SAT Vocabulary Word Lists for Middle School

SAT vocabulary word lists for middle school students are a way to help prepare students to take this important test. The SAT, or Scholastic Achievement Test, is designed to assess how successful high school students will be once they get to college. Students traditionally take a practice SAT, known as the PSAT, in the 10th grade and the actual SAT in the 11th grade; however, preparation can begin much earlier. The great aspect of this test is that it has been around for many years. The Internet contains many websites that explain the test and help students to prepare.

Middle School SAT Vocabulary Word Lists

Some words that students might encounter in middle school to help them with the SAT:

• abound
• beacon
• berserk
• braggart
• cache
• celestial
• chasten
• clarification
• confiscate
• data
• despondent
• detract
• embezzle
• encounter
• epic
• heartrending
• leisurely
• lethargic
• malady
• mellow
• nomadic
• pantomime
• pessimist
• piecemeal
• precaution
• prosecute
• puncture
• quest
• random
• retaliate
• rant
• reinforce
• seclusion
• sham
• status
• turmoil
• uncouth
• underscore
• wholesome
• wistful

Finding More Word Lists

• VocabTest - offers free SAT vocabulary training for students beginning in grade 6 and going through high school. Each grade level vocabulary test offers fifteen different units of study. Vocabulary learning modules include learning definitions, sentences, synonym and antonym practice, parts of speech, spelling, and reverse sentences, definitions, synonyms and antonyms.

• Vocabulary.com - offers vocabulary lists, resources and lesson plans in addition to fun games that students can use to learn vocabulary words. The more ways that students interact with language, the better they will understand and learn the material for long term usage.

• A series of books called Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power, by author Sam Burchers, is another interesting and novel way to help students learn SAT vocabulary words. Several of the books are designed with SAT vocabulary words in particular. Burchers gives the word and a definition as well as a funny cartoon that will help students remember the word through picture/word association.

Preparing for the SAT

There is no way to know what words are going to be on the SAT. Therefore, students need to experience a wide variety of words through different types of learning experiences to really prepare for the test.

Ways to Learn Vocabulary

Direct Instruction

This learning strategy is where words and definitions are learned out of context. Basically, students study a word and definition. Sometimes these words are used in sentences, used in matching or other types of fill in the blank exercises.

The benefit of this type of study is that students can encounter words that they may not see in their normal routines. However, this is not the most effective way to learn because it only accesses the short term memory. Many students forget the words and their definitions after this type of study.

Reading

Through reading students learn words and how they are used in context. Students can often figure out the definitions of words based on the other words around them. Students can encounter a wide variety of words by reading in many different genres and subjects.

The benefit to this approach is that students will remember the words because they encounter them over time.

The down side to this type of learning is that vocabulary acquisition comes at a much slower rate. In addition, many students are resistant readers, preferring only to do it when they absolutely have to.

Tips to Prepare for the Future

Trying to prepare for the SAT in middle school may be a futile effort. Students have many more years before they will be thinking about college, assuming they go at all.

The best way to help prepare students for future testing and for college in general is to follow alternate routes than the boring drill and kill with vocabulary words:

• Instilling good work and study habits will go a long way to help students prepare for their future.
• Participating in a variety of extracurricular activities that will allow students to have fun while learning will also make them more eager to learn.
• Students that take foreign language classes can learn more about their own language by comparing and contrasting the two.

Finally, taking courses in school designed to challenge and prepare students for college will also help them to succeed in the future.