SAT & ACT Reading Like Playing "Memory"

"Memory" was one of my favorite games as a kiddo.

Turns out, the skills needed to succeed at the game of "Memory" are the same skills needed to succeed at SAT and ACT reading.

The game of "Memory" is pretty simple. With pairs of cards face down, a player turns over a card and tries to find the matching one. Match the pair and get a point. As turns progress, players start to remember where the matches lie and earn points until the board is cleared.

SAT and ACT reading is set up with a similar premise. Consider the passage as the game board and a card turned over as the question. Based on an understanding of the question, students review answer choices to remember where in the passage they read about each choice. If a student remembers where in the passage they read about an answer choice, they will find the correct answer easier.

For example, consider a question like, "Does the data in the table support the author's main point?" A student who can connect via memory the data in the table to the arguments in the passage will be able to determine which answer is best. Matching an answer choice back to the passage, just like matching cards in "Memory," will let students assess which answer choice is most connected to the passage and thus earn a point.

Bottom line, SAT and ACT reading success can mean playing mental games like "Memory" or the three other games I blogged about here.