Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
Do you have a middle schooler in your homeschool? I do. Plus, I’ve already got one through the middle school years. I have found that grades 6-8 are kind of prepping kids for high school. They learn to work more independently, and the workload increases. It is also a time when the work gets more challenging. Vocabulary becomes important to learn because kids come across more complex words in their reading, especially in the different subjects they are learning. Therefore, I was excited to add Vocabulary Virtuoso: Mastering Middle School Vocabulary by The Critical Thinking Co. in our homeschool. Finally, my seventh-grader was ready to start adding in vocabulary work with some great critical thinking activities.
A Little About Vocabulary Virtuoso
Vocabulary Virtuoso: Mastering Middle School Vocabulary is a vocabulary program for grades 6-8. The Critical Thinking Co. has many products to help build kids’ critical thinking skills, and this product is no exception. Within the program, kids will learn 12 new vocabulary words with each list. There is a total of 15 lists in the book. The words on each list are words you will often find on PSATs. So, this is great to help improve reading and writing vocabulary skills and prep them for future exams.
Encouraging Critical Thinking Through Meaningful Activities
Each lesson begins with the word list. For each vocabulary word, there is:
- Pronunciation key
- Part of speech
- Definition
- Alternate words or phrases (such as idioms and synonyms)
After the word list, there are six critical thinking activities to help kids practice the meaning of each vocabulary word.
- Fill in the blank– In the first activity, kids read the sentence and choose which of the three wordss completes the sentence. In another activity, they fill in the blank, selecting a word from the word bank.
- Unscramble the word- For this critical thinking activity, the sentence has an underlined word that is a synonym, idiom, definition, or phrase of a vocabulary word. Next to the sentence is a vocab word, but it is scrambled. They unscramble the word that matches the meaning of the underlined word in the sentence.
- Story Challenge– In this activity, kids are given a story. Throughout the story, there are blanks in which kids use one of their vocabulary words to make the story complete.
- Write a synonym, idiom, or phrase– At the top of the page is a box with words, idioms, or phrases. Below is a list of the vocabulary words. Kids use the items in the box to define the vocab word.
- Write your own sentences- The final activity has the kids apply some critical thinking. They now must write their own sentences using the words from their list.
There is a nice variety of activities to help kids practice the meaning of each word. And throughout, each activity seems to get a little more challenging.
One interesting approach I haven’t seen before that this book does is using variations of the words. In some of the activities, there is an asterisk next to a word. That means the word has been altered in some way.
For example, in one sentence, the word used was audacious. However, the list word was audacity. This is a great way to show how words change and become a different part of speech. After all, kids aren’t always going to come across their vocabulary words exactly as written on their list.
Using this Vocabulary Book in Our Homeschool
For this review, my 7th-grade son used this book. My boy hasn’t done a vocabulary program before, so I was anxious to give it a try. He worked independently on this program. First, he’d read through his list, paying attention to the definitions and alternate words listed. Then he’d complete one of the critical thinking activities each day.
At first, he expected each word to be used once and used as it appears in his word list. That was my fault. I forgot to warn him. So when he began the first activity, he was baffled because there were 24 fill-in-the-blank sentences. Each word may be used twice, however, you didn’t necessarily use each word once and then go back through the list. Noooo. You might use another word twice before you used one word for the first time. But, honestly, I liked that the program didn’t follow a predictable pattern. It keeps kids on their toes and using some critical thinking skills.
After the first lesson and my boy realized that the words may change their form, he figured things out. Overall, he was able to work independently which he liked.
I thought the Story Challenge would be… well, a challenge for my kiddo. He struggled a bit through the first one but then did fine on the others. He needed to adjust to this program and learn to pay attention to his words. Once he did so, he did very well. I knew he was genuinely learning the words because he wasn’t struggling with the activities, AND he was using the words correctly in his own sentences.
My Son’s Thoughts
Overall, my kiddo really liked Vocabulary Virtuoso. He liked the activities and never complained about doing vocabulary. I thought I’d certainly hear a lot of complaints with the sentence writing, but I didn’t. So that’s a win right there!
When I asked my son if he thought the program helped, he said, “Yes! I’m finding my vocabulary words in things I’m reading. The other day I saw segue.” Well, that’s another win.
I was pleased to see this program was working for my son. The Critical Thinking Co. provides some good critical thinking activities for learning vocabulary. I wasn’t so sure it would work for my boy, but it did.
My Final Thoughts on the Critical Thinking Co. Product
One thing I wished the program included was some kind of review. This way, it would keep the words fresh in kids’ minds. I plan to come up with my own periodic review because I know that is something my son needs.
All in all, I am pleased with the program because my son likes it, and he feels it is helping him build his vocabulary. We will continue to use this book in our homeschool.
Critical Thinking Co. has many other great products for a variety of ages. Click the banner below and read reviews on other great critical thinking activities this company has to offer.
Happy Homeschooling!
