The First Step in College Prep? READING!
Reading actually is fundamental!
There’s nothing more foundational than reading for academic, intellectual, and career advancement. So—why is that? And why don’t we put more emphasis on reading?
We gain the majority of our high-level vocabulary from reading. Reading gives us exposure to not only vocabulary, but advanced grammar structures, various writing styles, and effective ways to convey information. That in turn helps us to improve our own communication and writing skills—also critical building blocks for college prep and college success.
On standardized tests, like the SAT, ACT, ISEE, and SSAT, students’ vocabulary and reading comprehension will be challenged in ways that AI Chatbots won’t be able to help them through. For those students who are aiming for admission to the top 25 colleges and universities, make no mistake: these schools are looking for top-tier test scores as well—the average SAT score range among these schools is 1470 to 1580! For the SAT Reading and Writing section, that would be at least 735, which was the 97th percentile in 2024! That means students scoring 735 had outperformed 97% of all students taking the SAT that year.
Does that mean you have to score in the 97th percentile to get in?
Absolutely not! You still have a chance, but consider it a wake-up call. The lower your scores are, the harder your road and the slimmer your chances.
We’re not sharing these numbers to scare you, but to emphasize the importance of early preparation. Here’s a bit of reassurance: Many students who take the SAT spend little or no time preparing for it. Many prepare late, often starting in 11th grade, which is unfortunately quite late to get the best results from even the best prep programs. By junior year, college focused students will be extremely busy with challenging courses, college evaluations and visits, extra-curriculars, actually taking the SAT, submitting applications, and writing the increasingly important essay! How much time will there be to PREPARE for the test and learn how to write the essay?
Not much.
That’s why starting early with a good reading routine is the best and easiest way to build a foundation that will make formal preparation far more effective.
For students in elementary school, reading 15 to 20 minutes a day is a non-negotiable. It can be anything students like—comics/manga, hobby magazines, nature books, or books on favorite subjects—as long as there are sentences to read and narratives to follow. Book series are a good way to gain momentum to start a positive habit. (Popular Series for Elementary Schoolers: Magic Treehouse, Addison Cooke, Welcome to Wonderland, Hilo, Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Judy Blume, et cetera)
By the time students are in middle school, reading time should be 30 to 40 minutes each day. If they can read an hour each day, even better! However, at this stage, more varied and challenging books should be on the list. Series are still good, but don’t feel like you need to limit the reading list to those. (Popular Series for Middle Schoolers: Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Inheritance Cycle, The Old Kingdom Series, et cetera)
High schoolers should be reading at least one hour each day. Summers are no exception for the reading rule! Each hour reading during the summer between middle and high school is invaluable! Use that transition time to introduce the main subjects students will see on the language sections of the SAT and ACT: Literature (both prose and poetry), Humanities, Social Science Articles, Civics and Government, Historical Documents, History and Social Studies, and Science Articles. We recommend weekly cycles. For example, week one might be dedicated to literature; week two might be Humanities; week three, Social Sciences; and so on. Continue the cycle all the way through high school and each summer between grades.
How do I know the right reading level to start with?
The 5% Rule is a long-standing method educators use to determine if a book is the right level for a student. Basically, students should understand about 95% of the words encountered in texts they read. For every 100 words, if they see five they don’t know, that is the right level! With 95% word comprehension, students will still be able to understand the content of the text and use context to figure out the basic meaning of the unknown words. You can test this by counting the number of words on one or two pages of a text and seeing how many the student identifies as being unknown or unfamiliar.*
If the students have close to 100% word comprehension, let’s say 98% or more, the book is too easy. We want to challenge students and help them increase vocabulary. The challenges come from exposure to new words and ideas.
If the students have less than 95% word comprehension, this means the book is too advanced. Even at 93% word comprehension, important meanings may not be conveyed, and there may not be enough context to help students glean meaning independently.
Now, if someone is reading with the student and can assist with new vocabulary, this is very beneficial and will help the student increase their independent reading level—if done consistently.
We encourage parents to read with their children! For reluctant younger readers, sitting down together to read can be encouraging and fun! Talk about the subject matter, explain and exchange opinions. For older readers, a home book club could be fun. Everyone can read independently, and come together later to discuss the book. You might even invite school or neighborhood friends to join! It all depends on what works for you and your family.
Now let’s get to reading!
* (Use a calculator to divide the number of unknown words by the number of known words. The first two numbers to the right of the decimal will give you the percent of unknown words. You can use the third number after the decimal to round the second number up or down: 5 or greater, round up; 4 or lesser, round down.)
Check back soon for a recommended reading list by grade level!
The Mugenn-Sensei Global Education Staff
