Mindful Ramblings

The Vocabulary Cartoons series uses mnemonic memory techniques to learn vocabulary.  Simply put, by associating a word with something familiar, the words are locked in place quicker.  The books use pictures and rhyming words to facilitate this process.   There is an old Chinese proverb which says, “What you see once is worth what you hear a hundred times.”   Translated into English, that proverb became, “A picture paints a thousand words.”  If you combine that with silly rhymes and crazy pictures, you get Vocabulary Cartoons!

 Here are some quotes from the book and website:

“In recent years neuroscientists have uncovered astonishing facts about how the brain learns, stores, and retrieves information!  The use of mnemonic applications is high on the list of the way the brain learns most naturally and efficiently.”

“Vocabulary Cartoons works on the principle of mnemonics. A mnemonic is a device that helps you remember something by associating what you are trying to remember with something you already know. A mnemonic device could be in many different forms like; rhymes, songs, pictures to name a few.  For example, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety-two” is a classic mnemonic rhyme which helps you remember when Columbus discovered America.”

“Following the mnemonic principle of association, Vocabulary Cartoons link together an auditory (rhyming) word association and a visual association in the form of a humorous cartoon. These powerful mnemonics help students retain the meanings of words longer and with less effort than trying to memorize definitions straight out of a dictionary.”    Here are some examples from the books:

Students learn hundreds of SAT level words faster and easier with powerful rhyming and visual mnemonics. In independent school tests, students with Vocabulary Cartoons learned 72% more words than students with traditional rote memory study materials and had 90% retention. Contains 290 SAT words with 29 review quizzes consisting of matching and fill-in-the-blank problems.

I have been a huge fan of Vocabulary Cartoons for a couple of years now, so when TOS announced we would be reviewing the SAT Word Power edition, I couldn’t be more excited.  I had already purchased a copy to use with my 10th Grader this year, along with the next book in the series, Vocabulary Cartoons II, SAT Word Power.  I tend to be a very visual learner, so this is right up my alley!  I still remember Guerilla Gorillas from a couple of years ago!  The thought of gorillas with guns running through the woods is just hard to forget!  That’s the idea of Vocabulary Cartoons.  The kids have gotten more than a couple good laughs from the cartoon format, and I never have to remind them to work on their vocabulary.

Each of the 29 sections contain 10 vocabulary words followed by a one page review/quiz.   The review contains 10 matching questions and 10 fill-in-the-blank questions.   In addition to reviewing the words/cartoons daily, my daughter writes sentences for each word in the section.  The last day of the week, she completes the review.

Here’s a link to the word list for this book:  Vocabulary Cartoons:  SAT Word Power

 Without any doubts, I would give this book all five rocks!  These books are fun and entertaining and can be used by the whole family.  If you’re looking for a new approach to learning vocabulary, I would highly recommend Vocabulary Cartoons:  SAT Word Power

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 Disclaimer:  Members of the TOS Crew were given this product for free to use with their family.  In return, they were asked to post an honest, informational review on this product. No monetary compensation was received.