ProfessorWord

We're blogging for EdWeek!

2014-09-17T13:39:38-04:00

We are so excited to be blogging for The Startup Blog at Education Week!

We'll be posting twice a week for the next year. You can check out our posts here.

We'll be taking a break from blogging here for a bit, but if you're looking for reading suggestions, check out some of our past posts:

Take our 6-week SAT/ACT Reading Challenge.
Check out past editions of our Daily Reader.

Happy Reading!

Happy Summer Break!

2014-08-10T00:00:01-04:00

Happy Summer Break! We will be back on September 15th.

Looking for reading suggestions?

Take our 6-week SAT/ACT Reading Challenge.
Check out past editions of our Daily Reader.

Happy Reading!

Photo Credit: brianandjaclyn

Day 29: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-08-08T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 29, the final day, of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we posted 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) to help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Just one more article and you're done with the Challenge. Huzzah!

1. When, Exactly, Does Watching a Lot of Netflix Become a Binge?
The Atlantic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 36

"Binge-watching" TV shows on Netflix has been a popular phenomenon recently. Do you do it?

Featured words: dialogue, distinguish, invoke, ironic, precise, profound, synonymous.

We hope that the Reading Challenge has been helpful to you.

We'd love your feedback, please let us know what you think!

Photo Credits: goodncrazy

Day 28: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-08-07T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 28 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. How Your Moral Decisions are Shaped by a Bad Mood
Scientific American

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 42

A recent study shows that your mood can strongly influence your moral compass.

Featured words: accessible, bias, cognitive, mechanism, parallel, resolution, resolve, subtle, temporal, validate.

2. Malcolm Gladwell In Five Minutes: What to Know to Pretend You’ve Read the New Book
The Daily Beast

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 40

Malcolm Gladwell, a popular author, writes about what it means to be an underdog.

Featured words: adapt, civil, conventional, elite, engage, exacerbate, foster, innovation, mediocre, widespread.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: themonnie, Jaap den Dulk

Day 27: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-08-06T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 27 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Ladies Last: 8 Inventions by Women That Dudes Got Credit For
Mother Jones

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 40

Ada Lovelace Day celebrates the often unrecognized achievements of women in STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math.

Featured words: eccentric, emerging, epic, extensive, homage, initiative, narrative, notable, periodic.

2. Why Can't We Find an AIDS Vaccine?
The Daily Beast

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 31

We've been waiting years, decades really, for scientists to discover an AIDS vaccine. Why hasn't it happened yet?

Featured words: chronic, durable, epidemic, immune, modest, optimistic, unprecedented.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: pixbymaia, intangible

Day 26: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-08-05T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 26 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. A Message From Your Brain: I'm Not Good At Remembering What I Hear
National Geographic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 21

Scientists find that we are much better at remembering what we see compared to what we hear.

Featured words: engage, mechanism, recall, robust, ubiquitous.

2. What Separates Us From the Animals?
Slate

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 65

What truly separates humans from other animals? The answer may surprise you!

Featured words: abstract, attribute, conjure, console, contemplate, deploy, derive, embed, empathy, relevant, unique.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: Kevin D, ejchang

Day 25: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-08-04T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 25 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Online Classes Won't Fix America's Unequal Education System
City Lab

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 55

Many universities are now offering degrees earned entirely via online courses. What are the implications of this move?

Featured words: accessible, adapt, apocalyptic, bias, convert, efficient, infrastructure, inherent, legacy, logic, persist, perspective, precarious, regime.

2. Can We Really Upload Johnny Depp’s Brain?
Slate

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 30

In Johnny Depp's movie, Transcendence, the main character uploads his brain onto a computer. Is this possible?

Featured words: cognitive, collaboration, consensus, console, contemporary, controversial, emerging, emulate, resolution.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: maebmij, Jonathan Kriz

Day 24: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-08-01T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 24 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Just one article today. Happy Friday!

1. What’s stopping us from eating insects?
Scientific American

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 69

Many people are very adventurous in their eating habits, so why don't more people try eating bugs?

Featured words: accessible, consumption, distinction, distinguish, efficient, emerging, innovation, parallel, plague.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: gilliamhome

Day 23: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-31T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 23 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Why Ivy League Schools Are So Bad at Economic Diversity
The Atlantic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 45

Ivy League universities are full of upper-middle class and wealthy students. Why is that?

Featured words: elite, formidable, inadvertently, innovation, modest, myth, perspective, presumably, systemic.

2. How to Design a Happier City
City Lab

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 23

Is it possible to design our cities and towns so that they make us happier? As it turns out, the answer is yes!

Featured words: cognitive, empirical, infrastructure, narrative, notable, rational, resilience, synonymous, urban.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: InSapphoWeTrust, dandeluca

Day 22: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-30T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 22 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Ad campaign (lip) glosses over 'Hunger Games' message
Los Angeles Times

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 24

Do some of the marketing tie-ins for The Hunger Games contradict the spirit of the books and movies?

Featured words: advocate, alliance, coalition, consumption, epic, radical, reform, rhetoric, systemic.

2. New technology helps doctors link a patient’s location to illness and treatment
Washington Post

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 45

New apps are radically improving the ability of doctors to collect critical patient data.

Featured words: aggregate, chronic, durable, induce, innovation, integrate, precise, prototype, vital.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: libraryladyj, healthgauge

Day 21: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-29T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 21 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. How Daydreams and Videogames Can Make Us Confident In Real Life
Wired

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 36

Daydreaming is often considered a bad thing. But studies show that it's actually the opposite!

Featured words: cognitive, engage, epic, innovation, insight, intuition, leverage, mentor, overcome, persist, prolific, prototype.

2. Guy Fieri's Restaurant: 'Ironic Dining' Mecca
Businessweek

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 19

Guy Fieri's NYC restaurant is flourishing, despite a hilarious but controversial New York Times review.

Featured words: alliance, garner, ironic, mediocre, plague, replicate.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: Heather Ruiz, Tony Alter

Day 20: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-28T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 20 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Look at JetBlue’s Swanky New Cabins for Elite Fliers
Wired

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 31

JetBlue is re-imagining the first class air travel experience with seats that lie flat and mini-suites to block out cabin noise.

Featured words: accessible, conventional, ideal, innovation, lucrative, perspective, prone, subtle, unique.

2. The Scary Side of Synbio Glowing Plants
Mother Jones

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 37

Some scientists are using Kickstarter to raise funding to create glow-in-the-dark plants. Is this a good idea?

Featured words: collaboration, eminent, entrenched, generate, regime, ubiquitous.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: kathika, Matt Baume

Day 19: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-25T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 19 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Just one article today. Happy Friday!

1. True Tales of Heartbreak from the Saddest Sports Cities In the Land
The Wire

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 31

Which American cities have the saddest sports sagas?

Featured words: dearth, empathy, esteem, notorious, synonymous.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: elitesportstours

Day 18: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-24T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 18 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. What Life Will Be Like in the Cities of the Future
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 21

In the future, smart technology embedded in everything from buildings to schools to parking spaces will change how we all live!

Featured words: adapt, assessment, consumption, dynamic, efficient, embed, incentive, infrastructure, mentor, urban.

2. Is Sherlock Holmes a Good Detective?
The Daily Beast

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 34

Sherlock Holmes is famous for his deductive reasoning skills. But would his way of thinking actually work in solving real-life crimes?

Featured words: advocate, engage, implication, inference, logic, perception, plausible, premise, rational, renowned.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: oimax, nomadic_lass

Day 17: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-23T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 17 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. How to Fix the SAT
Slate

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 34

This writer proposes an interesting change to the SAT exam.

Featured words: dictate, distinction, implement, inevitable, inherent, obscure, prone, reform.

2. The Sad, Century-Long History of Terrible 'Wizard of Oz' Movies
The Atlantic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 32

Why has it been so difficult to successfully revisit the Emerald City?

Featured words: legacy, mediocre, replicate, resonate, unique, unprecedented.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: Butz.2013, tom-margie

Day 16: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-22T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 16 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. The Successful 2020 Olympic Bid Signals New Hopes for Japan
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 38

Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics. What does this mean for the future of Japan?

Featured words: calamity, deliberate, ensure, epic, infrastructure, liberal, recession, resurgence, vulnerable.

2. Pop-Up Schools Could Radically Improve Global Education
Wired

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 51

A new organization is bringing low-cost pop-up schoolhouses to remote locations in Africa that desperately need them.

Featured words: assessment, attribute, efficient, engage, innovation, modest, notable, robust.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: Takeshi, davidberkowitz

Day 15: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-21T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 15 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. The Good and Bad News About Obesity
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 14

Do you know where your state ranks in the U.S. in terms of obesity rates?

Featured words: entrenched, epidemic, momentum, optimistic, systemic.

2. 10 Things We’ve Learned About Fat
Smithsonian Magazine

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 21

Are trans fats really that bad for your health?

Featured words: consumption, contend, convert, disclose, homage, initiative, myth, notorious.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: notionscapital, jenniewoo

Day 14: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-18T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 14 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Just one article today. Happy Friday!

1. I Got Myself Arrested So I Could Look Inside the Justice System
The Atlantic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 49

Every wonder what jail is really like? This writer got himself arrested so he could experience it first hand!

Featured words: conviction, dismiss, empathy, narrative, presumably, prospect, skeptical, vital.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: miss_millions

Day 13: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-17T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 13 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Granite Countertops, Flat-Screen TVs, Fire Pits: The Surprising Story of How College Dorms Got Luxe
The New Republic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 34

College dorm rooms used to be very spartan and minimalist. Not any more! Check out these luxurious dorms.

Featured words: appealing, complement, elite, liberal, lucrative, urban.

2. Worthwhile Canadian Coolness
The New Republic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 38

Sorry, America. Your northern neighbor has become way cooler and hipper than you!

Featured words: apocalyptic, eccentric, embody, eschew, indigenous, metaphor, recession, subtle.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: Wendy Harman, iagoarchangel

Day 12: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-16T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 12 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Does Continual Googling Really Make You Stupid?
Scientific American

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 51

Is it healthy for us to have so many emails, tweets, chats, and status updates continually vying for our attention?

Featured words: accessible, cognitive, controversial, conventional, emerging, engage, enhance, foster, intuition, lament, pervasive, recall, resonate, retain, temporal, unprecedented.

2. The Latest NFL Lawsuit Centers on This Exhumed Brain
Wired

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 26

What can the brain tissue of a deceased former NFL linebacker tell us about the danger of concussions?

Featured words: aggregate, chronic, definitive, ideal, presumably, skeptical.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: mallox, keithallison

Day 11: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-15T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 11 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. How Middle School Failures Lead to Medical School Success
The Atlantic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 32

Students who struggle early on and learn from their disappointments often end up doing better later on in life.

Featured words: compassion, esteem, inevitable, myriad, perception, precarious, resilience, scrutiny, thrive.

2. How I Quit Google
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 22

It may seem impossible to go a single hour without using Google, but this writer decided to quit completely.

Featured words: algorithm, coalition, inadvertently, insight, reform.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: nasa_goddard, pbarry

Day 10: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-14T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 10 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. 8 Things The World’s Most Successful People All Have in Common
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 23

What are some of the traits and habits of the world's most successful people?

Featured words: deliberate, dialogue, engage, mentor, metaphor, negligible, optimistic.

2. 4 Ways of Looking at the Solange/Jay Z Fight Footage
The Atlantic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 29

What happened between Jay Z and Solange Knowles at the Met Gala back in May?

Featured words: abstract, composed, embody, epic, inherent, interpretation.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: OTA Photos, u2soul

Day 9: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-11T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 9 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Just one article today. Happy Friday!

1. How Our Lust for Stuff Is Making the Whole World Your Mall
Wired

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 45

These days, you can pretty much buy things from anywhere in the world. What are the implications of this?

Featured words: contend, convert, emerging, incentive, infrastructure, integrate, momentum, parallel, potent, widespread.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: wbaiv

Day 8: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-10T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 8 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Poor Sanitation, Not Malnutrition, May Be to Blame for India’s Notoriously Stunted Children
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 21

Studies show that cleaning up sanitation can go a long way in helping to improve the health of poor kids in India.

Featured words: epidemic, vital, vulnerable, widespread.

2. 'The Fault in Our Stars' Author John Green
The Wire

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 28

A movie based on the popular teen novel, The Fault in Our Stars, is finally out. What does the author think of it?

Featured words: contemporary, obscure, overcome, presumably, scrutiny, subtle, surreal.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: vincent desjardins, littleprincessdiaries

Day 7: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-09T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 7 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Is Human Enhancement Cheating?
Slate

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 63

Are performance-enhancing drugs legal in sports? Of course not. But what about on the battlefield?

Featured words: adapt, allure, appealing, assessment, autonomous, cognitive, enhance, feasible, generate, immune, myth, perspective, pervasive, subtle, visceral.

2. The Problem With Prize Culture
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 29

It's common now for trophies and awards to be given to all children who participate. Is this healthy for kids?

Featured words: contemporary, ensure, esteem, extensive, foster, precise, tangible.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: kingo, terren in Virginia

Day 6: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-08T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 6 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Solving Cold Cases Depends on New Witnesses, Not DNA
National Geographic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 19

Unlike in TV and movies, most cold cases aren't actually solved thanks to DNA or forensics.

Featured words: conviction, rational, resolution, resolve.

2. Why the Man Who Hoarded Nazi-Looted Art May Get to Keep It All
Time

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 33

If you own stolen property, most people would agree that you should return it. So why doesn't that apply here?

Featured words: adverse, civil, genocide, invoke, perception, perspective, precedent, prospect.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: West Midlands Police, spirosk

Day 5: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-07T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 5 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. How Your Season of Birth Is Etched in Your Brain
Wired

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 22

Scientists find that women born in the summer develop more grey matter than those born in winter. What about men?

Featured words: algorithm, liberal, persist, relevant, temporal.

2. What SimCity Teaches Us About Real Cities of the Future
Slate

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 29

What can we learn from how players build and design virtual cities within SimCity?

Featured words: collaboration, dynamic, emerging, ideal, incentive, infrastructure, lucrative, notable, notorious, renaissance, resilience, urban.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: sackton, daniel-rehn

Day 4: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-03T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 4 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Just one article today. And no readings tomorrow in honor of Independence Day in the U.S.! We'll be back on Monday. Have a great holiday weekend!

1. Who’s Watching? Privacy Concerns Persist as Smart Meters Roll Out
National Geographic

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 43

Technology around the house can do amazing things, but what about the loss of privacy?

Featured words: consensus, deploy, dialogue, emerging, generate, implement, initiative, mandate, robust.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: bitboy

Day 3: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-02T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 3 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. Your Rap Lyrics Can Be Held Against You in a Court of Law
Mother Jones

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 41

The New Jersey Supreme Court was set to decide whether rap lyrics can be used to show "motive and intent" for murder.

Featured words: affirm, aspire, compel, contend, conviction, depict, interpretation, leverage, unique.

2. How to Instill False Memories
Scientific American

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 42

Is it actually possible to trick people into "remembering" things that didn't actually happen? Yes!

Featured words: distinction, enhance, insight, narrative, prone, recall, vulnerable.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: neontommy, Joyce Kaes

Day 2: SAT/ACT Reading Challenge

2014-07-01T00:00:01-04:00

It's Day 2 of our SAT/ACT Reading Challenge! From June 30 — August 8, 2014, we'll post 1-2 interesting articles for you to read each day (Mon-Fri) that will help you learn the top 100 SAT/ACT vocabulary words.

Here are today's articles:

1. How Nutella Conquered America
The Daily Beast

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 31

How did Nutella, the delicious hazelnut chocolate spread, get so popular in the U.S.?

Featured words: alliance, coalition, elite, leverage, recession, sentiment, thrive, ubiquitous, unique.

2. Airbnb Sets Its Sights on the Chinese Tourism Boom
City Lab

SAT/ACT Vocabulary Word Count: 22

Airbnb is one of the most popular travel sites in the U.S., but can it succeed in China?

Featured words: allure, appealing, dynamic, emulate, incentive, overcome, resonate.

Subscribe to the Reading Challenge here. If you have questions or feedback, please let us know — we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: geishabot, ivanwalsh