Friday, August 10, 2012

Vocab Videos

Remember high school English and trying to learn a million vocabulary words in preparation for the SAT?  I sure wish Vocab Videos were around back then!  Vocab Videos help students learn SAT words in a very fun way.  The videos are hilarious and it really helps kids to not only remember the words and their meanings, but also to understand them. This is one review item that I have not had to pry my daughter(s) to watch.  They want to watch them and do it on their own.


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The way it works is that each word is used in a video segment.  The word is introduced on the screen, then a short video followed by a sentence that sums up the story using the word.  The word and definition appear on the screen at the beginning and end of each segment so students are exposed by audio and video.


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Screen shot of the beginning of a video

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screen shot of the same video but at the end of the segment

(Scroll to the bottom of the review to watch a sample and find a link to more samples.  I'd put it here, but once again am having html issues with blogger.)

In addition to the videos you will find multiple study resources including a downloadable study guide, a glossary, words by group, crossword puzzles, quizzes, worksheets and more.  (Quizzes are available online or in a printable version.)


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Every lesson has a crossword puzzle, interactive multiple choice quiz and a worksheet.

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Student results are easily accessible
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Every word in Vocab videos is listed in the glossary which gives the definition,
pronunciation, sample sentence, synonyms and a link to the video clip with the word.
Students can make online flashcards to review.  They can add the words with definitions, mnemonic devices, sentences and even a picture or video link if they wish.  Taking the time to make the flashcards would also be a great review activity.

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A sample of what the first page of a flashcard would look like.
You can choose to repeat the word (it will come up later) or
flip it so that the definition shows rather than the word.


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The same flashcard with the "answer" revealed and a picture that I pasted in.

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This is a clip of one way to enter information for flashcards.
The other way to do this is by entering information on the worksheet section of each lesson.
Again, I cannot stress enough how much we like these videos.  However, there is a downside to these videos. I will not let my younger kids watch these and even have some reservations about the older kids. They are very secular in nature and are similar to what you might see on a TV sitcom.  You'll see male/female relationships and hear some mild language as well.  Otherwise, I highly recommend them.

Watch a sample here:



Many more samples can be found here.


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Vocab Videos are available  for $24.99 for a 6 month subscription or $39.99 for a one year subscription. A companion workbook is also available for $11.99.  I don't have one of these, but I think it would be a great addition to the videos.

Give Vocab Videos a try with their  free 30 day trial offer.   They also have a free SAT word list you can download and print.

Read what others are saying about Vocab Videos on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.


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disclaimer: I received a free year long small educator subscription to Vocab Videos in exchange for an honest review. A small educator account covers up to 20 students and is priced at $74.99 for 12 months. If you have more than one student you may want to look into this option.  The small educator account allows you to easily view all of your student's progress.

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