Timberdoodle Review: Editor-In-Chief B1 and Building Thinking Skills Book 2 (Critical Thinking Co.)

**Edited: I mistakenly posted that the Editor In Chief B1 was for grades 9-12; I was incorrect. I knew it was for grades 6-8 when I chose it but for some reason unbeknown to me at the present, I mislabeled it.**

Recently I was given the opportunity to review two books from Critical Thinking Press, through Timberdoodle.

I chose Editor-In-Chief B1 for Lee, who is in grade 8 right now. I know the book recommends grades 9-12 but*Edited: This book is for grades 6-8 and she is really keen on correct forms of writing. I thought this would be something she would like to use. I'm not sure I did so good on my guess. 

The book is really good- it has interesting entries that the student is to 'correct'. According to the description at Timberdoodle, the student will develop correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and attention to detail using a standards-based thinking approach rather than drill and practice. Because it is geared more toward real-life application (as opposed to say, multiple choice or fill in the blank) it was of interest to me. I find it is always easier to retain information when we are actually doing what we are learning. 

First we tried to let her do it on her own but there are no set instructions on how to use the book. Then we would sit and look at the passage together. After we thought we had figured all the mistakes or made our corrections, we checked the answers in the back. Well, after doing some of these, I see I am in need of some grammar and attention to detail study!

The book is difficult for her, to say the least. Definitely not a bad  book! But I think this will need to set until next year. We've not doing enough with editing to jump in with this book yet. It is not a light editing book- they mean business!

For my son, I chose Building Thinking Skills Book 2 (based on the grade for this one!). This book is huge. I did not pay close enough attention, I suppose, to the page count when I was contemplating which books would be a good fit for my kiddos. But the size of this book is great! This book is one that both of my kids can get use out of- now. From the description, you get the idea that this is going to be a book that will jog and tax your brain. It is! The description says that students will be working on problems dealing with deductive reasoning, map skills, Venn diagrams, mental manipulation of two-dimensional objects, and much more. Fortunately for me the book includes answers, objectives, and focus questions. Even without flashy pages and being simply in black and white, somehow this book makes you want to keep going. Or at least that is the experience we've had.

This is a great book to have!

You can find these books at Timberdoodle, by publisher Critical Thinking Co. Or if you are interested in thinking skills games they have plenty of those, too! They even have entire curriculum for all years.

Editor-In-Chief B1 $16.99
Building Thinking Skills Book 2 $29.99

Click here if you would like to request a free catalog to browse. Or you can check out the entire 2011 catalog online!


**Disclaimer: I received these books from Timberdoodle free as part of the Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. See more Disclosure/Policies**