VocabAhead Review

VocabAhead
http://www.vocabahead.com/

Age:  Upper Middle or High School
Cost:  $12.95

Vocabulary is a very important part of any middle and high school curriculum. While some would say you can leave vocabulary out because they get it through literature, I would disagree. They do learn through literature, but understanding the fundamental definitions of a word are not always gleaned through context clues. Plus, some words have different meanings depending on the context they are in.

That being said, if your child is going to go to college now or in the future, he/she will need a strong vocabulary: first, for the SAT, and second, for college level writing. If he/she is not going to college, to be articulate in any work situation or mission situation, a strong vocabulary is necessary.

VocabAhead is one program that can be used to help your child learn a broad vocabulary. Sure, there are a lot of books and programs out there, but one thing that stood out for me with VocabAhead was their added functionality on their web site.

First, however, let’s look at the book. Ten words are taught at a time with a cartoon representation for visual recollection, a part of speech and definition, sentences, synonyms and antonyms. Each grouping of ten words is followed by a review test.

When you receive the book, (mine was SAT Vocabulary), you also receive a link to get free videos for each word and downloadable MP3S. We did not use the MP3S as we don’t have a player, but did use the videos.

I was amazed at the site! All the words are accessible for free along with videos that coincide with the cartoons used for each word to help the student learn. Parents can create their own lists, or use the ones provided. Additionally, there are online flashcards and quizzes for the student to use to help him/her learn the words.

My son begins his high school journey next year. Our plan is to incorporate study for the SAT through his first three years of high school so that he will be fully prepared to take the test with confidence and get high scores. I will be holding onto this book and have bookmarked the web site to ensure this will be part of his regimen.

***  I received this book free of charge as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew for my honest opinion.

To see more reviews by the Crew - click here.

Teen Testing

Do you realize how much time we spend getting our teens ready for tests? I was thinking about this today as my thirteen-year-old mentioned I’m always talking about tests.


I don’t mean tests for their subjects. In fact, we don’t take a lot of tests in our subjects. Mastery is demonstrated rather than tested. (At least for now…)

However, I am always telling him that he’s going to need to know this, that and the other for the PSAT or the SAT or the ACT or a CLEP. Test, test, test…

One of the reasons I became very disillusioned with the public school system was testing. Teachers are pressured to prepare their students to take End of Grade, multiple guess tests. Teachers almost have to teach to the tests nowadays as their jobs and their salaries can be contingent on how their students score. I find this sad. It really takes the steam out of the love of teaching. I was tired of my children being taught to take a test rather than to master a subject and think critically.

Nonetheless… I find myself worrying about tests.

My oldest son is graduating in January from the local public high school. He recently took the SAT for the third time and today took a College Placement Test (CPT) so that he can take college classes in the spring prior to heading to the university in the fall. I’m glad he’s got his testing behind him. Now we get to focus on where and when and what classes he will take for the next several years of his life.

As a homeschool parent staring high school in the face, I’m worried. Will my son be evaluated on his transcript? Probably not since he was homeschooled. He’ll be evaluated based on his SAT or ACT or college level course performance exclusively? I know he can do it. In fact, I know he can do it very well. But, it begs the question, is a test a fair evaluation of a person’s academic ability?

Those of you who are homeschooling high school or have homeschooled kids into college – how did/will you handle college admission? Have you simply relied on their test scores to carry them? Did the university even look at their transcript? What’s the secret? What about scholarships? The clock, for me is ticking, and I want to know where to find the keys to the kingdom. Help!