Vocab Videos is a revolutionary new system bringing vocabulary to life and getting students engaged in the learning process. Educators, we encourage you to get in on the action!

As you know, the college admissions process—that time of year where students are busy prepping for the SAT, preparing their college applications, and trying to manage their school workload—can be overwhelming for students (along with teachers and guidance counsellors!). Incorporating Vocab Videos into your classrooms will benefit your students by improving their vocabulary, and in turn their academic performance, and by giving them in-school time to learn the words that they will need to know for the SAT and ACT.

Here are a few reasons why Vocab Videos is right for the classroom:

•Engages Students
Keeping students engaged in the classroom can undoubtedly be a struggle. Vocab Videos gets students excited about learning! Hilarious short videos illustrate the meanings of 500 of the most frequently tested SAT words making them easy for students to learn and remember. With humorous plotlines and engaging characters, integrating Vocab Videos into English classes is a fun and effective way to change up a monotonous vocabulary lesson, and teach students the vocabulary they’ll need to know for standardized tests and high-school English exams. Whether using Vocab Videos as a starter exercise to get students motivated to learn, watching an episode on your SmartBoard as a class, or assigning a chapter as a homework assignment for students to make use of their personal accounts, there is no wrong way to bring Vocab Videos into your classroom.

•Gets Results
Vocab Videos is extremely valuable for students. About 1/3 of the SAT reading section is made up of questions that are explicitly vocabulary-dependent—questions that are potentially worth 150 points in all. Students will likely be involved in varying degrees of SAT prep outside of the classroom, but Vocab Videos offers you a way to work test preparation into your everyday vocabulary lessons. And standardized tests aside, an increased vocabulary thoroughly improves literacy, making students better readers, writers and interpreters of information. So getting your students familiar with these words will not only help them write better papers, but could very well help them get into the colleges of their choice.

•Extensive Study Material
Watching a video once isn’t enough to remember it forever, so our extensive review material is an essential part of the Vocab Videos study program. After students have watched the videos, the quizzes at the end of each unit allow them to reinforce what they’ve seen, and SAT style questions prepare students for what they’ll encounter on standardized tests. An alphabetical glossary for organizational purposes helps teachers and students keep track of words they’ve mastered, and gives students the option to review definitions without re-watching the videos. Category lists group words by common themes to give students a fuller grasp of the words’ meanings. Additional worksheets list words and provide space for students to write their own sentences. Getting students involved in the learning process will give them a more complete understanding of the vocabulary. They will be better able to recognize and comprehend the words even within an unfamiliar context as they might appear on the SAT, ACT or in a reading assignment.

•Leverages Technology
Vocab Videos provides educators an opportunity to incorporate technology into the classroom. Living in a new-media world, you have the potential to enhance age-old teaching techniques with innovative tools that will enrich lessons and benefit students. Students love watching and sharing videos; the YouTube phenomenon is proof positive that online video is a powerful communication medium. Implementing video in the classroom will get students engaged and excited about learning. Students in today’s technology-driven world learn from a variety of mediums beyond the printed word. Vocab Videos not only improves literacy in a real sense by teaching students vocabulary, but also helps them become familiar with “reading” video and gathering information from different sources of media.

McNeil, M. “Proposed ‘Race to Top’ Rules Seen as Prescriptive” Education Week. September 3, 2009.

Proposed ‘Race to Top’ Rules Seen as Prescriptive

Welcome to the new A-List homepage! Please take some time and have a look at some of our new site features:

• Updated navigation with drop-down menus

• Extensive descriptions of A-List’s services old and new, including preparation for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, & LSAT. Look out for the details of our new hybrid SAT course that blends classroom instruction and one-on-one tutoring!

• Vast list of useful resources: Check them out! Some may help make the college admissions process a bit easier for you.

• Our Expanding A-List Team: Meet all of our new expert educational consultants—learn a little about them and their impressive academic backgrounds. Many have attended the country’s most prestigious schools including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

• A-List Training & Licensing for schools and non-profits: See what A-List has to offer your school with respect to our SAT teacher-training.

• Clients’ Success Stories: A-List prides itself on our exceptional results, and the relationships we develop with students. Please explore our comprehensive list of testimonials, SAT & ACT score improvements, and college acceptances from top schools including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Emory, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, and UCLA.

• Get Ready for the New & Improved Vocab Videos Site: Have fun, learn vocabulary, and get SAT prep and ACT prep!

Enjoy the site!

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A-List Services LLC, a leading test preparation and educational services company, launched a nationwide contest today on YouTube to promote Vocab Videos, a revolutionary new vocabulary product for high school students. The competition invites students and teachers to produce and submit short videos that illustrate the meanings of words frequently found on the SAT and other standardized tests. The contest runs until April 30 including a monthly prizes and a $1,000 Grand Prize. In addition, all entrants who submit 5 or more eligible videos will get a 1-month free subscription to Vocab Videos. More information on the contest is available on the Vocab Videos YouTube Channel.

Vocab Videos was developed over the last two years by the experienced tutors at A-List who, having prepared thousands of students for tests like the SAT and ACT, witnessed firsthand the difficulty many students have learning new words. Vocab Videos represents a new breed of vocabulary tool that leverages the huge appeal of online video content to thoroughly engage students. The videos use both audio and visual cues enabling students to learn and remember the meanings of words much more effectively than with traditional flashcards. Each video provides a real-world representation of the meaning of a word in a way that students can relate to and understand.

A-List hired Portal A Interactive to produce and direct the videos with professional actors. The videos are organized into episodes with absorbing plot lines and recurring characters, offering parodies of popular TV shows like Lost and The Office. The service comes with quizzes and review materials to help reinforce what students watch.

Vocab Videos has already attracted considerable interest from schools. Dr. James Montesano, Paramus School Superintendent, explains: “Vocab Videos presents a unique and innovative way to help students strengthen their vocabulary skills and improve their SAT performance. The videos will attract the interest of young adults and is a creative and entertaining way to impact student learning.”

Vocab Videos is available through a web-based platform where users can subscribe for 1 month ($9.99) or 6 months ($49.99). A DVD will soon be available on Amazon.com. Licensing agreements are available for schools and nonprofits.

A-List is a dynamic test preparation and educational services company founded by a group of Ivy League graduates. Using customized curricula and proprietary materials, A-List prepares students for tests like the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE and LSAT as well as providing advising services for college admissions. A-List is committed to working with youth who may not otherwise have access to quality instruction and has partnered with several nationally recognized nonprofit organizations.

Portal A Interactive is a new media company specializing in online video production and distribution. By maintaining a keen sense of successful web content, Portal A has enabled clients in areas as diverse as entertainment and education to refine their message and deliver it to a targeted online audience.