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Health & Fitness

Summer Nights 2014

Summer Nights

Summer nights  -- tantalizing ocean breezes, popsicles by the pool, full moon over the bay.

But summer days also present a unique opportunity for college bound students to enhance their math skills.

While the days and sunsets linger in summer, pause to consider how your student might benefit from some math enrichment.

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Schedule social game nights with friends.

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Board games such as scrabble, checkers, Risk, encourage strategy and logical thinking.  They also develop strong visualization skills in the player.  Believe it or not, logic, strategic planning, and visualization of patterns are essential skills on the math sections of both the SAT and ACT.  So set an evening time.  Bring out the snacks and create  a fun night for all!

 

Build a Project with a friend or family member.

 

Whether it’s building a birdhouse,  measuring for a new bookcase, measuring for curtains, making a tablecloth, or converting a coffee can into a plant holder, use your imagination!  These planning, 3-dimensional and measurement skills – almost scientific method for math --  are vital to many of the questions on the SAT!  So go ahead, imagine,  and experiment.

 

Plan a summer meal.

 

Double or triple the recipe for brownies or spaghetti sauce.  Choose your recipes with a friend, then make a meal. You’ll be ramping up your fractions and ratio skills along the way!

 

Do you know the content of the ACT/SAT math sections?

 

You don’t have to, because statistics teachers have already done the counting for you.

 

The SAT gurus provide a breakdown of the sub-topics on the SAT math exam.

They've counted and graphed that algebra and functions are 33%, geometry is often 29-31%  (depending on the Section), and statistics are 14%.  What does this mean for the student?  It means that three categories – data and statistics (14%), geometry (30%) , and  numbers and operations (24%) contain skills that we have mentioned above.

 

Conclusion: So games, the planning and execution of new home projects, do build skills students need for strong test taking.

Delight in summer, but don’t let your long summer nights disappear too quickly!

 

Theresa Michna, M.A.,has helped hundreds of students reach success in their ACT/SAT/GRE exams.  She has more tips to share, and welcomes your questions. www.TheresaMichna.com
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