First Grade Thinking Skills & Key Concepts

First Grade Thinking Skills & Key Concepts is part of a new standards-based series from The Critical Thinking Co. The book does an excellent job of helping kids develop essential thinking skills, academic vocabulary, and a grasp of key concepts in mathematics, social studies, and science. It is quite effective in laying a foundation that enables students to absorb, integrate, and communicate the more complex subject matter they will encounter as their schooling advances. Each page has its own topic heading followed by a small number of concise exercises interlaced with illustrations, a format that is highly effective at keeping kids engaged. The precision and clarity of the problems is such that students experience a rapidly growing sense of mastery (and justifiably so) as they move through the material.