3: PSAT/SAT Language/Writing and SS
SOCIAL STUDIES SUPPORT FOR PSAT/SAT
All information specific to the PSAT/SAT Test comes from The Redesigned SAT Teacher Implementation Guide.
Social Studies Content Specifications for the SAT Writing and Language Test
How do Social Studies related items contribute to a student's score?
- Analysis in History/Social Studies (Across Math, Reading, and Writing and Language Tests): 6 questions (all Expression of Ideas questions in history/social studies): 14% of the test
Passage Content:
- History/Social Studies: 1 passage; 11 questions: 25%
What instructional strategies can a Social Studies teacher employ to support students on the Writing and Language Test?
- Teach students to pull quotations from passages or data from graphs, tables, or charts to use as evidence to support their conclusions in discussions and assignments.
- Write, edit, and revise their written work.
PSAT/SAT Writing/ Language - Social Studies Sample Questions
PSAT/SAT Writing/ Language - Social Studies Sample Questions
PSAT/SAT Writing/ Language - Social Studies Sample Questions
The Optional Essay
As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses
- evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
- reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
- stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [author’s claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience