The PSAT Video Review Course

The course price, $249, includes a 90 minute videotape and a package of 10 student workbooks.  Extra student workbooks are $12.50 each.

Course Description and Lesson Plans

This course has been designed to provide the information needed to prepare students for the PSAT.  The 90-minute videotape and the 110 page student workbook cover strategies for the Math, Critical Reading, and Writing Skills sections of the PSAT.  The workbook contains practice problems presented on the video along with a full-length practice examination with answer explanations for all questions.

The Workbook contains lesson plans for each of the three PSAT tests:

• Math Test Lesson Plan

• Critical Reading Lesson Plan

• Writing Skills Lesson Plan

The test-taking strategies, sample problems, and practice test can be covered in approximately 6-8 hours.

Outline of Video Program

The 90-minute videotape presents test-taking strategies and sample problems on each of the three sections of the PSAT.  Approximately 30 minutes of the videotape are devoted to each of these three tests. 

Math Test

Test-taking Strategies and Sample Problems for:

• Multiple-Choice Question

• Student-Produced Response Questions

Critical Reading Test

• Critical Reading Short Passages

• Sentence Completion Strategies

• Critical Reading Strategies for Long Passages

Writing Skills Test

Strategies a and Standard Written English Rules for:

• Identifying Sentence Errors

• Improving Sentences

• Improving Paragraphs

Workbook Table of Contents

The 110 page student workbook contains the following sections:

• Lesson Plans

• Math Test Video Problems

• Critical Reading Test Video Problems

• Writing Skills Test Video Problems

• PSAT Practice Test = Explanations for all problems

• Eloquence Vocabulary Building

• Last Minute Strategies for the PSAT

Eloquence Vocabulary Building

Each student workbook contains Eloquence, 1200 vocabulary items that are frequently tested on the PSAT and SAT.  These words were compiled from an analysis of dozens of previously administered SAT and PSAT examinations.  Students can use Eloquence to prepare for the PSAT and to build vocabulary throughout the school year.

How to Use This Course

This course is designed to be implemented quickly by teachers, counselors, or principals.  Furthermore, the course can be used by individual students, in library or media facilities.  The videotapes present strategies and practice problems.  Course administrators are instructed to pause the videotape when a problem is presented while students attempt to solve the problem.  Then, course administrators can play the videotape so students can listen to an explanation of how the problem is solved.  This interactive format continues throughout the course.

One common way that schools have used these materials is to designate time for two workshops, either after-school, on weekends, or on in-service days.  The strategies and practice problems on the videotapes and in the workbook can be organized as follows:

Workshop 1

Math, Critical Reading, and Writing Skills Strategies and Practice Problems (using the videotape and student workbook).  This workshop takes approximately 3 hours.

Workshop 2

PSAT Practice Test.  Students can take, score, and review a full-length PSAT Practice Test using the material in the student workbook. This workshop also takes approximately 3 hours.

Other schools have incorporated this course into regular English and Math classes.  In this manner, the material on the videotape can be supplemented by teachers.