Building Thinking Skills Level 2- A Review – The Delight Directed Homeschooler

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We are on summer break! Praise the Lord! We had a full year and are now taking some well deserved summer days of adventuring, lounging at the pool, and vegging out in front of the TV (don’t judge me). While most of my kids are excited to be on break, I do have the one… you know the one… who just loves all things school and isn’t wanting to take a break. You know what’s great for that?!?! Breaking out of the norm and having some resources on hand that you can just hand over to the eager child. We recently received Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 from The Critical Thinking Co.™. It is perfect for summer learning or any other time you might need a little extra in your school life.

Critical thinking skills are so, so important. Teaching kids to think through what they are learning and ask good questions is a skill that is not prioritized (in my opinion) and that is not a good thing. Being able to think critically is important… in school and in life. The Critical Thinking Co.™ is known for their award winning material in the area of critical thinking (I mean… it’s in the name people!).

Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 is a workbook with over 400 pages (includes the answer key). It is actually a full curriculum of critical thinking skills. There are 10 sections working on different skills. The book prepares students for a variety of cognitive tests focusing on effective verbal and nonverbal reasoning activities. The skills targeted for improvement are:

Analysis
Problem Solving
Vocabulary
Reading
Writing
Math
Logic
Figural- Spatial Skills
Visual Processing
Auditory Processing

The skills work from concrete to abstract as student learn to analyze, observe, recognize, and describe.

Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 is geared for 4th- 6th grade. While it does allow for indepedance, there will be some guidance required. To help reduce frustration and set your child up for success, it would be good to check in and monitor how they are doing.

My rising 5th grader is the one who enjoys doing extra school. Once I explain a page to her, she is able to complete it on her own. Thankfully, the answer key is in the back of the book!

We are not ones to teach to a test or really care about standardized testing in our homeschool. We are required by the state to complete yearly testing, but it isn’t something that I stress about. I know that different states have different laws. While I would never advocate teaching for a test… I also understand that we want to set our kids up for success. Using a book like BTS Level 2 is a gentle yet challenging way to sharpen those critical thinking skills and prepare kids for any testing they may encounter.

You could choose to incorporate the book into your weekly rhythm and use if for the entire year (depending on your pace) or you could use it as supplemental or extra work as needed. However you choose to go about it, BTS Level 2 is a great addition. The products from The Critical Thinking Co.™ are top notch. Did you know they even have FREE math and critical thinking worksheets?