Vocabulary Prep for Your High School Student
We have been working through Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 from The Critical Thinking Co. We received access to the digital (Windows only) download as part of the Homeschool Review Crew. As always, all opinions are our own.
One area in which homeschool parents sometimes feel unprepared is to incorporate test-taking skills. This is especially true when it comes to the main tests expected by colleges and universities: the ACT or SAT.
A key component of those tests is a firm foundation in vocabulary.
You can gain much of your vocabulary skills through reading a variety of selections across the ages. However, a student can also benefit from a separate program specific to building vocabulary skills.
About Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1
The Critical Thinking Co. has long been used by educators to help them hone a particular skill set. They are known for their materials that assist a student in building critical thinking skills.
Building vocabulary specific to the ACT or SAT is the primary focus of the Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1.
This title is meant to be used for students in grades 8 through 12.
The goal of the book is to:
increase vocabulary
stimulate imagination and
boost standards-based language arts skills.
The pages are laid out to guide them step by step through a brief, intense study of a select group of vocabulary words. The words are specific dynamic, real-life words which are often found on the ACT, PSAT or SAT exams.
When working through the 208-page book, students will encounter a blend of activities and exercises. Before engaging in those exercises, they will be introduced to definitions, pronunciation keys, parts of speech, and alternate choices for each word made up of synonyms, idioms, and/or phrases.
Activities and exercises work to have the student contextualize the words including other forms of the words as a different part of speech. A jumble activity helps them recognize the correct spelling.
The book is reproducible with rights given to the classroom or homeschool teacher.
Our Thoughts on this Vocabulary Building Resources
Like other titles we have used from The Critical Thinking Co., this one is very easy to implement as a supplement of your regular language arts programs.
What did not surprise me is how many of the words in this title my teenaged boys knew. I had my 18-year-old who is on a gap year and considering retaking the ACT work through the pages.
He found the work easy and could have flown through the pages. As an avid reader, he has been exposed to many of the words.
However, I found it better to do bite-sized amounts so that the vocabulary is reinforced over several days. This allows it to ‘soak in’ to their brains and hopefully remain long after they have completed the lesson.
The ability to reproduce the pages you need is something I truly love about this resource. I have 2 other boys who need to make their way through the material in the future.
I purposefully requested the digital book that works only in a Windows environment. This way I can easily generate new pages for the next boy to complete. Plus, it does not take up space on a shelf somewhere to get ‘lost’ in the stacks.
How do you help your teen prepare for standardized testing like the ACT or SAT?
Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit The Critical Thinking Co. review post on the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this book.
