Towards the end of the last school year, we started using Analytical Grammar. I was one of those moms that said I wouldn’t use a grammar program that required a great deal of diagramming. Well, once again, I’m eating my own words. It turns out that diagramming works for Munchkin. She doesn’t always like it, but it does work for her.
Munchkin liked the format of Analytical Grammar, but her one complaint was that she felt there wasn’t quite enough instruction for her. Because she wanted to do the work independently, she would tackle the lesson using her understanding of the information being presented. At times, this created some issues because what she thought the lesson was saying wasn’t what was really being taught. It meant that I would need to go back in and teach her how do to the unit. While I have no issue with this, it left her feeling less than capable of doing her work independently.
In case you’re not familiar with how Analytical Grammar works, each unit is broken down into 4 components: the lesson, the 3 exercises, the skills support, and the test. The lesson is designed to be taught by the instructor, but in our case, Munchkin was reading the lesson herself because she wanted to work independently. The students are able to self-correct the lessons by going over a very detailed answer key which means they can see their mistakes immediately. It’s also teaching the beginning stages of self-editing.
Students will do units 1-10 before stopping for the year. Analytical Grammar calls this the end of Season One. During the break, students can do reinforcement exercises to help the concepts they learned to stay fresh in their mind. They will then move on to Season Two (units 11-17) which covers clauses and phrases. At the end of Season Two, they will once again take a break and do reinforcement exercises. Season Three (units 18-34), the final season, covers punctuation. Once they complete this season, they will have covered all the grammar they need. If desired, you can add in additional high school reinforcement exercises to make sure their grammar skills stay sharp.
Analytical Grammar Companion Dvds
When we heard that Analytical Grammar was going to be offering companion dvds for their program, Munchkin was extremely excited as this teaching component would take care of her one complaint about the program. She would now be able to receive the instruction that she needed while continuing to work independently. We watched a sample lesson online which you can view below.
We had found the key to this program really working for Munchkin. She was able to listen to the teaching, watch them do some practice sentences, and work through the exercises. A little light-bulb seemed to go off. She would be able to work independently again which was really her goal all along. She was happy, and I was happy.
The Analytical Grammar Companion Dvds are great for anyone who would like a little help with the instruction of the lessons or for those kids, who like my daughter, want to be able to work independently. The dvds are well done with nice picture and sound quality. It’s like having your own private tutor in your home without the high price tag. The 4 dvd companion set costs $39.95 and covers the complete Analytical Grammar program.
I received a copy of the Analytical Grammar Companion dvds to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. A positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own.