I was given a free digital copy of Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 (Grades 8-12+), from The Critical Thinking Co. in exchange for my review. All opinions are from our family’s homeschool science experience with this online science curriculum.
The Critical Thinking Co.’s Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 (Grades 8-12+) can accomplish 3 things for your homeschool!
1. Slow a fast reader down enough to learn & enjoy literature at a more meaningful level.
Do you have an avid reader in the house? The kind that started reading early (or taught themselves ‘during nap time’)? If you have a kiddo that can read super fast, they might not really be understanding everything they are reading. My early, fast read had a tendency to miss the details of things in the plot as well as rich descriptions. Using the Vocabulary Virtuoso with my soon-to-be 14-year-old has slowed her reading down (just a little bit) and allowed her to look for deeper understanding in the books she reads both for school and for leisure. She’s had several “Ah-Ha!“ moments in recent weeks since she’s started using Critical thinking Co.’s Vocabulary Virtuoso ebook.
2. Allow your kids to impress their friends and family by properly using strong vocabulary words in every-day conversation.
While I’m not much for flaunting knowledge or impressing others with flowery words, there are times when I do let it happen for a moment. I won’t stop my kids from using eloquent words properly. They are just not allowed to use them in an arrogant or demeaning manner. Especially when it happens around that not-so-understanding individual in my life that struggles to understand the beauty of homeschool. Using good vocabulary is just one way to show others how homeschooling can bring out the best in kids and be enjoyable all at the same time. The Grandparents love hearing the grandkids test out the $64,000 words, even if they don’t quite understand our homeschool style and technique.
I really like the clean and simple approach used. The image below shows how they provide the word, pronunciation, another word form, the definition, and a sample sentence. Everything needed to lock words into the memory bank and learn how to use it properly
3. Provide the tools necessary to prep for the PSAT & SAT.
Maybe you have a kiddo that is ready to begin thinking about the P/SAT. I asked my 14 year-old what she thought of the ebook that she was working through a few weeks into starting it. Here’s what she had to say:
“The instructions were very clear as to what I needed to do and were at the top of the page where it was easy to see them. Some of my favorite words that I learned were curmudgeonly, heterogeneous, autodidactic, and ichthyology. I haven’t really used them anywhere else (yet), but I do like saying them.” ~ Darby, 14
Pop Quiz! Do you know the definition of:
- Curmudgeonly,
- Heterogeneous,
- Autodidactic, and
- Ichthyology.
Shhh… don’t tell the kids I had to Google a few of these! I soon realized the answers were at the back of the book. This feature is perfect in helping my high schooler to become more self-disciplined at checking her work but not cheat. It’s such a temptation to take a peek, isn’t it?
How is the ebook different than a typical workbook?
Since we are using the e-book, it has some unique features that we weren’t too familiar with. But after the first couple of lessons, we got most of it figured out. I love workbooks that allow us to write in them digitally, so this one is perfect for our digital homeschool style. Take a few minutes to get comfortable with the digital workbook format and tools. Remember to save your work as there is no auto-save feature.
Of course, if you just want to print them out for each week, that works too!
A Peek Inside!
Here are a few images of the e-book showing some of the features we used. In this image below I have used a highlighter feature to show you the super important tools I used. In blue, I outlined the tools my daughter used. Don’t worry, she used the saved feature too!
Here’s a quick look at one of the Story Challenge section (below). I really like The Critical Thinking Co.’s approach of including ways to give lessons on other aspects important to building the skill of critical thinking. Vocabulary is just one piece of the puzzle, but Critical Thinking Co. does a good job of tucking in additional tidbits of knowledge along the way.
Win-Win Vocabulary!
I really like the depth and the approach to vocabulary offered by The Critical Thinking Co.’s Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 (Grades 8-12+). But, even better than that is my daughter likes it too! Win-Win!
Don’t just take my word for it!
You can read more reviews about Vocabulary Virtuoso and other resources from The Critical Thinking Co.
Curriculum: Make the Best Choice
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