Introducing GrammarPlanet ~ Homeschool Review Crew

As a Crew Leader for the Homeschool Review Crew I typically do not write reviews.  I become familiar with the product so that I can do my job as Review Quality Manager.  From time to time , I come across an amazing product that I love so much that I choose to write a review simply because I love the product.

GrammarPlanet is one of those products that I love so much that I want to share it with my readers.

GrammarPlanet is an online subscription based program to teach students of any level. This program can be used with students who have had no previous grammar instruction as well as students who have had quite a bit more experience.

So what is GrammarPlanet?  GrammarPlanet "is the brainchild of Erin Karl and Jerry Baily."  Let me share with you what Erin shared with me about GrammarPlanet:

The creation of GrammarPlanet is the realization of a years-long dream to be able to make grammar education … REAL grammar education … available and affordable for anyone, regardless of the type of school, the economic background, the location, etc. While there are a lot of homeschoolers who will benefit from it, I also hope low-income schools, students who go to schools that don’t teach it, and adults who never learned it, will be able to finally learn HOW our language works and therefore learn how to speak and write it correctly. 

The core philosophy behind GP is my mother’s creation: Analytical Grammar, a book-based program that has been on the homeschool market for more than two decades. Mom passed away more than three years ago, but before her death we were talking about how cool it would be to have a website like this. It’s SO exciting to me that the dream she (and Jerry!) and I discussed back then is now real. Her way of teaching grammar is just SO GOOD. I want as many people around the world as possible to have access to it, and digital is by far the way to go to achieve that dream. ~ Erin Karl, GrammarPlanet

GrammarPlanet teaches grammar through videos and pdf files of notes.  Students practice parsing sentences using the interactive program.  As I type this there are 13 Units available.  In the How this Works section on the main page of GrammarPlanet.com you will find a pdf with a projected outline of what they are planing to cover.  The list keeps growing!

This program will cover everything!  This program also teaches how to diagram starting in Unit 6.  The diagramming needs to be on a separate piece of paper but there is a key to check your work.

The Videos

Each unit begins with a teaching video.  The length of the videos varies from unit to unit with some only a few a minutes and others roughly 10 minutes long.  The more complex the information being presented, the more time Ms Karl takes to explain the concept and walk students through the process steps needed.

For me the videos feel like Erin is sitting down with me at my desk and not just teaching me but encouraging me and coaching me.  "If you take your time and follow the process steps exactly as I have outlined them, you'll be fine."   She encourages folks to do no more than 15 minutes at time. "Sometimes your brain just needs a break."  In one video I was nearly certain she had some type of intel  on my home as she said "you have other things you need to do besides grammar."  Really, Erin, were you looking in my window and seeing the dirty dishes?

There are some really great features of the videos I want to point out:

• They are interactive! ~  There are quiz questions sprinkled out through out the video.  You can replay the section or answer the question.  Some questions are true/ false and some are multiple choice.  Examples include:  "Which group is a list of proper nouns?" or  "True or False  Some linking verbs can also be action verbs."  
• They are Closed Captioned! ~ I am hard of hearing and my computer sound isn't so great so I appreciated being able to turn on those captions.  
• On the left is a panel with a outline of what's covered in the video.  This is very helpful if you are trying to re-watch the video  and just want to skip ahead to the section you need.
• You can open the videos in another tab to get more of a full screen video. I much preferred having it play in a new tab. 

How I used it myself:

I set up myself as a student so that I could get a feel for the program.  As a Crew Leader I wanted to get familiar with the program so  I could answer Crew Member reviews.  As a homeschool mom, I wanted to check out the program to see if I could adapt it to work with Supergirl. 

At first I was like really watch a video?  I know what a noun is? Read the notes?  Come on I am a college graduate who has taught grammar to my students in my homeschool.  I know that a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.  I think I cruised through Unit 1  Common Nouns and Unit 2 Proper Nouns when I realized I really did need to watch the videos so that I could get a feel for the program.  Take my advice.  Even if you think you know the topic watch the video.  

I found that I loved the program.  Parsing each sentence was fun and when I got to Unit 6  found that doing the diagrams were like solving a riddle.  I think I cheered once or twice or I lost count of how many times I cheered when my diagram matched the key exactly.  So working on GrammarPlanet became a fun way for me to relax or unwind.  I am far enough in the program that I really do need to take Erin's advice and take it slow.  I usually only do 2 or 3 sentences  along with the diagramming.  I have every intention of continuing this for myself until I have completed the whole course.

Using this With Supergirl:

For my regular readers you know that Supergirl is different.  She's my developmentally delayed, medically fragile, special needs miracle.   She defies all labels.  I don't recommend using GrammarPlanet with a neurotypical child who is not yet reading fluently.  GrammarPlanet is intended for ages 10 to 99 nd I agree with that age range.  I think for those of us with some grammar knowledge we need to be careful that we don't let that trip us up and for those like Supergirl with little to no understanding of grammar concepts, Erin Karl does a fantastic job of making the concepts understandable and doable.

The recommendation is to to use the program for about 15 minutes a day every other day.  Some students may be able to use it every day but others will need the break to let the information marinate.   

So for Supergirl we started  by watching the video and reading the notes. Then we tried a sentence  and stopped for the day.  The next time we watched the video again and read through the notes again and did a couple of more sentences.  The third session we did not re-watch the video.

Supergirl is not reading fluently though she is ready for grammar instruction especially the way that GrammarPlanet teaches it.  So I read the sentence to her twice and then she picked out the nouns. The first few sessions she struggled with grasping that the common noun is just one word.  She wanted to add the adjectives or articles.

When she was stuck we used the terminology used in the video.  "What are we are talking about in this sentence? What are the topics?"   "Oh we're talking about scientists!"  or "Oh we're talking about math." Sometimes she would guess and pick a word that is not a noun so I would ask her "are we talking about revolving?"  "No."  By the end of Unit 1 she was correcting herself.   Using the "what are topics," concept she was able to correctly identify "studying" and "learning" as nouns. Yes, they are gerunds but Erin doesn't expect students to know that at this level. She's teaching students about how nouns work. These were the things we were talking about so they are nouns because they function like nouns. They are being used as nouns.

 Supergirl aced Unit 1 and we have started Unit 2. If we keep taking it just a couple of sentences a day a couple of times a week I know that she'll be gaining a solid understanding of the English language. I don't know yet how I will tackle diagramming with her when we get to Unit 6 but I think it might involve index cards  and arranging those cards in the sentence diagram.

Supergirl's Thoughts:

I like it.  I think it is fun because I like picking out the words.   I like the teacher in the videos because she is so sweet.  I like the quiz questions in the video. 

 My Thoughts:

I think this is an excellent program that teaches grammar concepts in a logical easy-to-understand manner.  While I knew what a linking verb was and what a predicate nominative was it seemed so simple.  So basic yet earth shattering to hear Erin say "if the subject and the noun after the verb are the same person you have a linking a verb."   Duh.  Why did no one else ever put it that way?

I even have a better understanding of diagramming.  I hated diagramming.  I think because I didn't grasp it.  Now I get it.

I have recommended that Boobear who will be starting her graduate studies in a few weeks to work this program to brush up on her skills since she will be writing graduate level papers. 

Tailorbear has an account all set up and she'll be working through the program.

Looking for a painless way to teach grammar to your children?  Want to improve your own grammar skills?  I highly recommend checking out GrammarPlanet.  Currently there is a free version available that is ad supported.  Soon there will be an option to upgrade to a paid account.   GrammarPlanet generously provided ad free paid accounts to Homeschool Review Crew members.   You can click on the banner below to read their reviews!