prepare for the SAT and ACT is easy to answer but difficult to implement… at least until now. After puzzling over this problem for years, the solution emerged: a special book club designed specifically to cultivate superior reading skills.

We’ve all heard of book clubs. These groups read the same books and meet at regular intervals to discuss them. The typical book club consists of adults with shared interests in certain types of fiction and are moderated by group members. A more strategic reading club for teens seeking future test success must differ substantially from a traditional book club. Everything from who runs the group to what they read to how discussion is structured should focus not just on immediate reading enjoyment but also on long-term applicability.

For these reasons, we are proud to announce our new Strategic Reading Club. If your high schooler doesn’t read regularly outside, he or she is missing out on the chance of a lifetime to build those reading skills we all know support success and satisfaction in life. A special group designed for high schoolers may be just what your teen needs. Find out how powerful and engaging a strategic reading club that answers the critical questions of what, when, and how to read–while making sure that reading actually happen–can be!

productivity reading Strategic Reading Club

Previous articleWhat Schools Still Want SAT Subject Tests?Next article Is My SAT or ACT Test Center Closed?
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Burning Questions About Testing and Admissions for the HS Class of 2022
  • Curiosity and Persistence Matter
  • Questions for First Time Test Takers
  • Exercise in Repeatedly Recalling a Thing
  • How Tests Open Doors
  • Tough tests open doors: https://chariotlearning.com/how-tests-open-doors/
    by chariotlearning 3 hours ago
    Tough tests open doors: https://chariotlearning.com/how-tests-open-doors/
  • Don
    by chariotlearning 2 days ago
    Don't just talk about it...
  • Are you a masterpiece or a work in progress? Why not both? ;)
    by chariotlearning 4 days ago
    Are you a masterpiece or a work in progress? Why not both? ;)
  • Nothing worth having comes easy.
    by chariotlearning 6 days ago
    Nothing worth having comes easy.
  • Challenges are what makes life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Challenges are what makes life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
  • If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice.
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice.
  • Just start.
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    Just start.
  • Don
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    Don't stop until you're proud!
  • You were born to be awesome!
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    You were born to be awesome!
  • Resilience is based on compassion for ourselves as well as others.
    by chariotlearning 4 weeks ago
    Resilience is based on compassion for ourselves as well as others.

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

College Road is your source for expert educational advice, test news, college admissions action steps, special offers, and more. Sign up now!

Upcoming Events

  1. Free Practice Online SAT (2/28/21)

    February 28 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  2. Free Practice Online SAT (3/6/21)

    March 6 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  3. Free Practice Online SAT (3/7/21)

    March 7 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  4. Free Practice Online ACT (3/13/21)

    March 13 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  5. ACT Intensive Class for the April 2021 Exam (Online)

    March 15 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

View All Events

Testimonials

I think Chariot Learning is a first class business, and we will be recommending you to friends in the future.

Fern, Pittsford mom

Read more testimonials...
© 2020 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.