Barron’s How To Prepare for the LAST/ATS-W NYSTCE SC Robert D Postman

Description

Last/Ats-W: How to Prepare for the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written, with an Introduction to t (Barron’s NYSTCE)
by Robert D. Postman (Author)

Use this book to prepare for LAST and ATS-W: The liberal arts and sciences test assessment of teaching skills.

This all-new manual prepares student teachers for an important exam within the PRAXIS complex of teacher qualification tests. LAST/ATS-W is short for Liberal Arts and Sciences Test and the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written. Many authorities in education predict that within a very few years, as many as 18,000 applicants will take this test annually. The new manual offers an overview of the test, then devotes separate chapters to Reading, Writing, Mathematics, History and Social Sciences, Science, Visual and Performing Arts, and Teaching Skills. Model tests follow: a Practice LAST I, a Practice ATS-W I, a Practice LAST II, and a Practice ATS-W II. All test have explained answers. The book’s final chapters give information on getting certified in New York State and getting a teaching job.

Series: Barron’s NYSTCE
Paperback: 493 pages
Publisher: Barron’s Educational Series

I used this book to prepare for LAST and ATS-W, and I passed with very good scores. It took me about a month to prepare for both at the same time. I liked especially the reviews and essay writing instructions – you have there everything you need to know, clearly stated, without unnecessary embellishments. Very easy to digest and memorize.

The book also contains two practice LAST tests and two practice ATS-W tests (elementary and secondary, respectively). All tests have explained answers. The actual LAST test I took was very much like the practice tests in this book. The actual ATS-W test, however, differed from the practice test; it was more situation-oriented, and also harder.

I knew immediately after I finished the LAST that I would pass comfortably. However, after the ATS-W I found myself for the first time in the unenviable position of having no idea how I did: I wouldn’t have been surprised by a score of 100, or 300.

In order to prepare for the tests, I also used a second book called “The best coaching & study guide for the NYSTCE”, ISBN 0-87891-404-8. The reviews in it were unnecessarily verbose and complicated, I think. That is why I didn’t use them. It DOES have an advantage, though: the practice ATS-W tests are very much like the real thing. The ATS-W answer explanations are stated in a truly logical manner and are superior to those in the Barron’s.

The study guides from the NY State Education Department are of NO value except for the 5 sample questions you can find in there, and the essay examples and essay scoring explanations. They offer no more than a tiny taste of the real thing.

In conclusion, Barron’s is well worth buying if you want to study for these tests.

A bit of writing, underlining, highlighting. Sticker residue on back cover. 0-7641-0446-2.

Baseball by Nintendo

Strategy, skill and determination. It takes all three to win at Baseball! Choose a starting pitcher from your bullpen (Mario is an old favorite). Hurl fastballs past the batter. If he connects, your outfield backs up to snag a fly. A sturdy infield backs you up on grounders and pop-ups. Three outs later and your team is up. Take a strike to feel out the pitcher. Then drive a long one. It’s a home run!

Baseball is another one of the first games made on the Gameboy portable console. The game is actually pretty fun. You only play one game against the computer or go head to head with a friend who has the same game. It has been awhile since I played it but you could choose between 1 of 4 teams. The play control was pretty good. Fielding is made pretty easy by the oval area of where the ball will be hit. The Homeruns looked great. I always thought it was hard to strike any of the other team out though. The computer AI never wanted to swing at any balls outside the strike zone which makes it a little unrealistic. This is a great game to have if you need to kill time for 15 or 20 minutes out and about somewhere. It is very basic yet fun to play. I would rate this a 4 star game. I really enjoyed it when I had the game.

Game only.Game only.