"A Basic Course in Grammar" Review

Following is a review for the Little Darlings Press curriculum, "A Basic Course in Grammar." This unit was written after two years of research and teaching a basic grammar course to a group of homeschool students. At an affordable price, $15.95, we feel this curriculum is a great choice for grammar or to supplement any Language Arts curriculum. One thing we have found in our own classrooms is grammar can be a tricky subject, some kids get it, some don't. Put your mind at ease, pick up a copy of this grammar unit and get your students started on the road to understanding basic, essential grammar rules.

REVIEW by Amanda K. on currclick.com: This review is for “A Basic Course in Grammar” by Little Darlings Press. This course is great for younger students, but can also be used as a refresher course for older students who are struggling. It covers all the basic parts of speech such as Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions and Interjections. It also covers types of sentences and punctuation. The format is straight-forward and easy to use. They give the instructor a guide for lesson planning which includes a 23 week lesson plan, a materials list and several charts that can be printed out and used as visual aids in the classroom. They give step-by-step instructions on how to teach each lesson. You could print this guide and start implementing it with your students right away. It does not require hours of planning or prep work, they have already done it for you! There are worksheets and quizzes available to help monitor student progress, as well as answer keys which make it easy to grade student’s papers. The guide begins each lesson with a section titled “teacher notes” which guides you through the teaching process. It is followed by “assignment suggestions” which shows the instructor which worksheets to use for that day’s lessons and gives ideas for real world instruction (like finding parts of speech in a newspaper article and circling them). Each lesson ends with a “before the next meeting” section which assigns homework and things the student should do to prepare for the next lesson. This curriculum was well thought out and does a great job covering the topic without overkill and excessive sentence diagramming which can overburden younger students and make grammar painful. This is a breath of fresh air and a gentle way to teach grammar skills. I highly recommend it for your students!