Vocab Videos {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew our family was given a subscription to Vocab Videos for one full year and for up to 20 students. This can be purchased at the website for $74.99/year. This program is a “vocabulary-learning tool for a variety of different tests beyond the SAT such as the ACT, ISEE, SSAT, and GRE tests (from the website).”

The videos also feature (from the website):

• Parodies of popular TV shows like Lost, The Office, 24, and Gossip Girl connect students to the material, presenting vocabulary to them in a context they can relate to and enjoy
• Outrageous plotlines and entertaining characters engage students and (dare we say) make learning fun!

Learning Tools also include (from the website):

• Searchable, alphabetized glossary including links to each video allows students to review individual words
• Downloadable quizzes and crossword puzzles by episode
• Teacher tracking tools allow educators to monitor individual student and class progress

The need for an engaging program for studying and learning SAT words presents itself to many teachers and students. Often they are stuck with boring word lists or something like that. This program makes the words come alive. Below are screenshots from one of the videos. It begins with the word being studied and has audio, saying the word and meaning. The videos are short but attention getting. It ends with the word being said again and a definition that matches the episode.

*************************

You can try a free Teacher trial here. Check out the other options (click on either Educator or Student).

Educator options are

• up to 20 students for $74.99,
• up to 40 students for $134.99
• or up to 100 students for $254.99

Or for individual students, the options are

• 6-months $24.99
• and 12-months $39.99.

Contact:
Website: http://www.vocabvideos.com
Contact page: http://www.vocabvideos.com/contact-us/contact-vocab-videos.html
Blog: http://www.vocabvideos.com/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vocab-Videos/116213755159
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VocabVideos
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/vocabvideos

************************

My thoughts:

Some things I like about this is that we can hear the word being said as well as an enactment of the word. There were quite a few words that I personally had thought meant something else. Also crossword puzzles, although not my kids’ favorite thing, are a plus for me. And finally the flashcards and quizzes are a plus. With the subscription you can see what is missed on the quizzes and then study the words again to retake the quiz. These words are ones that could be found on ACT, ISEE, SSAT, and GRE tests, not just the SAT.

You can see all the words that are included in the episodes.

These are completely secular in nature, which doesn’t bother me. What I didn’t care for was the humor in these videos. They are definitely memorable but it’s not the type of memorable I like. The humor is often crude and degrading. Not all of them are that way but for instance in one video for incisive, the video is going along just fine toward the end when the second character tosses in a rude comment. Sure I will remember incisive, but I’ll also remember the rudeness. And there are a lot of them that way. But then again, it could just have been that I chose the episodes that had that in them.

Also, and not that I’m saying it is a good or bad thing, the videos sometimes include parodies to shows we’ve never seen and so they are a little over our heads on that point.

I honestly didn’t let my kids watch the videos. I feel the need to preview them first and so far I’ve found only a handful that I’d be comfortable with them viewing. I had hoped this would be something we could use frequently to increase vocabulary but instead it has been useful for just me to use. That is totally because of my views. The program has good ideas, just the approach isn’t as ‘nice’ as I’d like.

For those who are not concerned with crude humor and/or those who enjoy tv shows popular today, this would probably be a good match when looking for an audio/visual program to study the SAT words. It most definitely does have videos that will concrete the words in the mind, as long as the other aspects of the videos don’t make more of an impression, as a few did on me. For those who have a more guarded approach to what their students use, this might rub you the wrong way. The inclusion of words and attitudes that some may not allow in their home, in any form, will most likely be unappreciated. I encourage you to read others review of this program by fellow homeschoolers by clicking the image below.

***Disclaimer: I received a subscription for the above from Vocab Videos via Schoolhouse Review Crew for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I only recommend those products that I feel would be beneficial to others based on my own experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***