All right! Thanks for bearing with me for a day while I did another review. Now, back to the story.

I expected Timberdoodle to ask me to forward the books on to their intended destination. Instead, the email I got informed me that they’d already re-shipped books out to that person, that they wouldn’t need those back, and hopefully I could find a good use for them?

You bet! So then I had my fourth-choice book to review… that was the first cool thing, which you’ll get to read about today.

And the second neat thing, since I received two copies of Building Thinking Skills Book 3 Figural, I’d love to share the extra copy with one of you!(No way you’d be getting mine – as you can tell if you read earlier this week, I really, REALLY like this series from Critical Thinking Press. There are two other books in the series, as I’ve mentioned, and I haven’t had my hands on them – but given the high quality of the three books we’ve been using, I think it’s safe to assume they’re pretty darn good, too.

So. Contest today. Rules are at the end of the post. Lots of ways to get extra entries – see below for details.

And now: Word Roots Beginning:

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not the biggest fan of vocabulary just for the sake of memorizing vocabulary. I just don’t see it as all that effective when it isn’t directly related to other materials being used. It can feel frustrating and thankless to drill defintions and spelling when there isn’t anything to USE them for.

That’s where Word Roots is just a wee bit different. Sure, it’s learning for the sake of learning – but what you’re learning are parts of words that are going to be in every single book you read, and while you might not use them on a daily basis, they’re still going to be a constant part of life. By learning the roots of words, one can bring a deeper understanding of the conversations they heard, the words they speak and write, and everything they read. These meanings are so firmly entrenched in our language that a misunderstanding of just one of them can reduce comprehension of three, ten, or even dozens of words.

Word Roots Beginning is aimed at 3rd-4th grade students. Reproducable, with approximately 100 black & white pages, Word Roots Beginning provides 24 lessons and 14 review sections – enough to last the entire school year if done 2-3 days per week. Each concept is clearly explained at the start of the lesson, and is followed by worksheets for practice and reinforcement. For teacher and student, it’s pretty much pick up and go, other then the initial photocopying.

We’re creating index cards as we go, with roots, suffixes, or prefixes on one side, and the meaning on the other, for practice. We can later use the cards as a refresher, or add them on to a trivia-style game.

If you have a struggling reader, I’d recommend reading through each worksheet with them, to ensure that they understand the material. On the other hand, if you have a confident reader that likes worksheets, they might work through the book at a faster pace then you anticipate. The index card method is a great tool for bringing the knowledge out of the worksheet and into the student’s hands in a portable, active way.

The answer key is clear, and large enough to read, perfect for quick correction. I wish all answer keys were as nicely done.

The Princess has been enjoying the worksheets – the fill-in-the-blank stories make the material more interesting, because she’s curious to learn what comes next. (Though she and I were slightly puzzled at a picture of what appeared to be a man in a white coat using a DRILL on another person’s ear – until I realized that it was a doctor testing someone’s hearing!)

All-in-all, Word Roots Beginning is a great start to the study of the parts of words, and I look forward to using later books in the series.

Word Roots Beginning, from Critical Thinking Press, is available at Timberdoodle. Or, request a free homeschool catalog!

Other books in the Word Roots series:

• Word Roots A1 – grades 4th+, ages 9+
• Word Roots A2 – grades 4th+, ages 9+
• Word Roots B1 – grades 7th+, ages 12+
• Word Roots B2 – grades 7th+, ages 12+

Contest Details:

1. Contest starts when this is posted, and will end at 11:59 pm Pacific time on Sunday, February 20, 2011.
2. Winner will be randomly drawn from all valid entries, and my decision is final.
3. Make sure your email is on your entry! That’s how I will contact you for shipping information.
4. The winner will have exactly a week to reply with shipping details. If I haven’t heard from them by then, a second name will be drawn and contacted.
5. The winner will receive my extra copy of Building Thinking Skills, Book 3, Figural, published by Critical Thinking Press. ($30 value)
6. Contest open to those in the United States.
7. If I screwed up anything about the contest details and don’t realize it until later, I reserve the right to fix it.

WAYS TO ENTER

1. Comment on this post with your experience with any of the four books from Timberdoodle I’ve reviewed this week. (1 entry)
2. Comment on this post with your favorite Timberdoodle product. (1 entry)
3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect and comment on this post to tell me. (1 entry)
4. Follow me on Networked Blogs and comment on this post to tell me. (1 entry)
5. Follow me on Twitter and comment on this post to tell me. (1 entry)
6. Friend me on Facebook and comment here to let me know. (1 entry)
7. Subscribe to my Feed and comment on this post to let me know. (1 entry)
8. Tell your blog readers about my contest and comment on this post to let me know. (1 entry)
9. Tell your Twitter followers about my contest and comment on this post to let me know. (1 entry)
10. Share it on Facebook and comment here to let me know. (1 entry)
11. Make relevant comments on up to five other posts on my blog, and comment back here on this post to let me know. (up to 5 entries)

*** Don’t freak out if your comment isn’t posted right away – I’m not always right in front of the computer, and I moderate new commentors the first time they post to decrease the spam. ***

So. That’s up to 15 entries per person. You’re welcome to use any or all of them. Just pretty please make sure and put your email on your comment(s). Let your friends and readers know. And good luck!

**Legal Disclosure: As a member of Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of these books in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.**

Related posts:

1. Timberdoodle & Critical Thinking Press, part 3 of 4
2. Timberdoodle & Critical Thinking Press, part 1 of 4
3. Timberdoodle & Critical Thinking Press, part 2 of 4
4. Memoria Press – First Form Latin
5. Big IQ Kids