How do I prepare a Grade 5 student for middle level SSAT?

I have a student who just finished Gr. 4 and is moving onto Gr. 5. His reading level is at Grade 5, but SSAT is a difficult exam because it is beyond a typical Grade 5 level. He answered less than 50% of the questions correctly for the middle level SSAT practice test. Whenever I use the SSAT practice test to help him read and understand the passage, the student gets frustrated because he has no idea what the text is discussing exactly. He knows the topic but completely misses the ideas that are discussed in the passage. His vocab knowledge is low, so it's a big barrier to his understanding. I find using practice SSAT tests not productive at all because of the texts in the tests are at his frustration reading level.

What should I do to help him prepare for the reading and vocab parts of the test? How do I help him understand reading passages and words that are in Grade 7 - 8 levels? His exam is coming up at the end of this year, so I feel the time crunch.

Submitted July 27, 2020 at 10:55AM by sparklesinthesky https://ift.tt/2ByyTsE