Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Critical Thinking Co.: World History Detective Book 1 {Review}



The Critical Thinking Co. sent us World History Detective Book 1 for grades 6 and up (grades 6-12+) to review.


First Thoughts
We really like using items from The Critical Thinking Co. We own several different puzzle books (Mind Benders), Language books (Word Roots) and a few math books (Scratch Your Brain) already, so when we were provided with the opportunity to review World History Detective Book 1, we were super excited.

And I couldn't believe how much history is packed into this book.


World History Detective Book One covers "prehistory," ancient  civilizations, medieval civilizations, and Early American civilizations. It is a softcover workbook with 368 perforated pages. Some of the civilizations include:
  • China
  • Egypt
  • India
  • Greece
  • Roman
  • Celts
  • Europe
  • Russia
  • Arabia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • West Africa
  • East Africa
  • Mayas
  • Aztecs
  • Incas
  • Native Americans 
 
 
Each section gives information about the history of the civilization. The paragraphs are identified by letters...


 and each sentence is numbered. The numbers are especially helpful later to answer some of the multiple choice and true and false questions.

Some sections have geographical maps of the areas discussed, labeled with the important place names to the readings for the particular time period.

At the end of each section, there are multiple choice questions to answer based on identifying evidence, evaluating evidence, drawing inferences and conclusions. Some true and false questions are provided. Students are then asked to identify which sentence number best supports the answer they choose.

The next task is to complete a short answer type of question with a written response.

There are concept maps with a word choice box.
 
There are time lines for the relevant people.

There are pictures of important places.

 
Our Experience
Ceesa worked in her World History Detective book four times a week for 20-30 minutes a day. After she worked on her pages, I checked her answers with the answer key in the back of the book.

She reports that her favorite part is the concept map. She says, "I learned a lot about ancient wars and ancient governments." For example, "I learned about how the soldiers in Ancient Greece wore armor."


We chose not to do the sections under prehistory or some of the very early civilizations covered. Many of the topics covered and explanations of that time are contrary to our interpretation of historic events based on Biblical teachings.

I especially like written responses because I can see what thinking processes Ceesa is using when she answers her questions. We do a lot of narrations and Ceesa has a wonderful way of explaining what she has read. I look forward to reading her thoughts. So this section is my favorite.

It was interesting to see that Ceesa could answer the questions correctly, but couldn't always determine what sentence proved her answer. She has never had to attempt that before. After a couple of weeks, she became better at discovering the correct sentences.

Recommendation
We recommend this book for those that enjoy Critical Thinking products or have an interest in studying ancient cultures. T

Bonus
With every purchase from Critical Thinking Co., you receive a free ebook sampler.

Click here to read more reviews from Schoolhouse Review Crew. *Our review was in the Top Ten on pinterest!! To see all ten click here.
 


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