6: Building to Success Every Day
Social Studies Support for PSAT/SAT
The PSAT/SAT focuses primarily on a student's reading, writing, language, and mathematics skills that indicate readiness for and success in postsecondary education. However, there are many areas in Social Studies that can support success on the PSAT/SAT and in life beyond high school! This is a brief overview of the Social Studies related skills students will find on the PSAT/SAT and how teachers can help better prepare students for these types of questions.
All information specific to the PSAT/SAT Test comes from The Redesigned SAT Teacher Implementation Guide.
Crossover Skills
Many of the skills necessary for success on the PSAT/SAT are Social Studies Process Skills. In all Social Studies courses, students are expected to read and analyze primary and secondary source documents, support arguments with evidence, and interpret maps, graphs, charts and other sources of data.
The key to success may not be anything revolutionary or new. The key to success will be to practice these skills frequently, consistently, and to provide students with tools to use these skills on their own. Building these skills will help students on the STAAR/EOC and AP exams, not just the PSAT/SAT.
Questions you may ask yourself in planning instruction could include:
- What primary or secondary source document could I include in this lesson?
- How are students constructing their own arguments from evidence?
- Are there any graphical representations of data to include that could support learning?
Information compiled by Amy Mount, PK-12 Social Studies Coordinator at Garland ISD. For questions or comments, please email almount@garlandisd.net. Connect with Amy on Twitter at @msmrocks.