I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
We have written several reviews about products from The Critical Thinking Co.™ in the past, so we were keen to try out Building Thinking Skills® Level 2. Read on to see how things are going.
In addition to reviewing critical thinking courses, we have also made several purchases from this company over the past decade, and I always have a few on my wish list, too. Critical thinking is crucial in today’s world.
What is Building Thinking Skills®
Building Thinking Skills (BTS) Level 2 is for students in grades 4-6. It will help them across the areas of reading, writing, math, and science by training them how to follow directions precisely, think logically, infer, and become better, more critical thinkers, which is important in today’s world. Some of the higher-order activities are:
- Sequences
- Analogies
- Spatial awareness
- Map reading
- Synonyms and antonyms/vocabulary development
- Following and writing directions
- Similarities and differences
- And so much more
What we Received
We received a downloadable PDF that contained 417 pages. The cover was in colour; however, the worksheets were in black and white (I believe the physical book is in full colour throughout). Having a black and white version is great if you want to save money on printing, but we have a printing contract so printing in colour doesn’t cost us extra and having the colour would have made the assignments more interesting and lively. A small detail, but one to be aware of.
There is a handy answer key at the back of the book, too – you can print this out separate for correcting your student’s work, or keep it handy on the laptop for this purpose.
10 Units
There are ten units included, with each building upon the previous one. They are:
- Describing Shapes
- Figural Similarities and Differences
- Figural Sequences
- Figural Classifications
- Figural Analogies
- Describing Things
- Verbal Similarities and Differences
- Verbal Sequences
- Verbal Classifications
- Verbal Analogies
To help keep things tidy, I printed off a couple of chapters to start (using the printer’s booklet format), cut, and comb bound the pages to prevent them from becoming misplaced.
How We Used Building Thinking Skills® Level 2
Kallista had just recently finished a math unit on shapes and needed a break, so I broke from the suggested format and had her start on unit 7, Verbal Similarities and Differences. She is also reaching the end of grade 6, so I didn’t want to beleaguer her with work that she may find too easy.
BTS can be used either as a full class or as a supplement, which is how we’re using it. Kallista has been doing about 8 pages a week, averaging about 3-4 days a week, depending on how holidays and other celebrations fell.
When a new type of work was about to be undertaken, I’d go over the first part with Kallista to ensure she understood what she needed to do, and then she worked through the exercises on her own.
The exercises are quick for students and easy to correct for parents – a win-win!
What Do We Think About This Critical Thinking Course?
As I told Kallista today, it’s important to learn critical thinking skills so those with kind hearts aren’t mislead or taken advantage of. Being able to assimilate as well as pick apart information and know what’s important is a vital tool to be able to discern truth from fiction and legit information from scams. It also helps one think about consequences of actions when you can visualise each step and the possible outcomes. Whether one is aiming to be a secretary or a surgeon, this critical thinking course will help build the skills on the pathway there.
More About The Critical Thinking Co.™
If you’d like to try before you buy, check out the Free Math & Critical Thinking Worksheets (PDFs).
Click here to read 36 reviews about The Critical Thinking Co.™ by the Homeschool Review Crew that include math, logic, science, and language arts.
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More Reviews With The Critical Thinking Co.™
We have used and reviewed The Critical Thinking Co.™ in the past as well, covering different age ranges and areas of education. You can read more about them in these posts:
