Wordly Wise 3000, Book 8 is a vocabulary curriculum that provides students with a wide range of academically rich words that will challenge the student while helping to build a strong foundation for reading comprehension and overall academic success. Students will learn the meaning of words from context, engage in activities, and look at root words to help determine the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary. What makes Wordly Wise 3000 unique is that it “asks students to use and apply several of the lesson’s words in different and increasingly sophisticated contexts as they complete the exercises.” By applying the words in various contexts such as producing antonyms and synonyms, rewriting definitions, identifying examples and non-examples of the word, using the words in sentences, replacing phrases within a sentence with a vocabulary word, and choosing two phrases that both have vocabulary words to make a complete sentence. These are just a few of the various ways that Wordly Wise 3000, 4^th Edition gets the student to not only learn the vocabulary, but it enables the student to use the words in context and not just memorize their meanings. There are 20 lessons in the student workbook. The Wordly Wise 3000, 4^th Edition Student Book 8 retails for $13.95. The Wordly Wise 3000, 4^th Edition Teacher’s Resource Book 8 retails for $69.00.

In the Teacher’s Resource Book there is an Overview and Pacing Guide available that shows three options for weekly teaching plans. The first plan is for a once a week, 30-40-minute, instructional period. What is required of the student is then broken down into a 5-day plan. The second plan is a 3-times a week, 15-minute instructional period. Again, a 5-day student plan is given. The third plan is 5 times a week for 10 minutes of instructional time. Likewise, a 5-day student plan is given. These plans are just suggestions and you can adapt them as you see fit. For my daughter I did not use any plan. She is a pretty self-motivated student, except for math, so I was more than comfortable to let her work at her own pace. My daughter is technically in the 7^th grade but is an avid reader and so when looking to place her in the Wordly Wise curriculum, she placed best into level 8.

So, what does a typical week look like? This is what my daughter did in a typical week. Before starting I wanted to point out that one new addition to the 4^th Edition is something called the Rate Your Word Knowledge. Completed on Day 1, it is basically a self-assessment of how well you know the vocabulary words for the week. Students write their words in the blanks given and then choose between four choices which are:

1. I’ve never seen this word before.
2. I’ve seen this word before, but I don’t know what it means.
3. I think I know what this word means.
4. I know what this word means and can use it in a sentence.

Also, on Day 1 my daughter usually completed, Section 1A and 1B. Day 2 she usually completed IC and ID. Day 3 she completed IE. Day 4 she completed Vocabulary Extension and went online to www.quizlet.com/p/wordlywise3000. and studied her vocabulary words using Quizlet’s fun learning activities and games. In each student book there is a unique code that gives the student access to the site. Day 5 is Test Day! On Day 3, activity E, students read a passage and then answer comprehension questions about the passage. In each comprehension question there is a new vocabulary word from that week. For students that are struggling a bit, in the Teacher’s Resource Book, there is a passage that is written at a lower Lexile level for struggling students. Also, instead of answering comprehension questions like what is found in the Student Book, the Teacher’s Resource Book has phrase cloze exercises that are less writing-intensive, but still assess the student’s understanding of the words in context. Again, the activities in the weekly lessons vary. Some of the activities were already listed above. A few more activities include: multiple choice, determining meaning, using words in context, and complete the sentence.

I have used Wordly Wise for years. My oldest child is almost 23 years old and I used Wordly Wise with her and throughout my eighteen years of homeschooling. I have always been attracted to the simple, no nonsense approach taken. There is no fluff or busy work. All activities have a purpose and meaning and build on each other. Students come away having completed Wordly Wise being able to use the vocabulary words that they have learned. So many times, curriculums have students memorize vocabulary words and their meanings, but the students are unable to use the words in context. That is what makes Wordly Wise different. Their approach is simple, easy to follow, and doesn’t require a lot of preparation for the teacher. The Teacher’s Resource Book is just what the title states, a great resource for the parent for teacher. The Teacher’s Resource Book also contains Reproducible Tests (weekly, midterm, and final) as well as answer keys.

Wordly Wise 3000, 4^th Edition is a great curriculum. I would highly recommend it to all educators. The curriculum provides students with direct academic vocabulary instruction using engaging activities and strong curricula. The differentiated instruction provides both flexibility and balance for students. Check out the Wordly Wise 3000 K-12 program today.

-Product review by Jennifer Ladewig, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2019