Why would I choose to do Wordly Wise over Vocabulary Cartoons?

[hmsch4me]

I have a 7th grader who really clicks with Vocabulary Cartoons, but I'm torn while looking at the Wordly Wise books. I know she wouldn't do well with VFCR - way too dry. I'm just wondering what the real difference is between these two when it comes down to it. Any thoughts? Did WW prepare your child for the ACT/SAT tests?

[Mandy in TN]

Well, one reason to go with WW would be that there are only 3 Voc Cartoon texts and one is for jr high. That being said my oldest is using Vocabulary Cartoons.

 

But I have a hunch that none of this vocabulary will stick if you don't read/ hear the words in other places and use them in your own writing/ speaking.

 

Just my thoughts-

Mandy

[Linda in NM]

I'm with you, Mandy...I never learned vocab from vocab books, and, without context, they're lost. I believe in reading...and more reading. My son does exceptionally well on the comprehension/vocab sections of standard texts, and we've never studied vocabulary formally. We might do the Cartoons just for fun...

[Michelle in MO]

and now, since my youngest finished her level of Wordly Wise (for 5th grade), I'm having her do Vocabulary Cartoons, just to keep up the word practice. I have her do two words per day and write a sentence for each word.

 

Honestly, though, I believe that Wordly Wise would give your student more practice with the vocabulary words in a variety of situations: as word root studies, antonyms, analogies, used in a passage, etc.----much more so than Vocabulary Cartoons. However, if your child really responds and learns from Vocabulary Cartoons, I can understand that, as well.

 

Would it be overkill to do both? For example, do Wordly Wise for more intensive vocabulary study, but also keep Vocabulary Cartoons for fun? Is your child perhaps the type that likes the dictionary or thesaurus? I know this sounds dumb, but my oldest has an excellent vocabulary, and the main reason honestly isn't either WW or VCR (we use both, actually), but the fact that she has a quirky love for reading the thesaurus! An electronic thesaurus might help, too---Andrew Pudewa suggests that for his IEW program.

 

There is also Vocabulary for the College-Bound Student, but I haven't used it yet.

 

Here's a link for that book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-College-Student-Harold-Levine/dp/1567651046

 

 

I know that several others have used this book for their college-bound children, and that they have done quite well.

 

I do think vocabulary study and preparation is important for college and for testing purposes. I think both the SAT and ACT test over vocabulary. I just took the GRE test, and a broad knowledge of vocabulary was essential for that test.

 

The best preparation, in my opinion, is a lifetime of reading, reading, reading. The more you read, the more vocabulary you just "soak up". My GRE test prep. book stated essentially the same thing: you simply cannot improve your verbal score on that test without a large vocabulary.

 

So, I would recommend lots of reading, and whichever vocabulary program works best for your child. If they respond and really learn well with Vocabulary Cartoons, then I would use that. I just find that the format of Wordly Wise and Vocabulary from the Classical Roots allows for more in-depth study of the words than what I find in Vocabulary Cartoons.

 

HTH!

[LizzyBee]

In our home, we've found Vocab Cartoons to be much more effective than Wordly Wise. Wordly Wise was just busywork for us.

[LibraryLover]

One of mine likes the crossword puzzles in WW.