CSET Single Subject Social Science Test Preparation
Consider taking the test on two different occasions, and completing at most two subtests on one day.
NOTE: CSET is not offered in July or November. Subtest III is held in the morning and subtests I and II are in the afternoon.
Carefully examine the CSET descriptions and practice questions at http://www.cset.nesinc.com/CS_testguide_Spanishopener.asp
Examine the Foreign Language framework, which is invaluable: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/allfwks.asp. This is the content you will need to master as a Spanish teacher.
Make sure to read relevant sections of the CSET Tips page as it contains invaluable strategies to help you do your best on test day.
Below are recommendations and suggestions from students of materials and websites they have found useful in preparing for the Spanish CSET.
Spanish Literature
http://www.donquijote.org/spanishlanguage/literature/history/
http://spanish.about.com/od/spanishlanguageliterature/
Spanish Literary, Visual and Performing Arts
"The multiple choice part asks many questions about literary movements
and what/who the main ideas/authors are. For that part, I would recommend
reading something that contains information about the Literary Movement. There
are also various quotes that ask for meaning or even backgrounds; it would be
helpful to read analyses of poetry or key pieces of literature for each
movement. For the writing portion, which can be responded to in either English
or Spanish, I would suggest practicing how to analyze a poem because our task
is to discuss the work of an author."
"In terms of a book that will provide a succinct overview of the
movements in Hispanic Literature, I recommend the book Aproximaciones al
Estudio de la Literatura Hispánica (McGraw-Hill).
This text is widely used in introductory courses at the university level." This
book can also be purchased at amazon.com:
General encyclopedia articles on Latin American and Spanish history are beneficial.
Practice speaking with peers, professors, etc., prior to the test to ensure you are ready for the oral exam portion. There are 2 taped self-initiated sessions (each about 3 minutes), and rewinding to start over is not possible! The proctor will give you a topic to speak about, and then you will speak for the entire taping.
Watch a few Spanish movies with no subtitles to sharpen your listening skills, as a large portion of the test is listening comprehension questions.
Spanish Grammar
Highly recommended text and online lessons from Schwenger and Kempff: Fonética y Fonología Españolas:
http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&itemId=0471466492&bcsId=3193
Linguistics
General Linguistics information: Contemporary Linguistics by O’Grady et al. 5th Ed. Click on Chapter Summaries: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/linguistics/default.asp?s=&n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&uid=0&rau=0
Glossary of Linguistic Terms: http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/%7Epxc/nlpa/nlpgloss.html#grammar1
Review AP prep guides and your college course materials. Current school textbooks are useful.
There are study materials in the Student Resource Center, 2010 Education at UCI for your use. Please feel free to contact gse-test-prep@uci.edu stating your availability.