With math, there is no phrase more true than, “practice makes perfect.” I find that quite often, our kids need a lot more practice with math than any other subject. That is why I was very excited to get the opportunity to review Dare to Compare: Math Level 2 from The Critical Thinking Co. Here is what we found…
A little bit about The Critical Thinking Co.
The Critical Thinking Co. is rightly named, as they help students develop critical thinking skills. They offer over 600 titles across most subjects, and with each book or product, they work to help students think. With this review, Crew families were asked to review the following products:
- Pattern Explorer Beginning (Grades 3-4)
- Elementary Math Games (Grades 3-5)
- Critical Thinking Detective – Vocabulary Book 2 (Grades 5-12+)
- Dare to Compare: Math Level 2 (Grades 6-7)
- Middle School Math Games (Grades 6-8)
- Building Writing Skills – Essential Tips & Techniques (Grades 6-12+)
- Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 (Grades 8-12+)
- Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 2 (Grades 8-12+)
As I mentioned, our family was able to review Dare to Compare: Math Level 2. This review will focus on that particular workbook.
A little bit about Dare to Compare: Math Level 2
Dare to Compare: Math Level 2 is designed to teach students the art of comparison while also reviewing key math concepts. For example, your child may be asked a question like, “Which box has a different value?” Then they will have to use problem solving skills and math to find the answer. Typically what students are asked to do represent real world problems that they will be asked to solve as they enter into adulthood.
With each question, there are quite a lot of simple math problems encompassed into one larger problem. While this workbook has just 92 pages, each question requires a fairly significant amount of time to complete. Even though each question has only one problem, there may be several math problems to solve along the way.
How we used the product…
My son is really great at math when it is simple and straight forward. However, give him a problem that requires math for the solution, and he tends to get very lost. This is why Dare to Compare: Math Level 2 is such a great tool for him. Simply working for 20 minutes three times per week has increased his ability to think about how math can be used to solve some of life’s problems.
Typically twenty minutes will get him through a couple of problems. At first he would get frustrated by the amount he could get done. It is important to help your students understand just how many math equations they have to complete with problem. Once my son understood that, he felt a lot better.
Keep in mind that the answers to all of the questions are in the back of the book, so you may want to remove that section. There is also a section in the book called, “Hints.” This is great for when your child needs a little bit of a reminder on a step within the problem.
Because the workbook is designed with real-world problems in mind, it is easy to find yourself in actual math-based discussions. We have found ourselves talking about being a responsible consumer, how fractions and decimals are similar, etc. Some of the math concepts you will find in the book include rates, ratios, fractions, proportions and percents.
Seth (age 13)
“What I really liked about Dare to Compare: Math Level 2 is that it helped me review subjects that I have kind of forgotten. It helps me with my problem solving skills, and I need that as I continue my education.”
“Math can be a hard subject to get kids motivated to complete. With Dare to Compare: Math Level 2, kids are exposed to the why’s behind the math. They really get to see that math is actually something they will be using as they reach adulthood. Because of that, I have seen an increase in my son’s willingness to work on his math.”
Review Crew thoughts…
You don’t have to take our word for it though. Other Review Crew families have also been working hard to bring you a great review. And, since families are reviewing different products from The Critical Thinking Co., I highly recommend that you check out all of the reviews. To do so, simply click the link below.