Useful Web sites for single subject English/history

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You'll need a doctor's note for special accommodation. Please try to get it.

(I'm in a hurry: apologies for being terse.)

The scale runs from 100 to 300: think of 100 as being an odd form of 0, in something of the same sense as 0 degrees C maps onto 32 degrees F.
 
Re: CSET English, Alternative Testing Arrangements

No problem. Thank you for the suggestion. :)

I am submitting the form for alternative testing arrangements today via fax. It must be in BY the deadline, which is today. I am requesting more time, frequent breaks, and a larger desk to fit my belly into. But honestly, the idea of having to sit for even longer than five hours doesn't sound any better. I'm kind of hoping they say no and then I will be forced to hunker down and just do it! It is going to be tough but I'm a mother of a toddler, so I'm tough already. I am willing to do whatever is necessary to prepare myself to pass this.

As for the scores. I realized after I posted my reply that I had expressed that incorrectly. The score is out of 300. Passing is 220.

I have been looking for test prep classes (or tutoring) for this specific test but have not been successful in finding one. Do you know of any?
 
Whether or not you get special accommodation, do make sure you get up and move around during the test. One hopes the proctors will take one look at you and move you to whatever space looks most like a table.
 
Subtest 1 help?

Can anyone provide more explanation for what I should study about the different literary traditions and movements (subtest 1: domain 1)? I am unsure what I am supposed to know about these things.
Thank you!
 
Welcome to our playground, ckopp001. You might want to save yourself from some nasty spambots by deleting the email from your visible profile: go to your User CP in the upper left corner of this page, and I think you want Edit Profile and perhaps to restrict some of your profile to display to only registered members.

As to the literary movements, you need to know the major ones and what they're about. Sounds like you could use a little help from, perhaps, a guide for SAT Subtest II in English literature.
 
Thank you for the suggestion, I went ahead and removed my email publicly. I have been looking into CSET specific guides as well as Subject II testing for SAT English exams but I haven't found a direct answer to what defines American literature as opposed to say British or World Literature. It seems too broad to define, and really I can only relate it to authors I've read from each category. Any help would be appreciated.
 
T. S. Eliot is a tricky case - born in Missouri, but emigrated and did the bulk of his writing in London, and most authorities take him to be at least as much an English writer as an American writer. Few others are quite that hard to pin down, though.

Broadly, British lit is written in the British Isles in English; American lit is written by Americans in English; and lit written anywhere else and/or in other languages is world language. That's oversimplifying, but usefully for a test like this.

Know the major Dead White Guys - any of the sources you're looking at should list them, and you might also consider getting hold of a Norton anthology of English literature, if you don't already own one, because the table of contents combined with some of the back matter constitutes a pretty good overview of Important Writers and Movements. It doesn't much matter which edition you get.
 
First of all, I'm so grateful for this forum! Haven't posted really, but have read a ton and am very thankful for all the help and advice.

Does anyone know of any good websites for Praxis II 0041 practice tests that are free? I've taken the practice test in the Cliffsnotes study guide, but was hoping to find another test to practice with before Saturday just to make myself feel better.
 
Her study guide is very out of date for english. I acquired it last year and it didn't help at all. I'm still looking for last minute tips on single subject english subtest 1 if anyone can help me.
 
Hi everyone!

I'm taking the West-E Social Studies (028) test on Saturday and am wondering if anyone has any good online study links for this test. I downloaded the practice tests on the West-E site but am hoping for more. I combed through posts back to 2005 and like the www.studentsfriend.com site as well as the SparkCharts link for history. Any other sites I could peruse?

Thanks!
 
You might find Wikipedia helpful, via http://www.answers.com. Google terms in history of which you're not so sure.

If memory serves, WEST-E Social Studies is like CSET Social Science in that the focus is much less on what you can memorize and much more on making sense of the material. Pay at least as much attention to the causal links between events as to the names and dates in question.
 
Uh-oh - CSET Single Subject English help

Oh boy. I've recently made a decision to return to school to be a teacher. Taking the CSET Single Subject English in three weeks! All four subsets! I was a Communications/Journalism major. Wrote for a newspaper for a while. But it's been a LONG time since I graduated.

Took the CSET English Subtest 1 practice test I found on teacherstestprep Web site and got a 62% having not studied at all. I guess that's a good sign.

I have three weeks and I have to maximize that time. I really need help with EVERYTHING. But I definitely need help with Literature. I need overviews on written composition expectations.

Any advice on how to maximize study time, resources to use, etc.?

Came across a flashcardssecrets Web site. Anyone have any knowledge of whether these flashcards are useful?

Thanks,

Ken
 
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You might want to check out the resources on the thread "Elmer's English resources": there are some glossaries that people tend to find useful, and the discussion could help as well.

Look for connections between what you already know (or are in the process of remembering) in journalism/comms and what you need to know in theatre, literature, composition and rhetoric, and all.

Have you ever taken a linguistics class?
 
Subtest III's first task is straight-ahead literary analysis: identifying themes is fine but language that indicates that you're interpreting is unnecessary. The second task, on composition and rhetoric, allows you room to poke a hole or two in the argument. In either case, cite examples from the texts.

In Subtest IV, you're writing for fellow professionals: they want to know that you know the material, so use the technical terminology.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm interested in buying used OCDE study guides for the English CSET subtest I, III and IV, which I plan on taking in a few weeks. If anyone is selling them please let me know.

Thanks for the help!
 
Is anyone here willing to part with their OCDE study guides? I just got selected by Teach for America and I need to pass the English Subject exams. I live in Los Angeles. Thanks!
 
By when does TFA require you to have passed all four subtests? (Provided one's program deadlines permit, one can take fewer than four subtests in a session and still get all five hours of testing time.)

And what's your background in (a) literature, (b) composition, (c) linguistics, (d) English grammar, (e) oral communication/speech, (f) journalism/media, (g) theatre, and (h) analyzing creative writing?
 
I need to pass all of them by May, I believe. My background is in psychology and social work (I possess an MSW). I'm an avid reader and I've studied for the GRE. Further, I possess a working understanding of literary theory, and I have instructed students in grammar (utilizing CA's standards as my guideline) when I worked as a tutor.
 
Sounds very promising. CSETs are explicitly aligned to the state content standards, so it's good that you're already familiar with them.
 
Glogs for FTCE Social Science and English

Just passed both of those FTCE 6-12 exams. Made these glogs while studying. Have very helpful links for me anyway--maybe for you too.
I can't post because I am new but have made a glog on Social Science and a glog on english literature. (click on the fly, bat, and bird in the title too). My glog name is the same as my A to Z name.

This makes 11 state certifications. Always get the practice/sample test. Study each question and distracter. Study the items mentioned in the study guide. Look for Quizlet flashcards. Use common sense. Annenberg Learner and Education Portal have great lessons--of course YouTube. Good luck!
 
Is anyone selling their CSET Study Guides from the Orange County Dept. of Education? I haven't registered for the exam yet because I'm taking the CBEST first on July 13th. But after I get that out of the way I'd like to begin studying for the CSET asap because I am extremely worried about it.
 
BStone said:
Is anyone selling their CSET Study Guides from the Orange County Dept. of Education? I haven't registered for the exam yet because I'm taking the CBEST first on July 13th. But after I get that out of the way I'd like to begin studying for the CSET asap because I am extremely worried about it.
Click to expand...

One way to look at the combination of CBEST and CSET English is that what you're expected to be able to do in CBEST's reading comprehension and essay sections overlaps with some of what you're expected to be able to do, analyze, and comment on for various CSET English subtests.

I'll add that I believe CSET English is migrating to computer-based format as of August, and there's credible reason to expect some changes in the test at that point to reflect the shift to Common Core standards.

In any case, breathe, please.

(Edited to add that I just realized the post to which I'm responding is a year old. Blush. But the advice is good, so it stands.)
 
I know that there is a wealth of knowledge about resources for the teacher exams, and I find myself cleared to take the Praxis II 5089, to acquire the MS Subject Matter Specialization in Social Studies, grades 5-8. The school I work at has opened a middle school division within the entire school which deals with students with behavioral and emotional disabilities. I like the subject matter, and the state has approved my courses as sufficient, so I would like to test to earn this certification, since it may be useful not only to my career, but also to the staffing within the school, since we are a relatively small private school. I would appreciate resources that would help me add depth to my knowledge, as well as flesh out the broad picture. I am fairly decent with the geography sections and world history, but I would like to be solid on US History and Government. Help would be appreciated. I don't have a set date in mind - within the next several months - but it has to fit into the schedule as I take more courses to acquire the Teacher of Students with Disabilities certification. I know that the experts are here, and hope that you will share material that I can use not only to study with, but keep in the classroom as a strong reference, too. Help appreciated wiping away some cobwebs and making it all relevant in this day and age. I will thank you in advance for any and all help.
 
I need to find a basic list of authors and works covered on Praxis II English 5038. I have been looking for several hours tonight alone with no results except various ads for whole study guides. A free study guide on this test would also be welcome...Thanks!
 
Welcome to A to Z, irishrose.

You're not finding a list of authors and works covered on 5038 because no such list exists: in principle, any literary work covered in college-level coursework in British, American, or world literature is eligible for inclusion in 5038. The distribution of questions in the Test Companion for 5038 includes just one question that requires one to identify a particular literary work; you can expect a greater number of questions in which the task is to analyze a passage, and for that purpose prior in-depth knowledge of a literary work is less necessary.

In practice, you're likely to find that being familiar with works commonly taught in high school will serve you well. There's a long list at http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1757.Best_Books_to_Teach_in_high_school. (Note well that a number of the books on this list are not themselves literary works.) If you don't have time to read them before your test date, at least Google them so you have some idea of their origin, setting, major plot points and characters, and relevant literary period or movement.
 
 
I would tell you to look ateducation feald fallow (for some reason, I cannot post a link since I am new) for a quick review of World History. It helped me greatly, and with it, I passed the World History subtest.
 
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