Vocabulary Cartoons: Building an Educated Vocabulary With Visual Mnemonics

by Sam Burchers, Max Burchers, Bryan Burchers

Collects cartoons and rhyming phrases designed to improve vocabulary.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Teaching

250 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to share this book with anyone who works with kids. I have used this book in my class for years, and students of all ages love this format. It has a word, how it is pronounced, the meaning and what it sounds like. The sounds like part is related to the cartoon picture. Under the picture are 3 sentences that include the word. I used to start off by reading the sentences and have the students guess the meaning of the word. This activity engaged them and helped them develop the skill to use context clues to find the meanings of words. Sometimes I asked the students to write a story using the 10 words that they learned over the past 2 weeks. In the book, is also a quiz at the end of each 10 words that can be used in the class. The kids loved learning words that their parents might not know, and I challenged them to use their new words when writing other assignments.

Here is an example: Abduct
(ab DUCT)
to kidnap or carry off by force
sounds like DUCK
The cartoon shows a man dressed in black with a mask running away from a pond with 2 ducks under his arms!

The sentences say
1. The evil Knight planned to abduct the queen when she came alone to the village.
2. Our basketball team was abducted by aliens who carried them off to the planet Mars.
3. The neighbor's boy abducted our pet pig, and we paid a ransom of a box of cookies to get him back.

I also taught how to make complete sentences that let you know what the word meant in your sentence. For example if the sentence just said The evil knight planned to abduct the queen, you wouldn't know what the word abduct meant.

[Silentium · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny cartoon does help jog my memory for new vocabularies. It creates an easily memorable phase which is a good technique. I shall recommend to anyone who are learning English.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and easy book to use with language arts to increase or practice vocuabulary words. The way my daughter and I used it was to read 5 new words a day. Since the sections are broken into 10 words she would do a section every two days. On the second day she would verbally answer the reveiw questions at the end of the lesson. After 5 lessons I had her go back and do the reveiw questions again, this time in pencile on the copied pages I made. Thus reviewing the vocabulary a second time.

I would highly recommend this easy to understand and humorus vocabuary enrichment corrculm for elementary and middle school students.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This vocabulary cartoon book is absolutely wonderful! I taught so many Special Education students new words that they were able to use and retain by using this appealing method. I highly recommend it to teachers and students.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and educational read! My son loves cartoons and he loves to read....he grabbed this out of my hands before I had a chance to peruse it. For home educators, or anyone who cares about their children's education, this is a great supplement!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific cartoons that illustrate vocabulary definitions. For example, a pear fencing becomes "the pear parried the blows." Lots of fun.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a fun way to learn vocabulary words. We do 10 words per week and the kids remember them long term too!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this for my children. Really works!

[Vanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

awsome

[Shawna]

My professor for a children's literature class at the University of Northern Colorado recommended this book to help students acquire more vocabulary in a fun way.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! What a great way to help kids learn vocabulary and help it stick in their minds.

[Jo Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun way to learn vocabulary. There are an additional two books for SAT study.