Tag Archives: logic

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Review

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Do you want to get smarter?  Do you want your kids to improve their grades?  Then you might want to check out the over 200+ Award Winning products from The Critical Thinking Co.™

Critical Thinking Detective

We recently checked out the Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1.  Critical Thinking Detective is a whole series of books that helps you learn to think logically to solve dilemmas.

So far, the Critical Thinking Detective series includes:

  • Beginning
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Math
  • Vocabulary Book 1
  • Vocabulary Book 2

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1

Student Workbook

AnswerKey

12 Cases To Solve

Softcover

Colorful Illustrations

40 Pages

Retails $8.99 on sale for $7.99

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1 is a 40 page softcover workbook for grades 5-12+ (would be fun and challenging to most adults too).  This student workbook contains 12 mystery cases to solve.  The student uses vocabulary, and critical thinking skills to logically solve the case.  As the student evaluates the details of the case, understands the meanings of words and learns their meanings and synonyms, uses inductive and deductive reasoning, analyzes the information, they are then able to solve the case.

Table of Contents:

  • How To Solve These Cases
  • The Antique Double-Dealer
  • The Stray Accomplice
  • The Pilfering Today
  • The Ring Coveter
  • The Acrid Saboteur
  • The Contrary Instigator
  • The Brazen Biker
  • The Cogent Denigrator
  • The Disgruntled Defacer
  • The Unencumbered Employee
  • The Wandering Wayfarer
  • The Cunning Customer
  • Answer Key

So how do you solve the case?  Well, first of all you need to CAREFULLY read the description of the case.  Read the statements from one or more witnesses, and read the statement from 4 possible suspects who may or may not have committed the crime.  Then look up the words given in the clues. These definitions will help you understand what really happened and who did it.

Here are the steps to solve each cases:

  • Read the clues.
  • Use a dictionary!
  • Understand the definition of each word.
  • Understand the synonyms and antonyms of each word.
  • Take notes.
  • Reason it out.
  • Solve the case.

Following each case, the student is introduced to 18 to 25 new vocabulary words to learn. There is also a worksheet full of fill in the blank sentences to complete to practice using the vocabulary correctly.

Author

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary was written by Diane Hartsig.  She is also the author of Vocabulary Riddles – A-Z Catastrophes, Books 1 and 2.  She is a wife, the mother of 3 kids, and an elementary school teacher.  She is passionate about kids acquiring and learning how to use language.

Our Experience:

We received Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1 in exchange for writing an honest review.  The Critical Thinking company is also offering special savings for our readers.  I think it is great when companies send products to be reviewed and also send discounts to those who want to try out the product because they read the review and were inspired to try it.  So be sure to check out the special offers listed below for a discount code, and get the free Critical Thinking Puzzle too!

I gave this workbook to my 15 year old son to include in his schoolwork. My thoughts on giving it to him was that the mystery cases are short and he might be able to do them without adding a lot of additional work onto his schoolwork.  I thought as he accomplished the cases, it would build more confidence for writing.

After reading the case, he tried to reason it out, but was not quite sure who did it.  So I had him go ahead and work through vocabulary words and complete the sentences before trying to solve the crime.   However, after working through the first handful of words, perhaps 10 or so, he was ready to quit before he had even accomplished the first case.  He wanted to quit because he found the words unfamiliar and didn’t like looking them up to find what sentence they fit into.

These are hard words!  I don’t even know most of them myself.  They are not commonly used.  Here are just a few examples:

  • congent
  • flummox
  • espy
  • sedulous
  • vacuous
  • superfluous
  • credulous
  • madras
  • tantamount
  • puce
  • tenable
  • senescent
  • foist
  • spurious

However, after a few days of setting the workbook aside (and I don’t blame him), he put his mind to it and persevered.  To complete the task, he only needed the workbook, a pencil, and access a dictionary (he used an online dictionary on the internet).  It’s portable, so he doesn’t have to sit in one place.  He can take it with him and fill in the gaps in his time.  He enjoys being outside and working on it if the weather is nice.  Having the freedom to choose where and how to learn is one of the beautiful benefits of homeschooling.  Just being outside seemed to help motivate him to work on it.

After he looked up the meaning of the new word, and learned it’s definition and other words that have the same meaning, then he would compare words and fill the words into the correct sentences. Each word can only be used once.  Taking time to do the vocabulary words gave his brain time to ponder the details of the case.  Finally, he was confident in various word meanings to reasonably solve the case.

After completing the first case, he was more confident in working through the rest of the workbook.

After completing the first few cases, he was well on his way to improving his use of vocabulary and logic.

He is motivated to finish and I have no doubt he will finish the workbook and raise his knowledge and skill level to be way smarter than me!

The Critical Thinking Co.™

Created in 1958 by John Brown, The Critical Thinking Co.™ helps students master skills needed to achieve high standards for education.  They have extensive knowledge in math, logic, reading and writing, science, and social studies.  They guarantee better grades and higher test scores when you practice your critical thinking skills with their books and software.

The Homeschool Review Crew is currently reviewing several products from The Critical Thinking Co.™

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary

Understanding Pre-Algebra

Dare To Compare: Math Level 1

Critical Thinking Detective Book 1

Vocabulary Riddles Book 1

Something Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha

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Cursive Logic Review

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When you are ready to teach your kids to write in cursive, you will will want to consider using the CursiveLogic Workbook by CursiveLogic.

Workbook_p73

This is a unique and easy to implement approach for kids to learn how to master writing in cursive letters.

What we received:

Workbook_cover

96 page, hardback, spiral bound, full color workbook.
Contains both the teacher instructions, and the student practice pages.
Retails for $29.00

The first portion of each lesson teaches students to write each CursiveLogic letter string through a five-step process. After learning the string method, a student can begin writing connected letter groups and real words. After finishing four lessons, the student will be able to write the entire lowercase alphabet and to connect letters fluidly.

The student will learn how to form lowercase letters and capital letters. Students then practice cursive by tracing and then writing famous historical sayings.

The workbook contains three dry-erase surfaces that recap all of CursiveLogic’s exercises the student used to learn and practice the four CursiveLogic letter strings.  Dry-erase pages enable students to practice and review again and again.

Additional helpful tips, and printable practice pages are available through the CursiveLogic newsletter.

How we used the CursiveLogic Workbook:

Workbook_p22

Each day, my son works in this notebook and loves it.  He is mastering writing in cursive and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn about this resource.

tracing

He is learning the CursiveLogic method, and loves working in the workbook.  He is learning 4 different skill sets:

Letter shape:

CursiveLogic groups the lowercase alphabet into four groups based on the shape of the initial stroke of the letters.   The workbook teaches all of the similarly-shaped letters in the same lesson.

Workbook_p15-01

Letter strings:

CursiveLogic teaches the similarl shaped letters in a connected flowing string. Letter strings teach students to connect letters,  students gain an understanding of the flow of cursive handwriting.

Workbook_p13

CursiveLogic also uses visual and auditory cues to reinforce the shape patterns.  My son loves this curriculum.  He is an audio visual learner.  He usually hates to work in workbooks or to write, but he is loving his workbook.

writing cursive

Theme colors: 

Each shape string has a color—orange ovals, lime loops, silver swings, and mauve mounds.

Workbook_p74

Verbal task analysis :

A simple, verbal saying that describes the path of the writing instrument as the letter shapes are formed.

IMG_7825

He is surprising himself (and me too) that he likes this curriculum and is mastering cursive writing skills.   I am really proud of him.  He has been a boy who previously hated to sit still and write.  But he really is enjoying mastering this skill and I don’t even have to ask him.  He does it all on his own.

I would encourage everyone to put this workbook on their homeschool curriculum list.

Social Media:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cursivelogic
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ilovecursive
Instagram: http://instagram.com/cursivelogic

CursiveLogic Review

Be sure to read what other families on the TOS Review Crew had to say about using CursiveLogic Workbooks in their home.

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