Just when you thought Wordly Wise couldn’t get any better, here comes a new edition. This series is similar to the Wordly Wise 3000 edition, with some notable changes. First of all, the new series has two new books for kindergarten and first grade. These books are colorful and provide a variety of vocabulary-building activities. Children look at colorful illustrations as the teacher reads a story out loud. Then students mark items in the pictures that are the featured vocabulary words. Concept and picture cards introduce key concepts and words, and the activities prepare students for the kind of content-area reading they will encounter in later grades. The unique, two-week lesson plans in these beginning books teach and reinforce words and concepts in 20-25 minutes a day. The rest of the series follows the same format as the original, though things have been reorganized a bit. The numbers of the books now correspond with grade levels (no more adding 3!) and the basic lessons are the same, with the same overall number of vocabulary words but with just a few word changes. Book 2 includes all the lessons in previous Book A and lessons 1-7 from Book B. It has 15 lessons and 150 vocabulary words. Book 3 includes lessons 8-10 from previous Book B and all lessons from Book C. It also has 15 lessons with 150 words and contains some Greek and Latin root exercises. Old Book 1 is now Book 4, old Book 2 is now Book 5, old Book 3 is now Book 6, and so on. Students learn 300 new words a year in Books 4-12. In these books the exercises are basically the same as the original edition with just a few changes. Word Study exercises with a Greek and Latin focus replace some of the “Completing the Thought” and “Word Relationship” exercises found in the earlier editions. Word lists now appear throughout each lesson, and the reading passage references have been updated. The books are also a bit more colorful, with colored boxes around vocabulary words and reading passages. A little upgrade to a popular series.

Another new addition to this edition is the Teacher Resource Packs/Books. For the kindergarten and first grade levels, the pack includes extensive lesson plans that tell the teacher exactly what to do and say and how to present the student book. Concept and Picture Cards are included with the Packs, which are clearly and colorfully illustrated to introduce key concepts and vocabulary words for each lesson. The lesson plans instruct on exactly how to use these cards, and the Teacher Book also includes a read-aloud story or poem for each lesson, extension and challenge activities, blackline masters, formal and informal assessments, assessment checklists, and more. The upper level Teacher Resource Books include teachers guides for the lessons, reproducible tests and reviews, vocabulary activities (including word webs and semantic maps), options for group or individual instruction, pacing options, and answer keys for the tests and workbooks. If you don’t think an intensive, thorough teacher guide is necessary, the test books and answer keys are available separately, though the concept and picture cards and the stories for the K-1 levels are only available in the Teacher Pack. Answer keys for the student books are sold separately.

Have an audio learner? By customer request, we also now offer audio CD sets that correlate to levels 2-12. These include recordings of each word list to aid pronunciation, along with definitions and comprehension questions, and all reading passages. There are three CDs each for Grades 2-3, and 5 CDs for each level for grades 4-12.

New test books with answers are available for this edition. Tests for the old edition, though similar, are not compatible with the new edition student books. For additional games and mp3 word lists, visit www.wordlywise3000.com.

Customer Reviews

 
Chalee G. from Jerome, ID wrote the following on 11/08/2007:
We have used Wordly Wise for years. My girls 8 and 11 always ask if they can do Wordly Wise first. The different methods that Wordly Wise has for teaching the new vocabulary words is fun and keeps their attention. There is no teacher prep in this which makes it mom friendly. I also like how this new edition correlates its title with the grade level recommended. Although, we have let our girls pace themselves, if they finish a book we just move on to the next level. The price of this product is a great value for what you get. A complete vocabulary program.

 
Nancy C. from Midlothian, VA wrote the following on 01/18/2009:
I have been using Wordly Wise for three years now with one of my children and for one year with another one. We really love these very nicely organized workbooks. They are a great value for the money, and they provide solid, interesting, challenging practice with vocabulary. For one of my children, vocabulary and language comes extremely easily and is a strength area. Wordly Wise is challenging to him and keeps him on his toes because the activities are varied and make him consider all of the different meanings a word might have and the different forms in which it might appear; we can work above grade level and he enjoys slipping in these words in our life beyond the workbook. For my child who has more challenges in vocabulary, this is also a great program. It's bite-sized (we do one activity each day--takes 5 to 10 minutes) and not dry and I see the results of his consistent work. The online resources for use with the program are a super-cool addition to the Wordly Wise lineup. They make a great program that much more awesome and I highly recommend making use of them to mix things up!

 
Melissa B. from Lakeland, FL wrote the following on 01/19/2009:
I have used this vocabulary curriculum with all four of my children, both this 1st edition and now the 2nd edition as well. My oldest (15) is in the last book of the 1st edition and when I pointed this out to her, her comment "But I've done these all my life!" She is feeling sad to leave them behind. I think a good vocabulary is a gift, this curriculum definitely provides that gift. All words are learned in the context of a story, usually some piece of history, so that's just a great bonus. They practice meanings, usage and relationships. Each word list has 5 activities to reinforce that group of words. My children are able to work on this independently, but it's not so easy that it is effortless. I haven't purchased the Teacher Guides, but they may have proved useful. I think it's a great value. Each book lasts us about 6 months or so. These are a wonderful product and very cost effective.

 
Tonya A. from Cinti, Oh wrote the following on 09/01/2009:
My son loves using these books. It keeps his attention and makes review of the words quick. There is not much teacher preparation so it's easy for him to get started. Very easy to grade also.

 
Danielle B. from Lumberton,NJ wrote the following on 01/18/2010:
Finally, something that I have been looking for! I had many goals for my children with Reading and Vocabulary so I figured I would need multiple programs. Not so with Wordly Wise. Not only do they gain knowledge of so many vocabulary words, but in doing so they work on grammar, reading comprehension, and word roots. There are so many different activities from week to week that my children do not get bored, however there is enough of a constant that they are comfortable. With word searches, crosswords and hidden messages included each lesson it is hard to keep my children from doing all the lessons at one time!