Did you know that when the SAT made the switch to its current digital version, more changed than the modality of the test? The current computer-administered version looks vastly different from the old paper-and-pencil test. Nowhere is this change more apparent than in the Reading and Writing section. Gone are the days of 500-to-750-word passages with ten questions each; students are now greeted with short bursts of text containing between 25 and 150 words with only one question per passage.
With the change, the SAT has also included two new types of passages: poetry and drama. The poetry questions may be particularly daunting for a student who does not have much experience with the genre. However, what may initially be a challenge for a high schooler is actually an opportunity to lay the foundations of poetry appreciation. After all, the importance of poetry is not confined to the realm of the SAT; the impact of poetry extends well beyond non-standardized testing into all areas of a well-rounded learner’s life.
A Break from the “Ordinary”
When a student first encounters a question testing poetry on the SAT, they will know straight away—the passage itself will likely look vastly different from the passages that came before. Whether the piece is a sonnet, haiku, or free verse poem, the difference in structure may initially take a test taker by surprise.
The makers of the SAT are aware of this difference, and in fact, they have built the test to feature a variety of content. Incorporating different genres of literature is integral to the SAT’s goal of providing a score that represents a student’s ability in reading comprehension on the whole. Remember, the SAT Reading and Writing score is ultimately meant to show to colleges how ready a student is ready for their freshman year, and many students will encounter poetry in their first-year classes.
With tutoring, a student can change their mindset to see the poetry questions as a “break” from the prose passages. The blatantly different structure of a poetry passage gives a student a chance to reset their attention and halt any inadvertent routines they may have fallen into while answering the previous questions.
Outside of the SAT, poetry serves a similar purpose. Poems offer an exciting way to break out of old habits in reading. While great prose is anything from “ordinary,” the distinctness of poetry gives depth to an individual’s relationship with literature. Poetry naturally focuses a reader’s attention on word choice and literary devices like metaphors, which, in turn, can produce a slower, more thoughtful reading experience.
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In an age of non-stop stimulation, poetry can help us all to take a breath, notice the details of the world around us, and savor the beauty of language. And the best part? Poems can be consumed in a single sitting. Reading every day has long been touted as a crucial habit of some of the most successful people such as Warren Buffet, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, and Oprah Winfrey, with 15 minutes of reading usually quoted as the ideal daily goal. However, it may be hard to incorporate 15 minutes of reading into a daily routine, whether because it’s hard to get into a reading zone or because it’s too easy and then hard to stop after 15 minutes. Poetry can be a solution to both problems.
Vocabulary
Any student taking the SAT will tell you that vocabulary makes up a large component of the new Reading and Writing questions. Academic Approach tutors are adept at identifying an individual student’s needs when it comes to studying vocabulary. However, a student can naturally expand their vocabulary outside of tutoring as well.
Engaging with poetry is a dynamic way to not only encounter new words but also to see those words in action. Indeed, encountering vocabulary in the context of a poem gives a student an opportunity to experience different permutations of that word that extend beyond the word’s usage in traditional prose.
Even when not preparing for the SAT, readers of all ages can greatly benefit from learning new vocabulary through reading poems. Diction takes on a heightened role in poetry, and poems introduce language that readers may not have encountered elsewhere. Similarly, the emphasis poetry places on rhythm and the sound of words can provide another layer of appreciation to vocabulary.
Distinguished Writers
With the introduction of poetry to the SAT, the test can now feature work from authors that previously would not have been included. Academic Approach knows the importance of building a curriculum that prepares students for the range of poets they will encounter on the SAT. As such, Academic Approach materials feature poetry from exalted writers such as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and Rabindranath Tagore. Beyond the SAT, it is essential for a well-rounded reader to include poetry in their life so that they may hear the voices of authors that do not work in traditional prose.
With the inclusion of poetry on the SAT, the College Board is confirming what readers already know—poetry serves a distinct and important role within literature. While tutoring is a great way to introduce students to poetry as it appears on the SAT, the true benefits of reading poetry will extend far beyond the test. Speak to an Academic Approach tutor about building a reading list that introduces your student to the vast world of poetry.
