This 316-page (plus answer key) workbook is the third book in the Language Smarts Series by The Critical Thinking Company. It is intended for students in grade 3. The publishers state that it can be used as a core curriculum or a supplemental resource, and I would concur. It does cover all of the basic concepts taught in language arts instruction in the 3 rd grade. If you wanted a different approach or an alternate scope and sequence, you might wish to use this workbook as a supplement on a particular skill weakness or to reinforce certain concepts that needed more practice. However, it would be sufficient for most students to use alone.

The full-color worksheet pages are engaging and stimulating. The graphics are fun--realistic and yet with a comic element that children will find interesting. The different sections of the workbook are bordered with different colors. The paper is heavy and will withstand a heavy-handed pencil or eraser with no problem. One problem The Critical Thinking Company has had with these lower elementary level workbooks in the past is that the paper was glossy and almost impossible to erase. This has been remedied, and this paper will not pose that hurdle to the erring child.

The comprehensive coverage of language arts skills included in the book will satisfy all but the pickiest of home educators. Concepts covered include word elements (syllables, blends, roots, suffixes, contractions, etc), sentence elements (parts of speech), punctuation, word usage (articles, homophones, commonly misused words, similes, metaphors, etc), writing elements (fact, fiction, inference, comparing/contrasting), story components (titles, plots, setting, characters, sequence, etc), and writing a research paper. Throughout the book, Editor-in-Chief pages give the student practice in applying the concept being taught and a chance to see if they can catch misuses of the various concepts. This book retails for $39.99, which may seem somewhat expensive for a workbook. However, this workbook can be used as a comprehensive 3rd grade language arts curriculum. So if you like a workbook approach to language arts, this might be a good solution for you.

Product review by Kim Kargbo, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2010