Welcome to Homework and Horseplay. Are you looking to be more hands off when it comes to your student’s grammar lessons? Check out my GrammarPlanet Review to see if this online grammar program is right for your family!
What is GrammarPlanet?
GrammarPlanet is a completely online grammar curriculum from the creators of Analytical Grammar. This program is designed for students (ages 10+) with all ranges of grammar knowledge. GrammarPlanet uses a mastery approach. This means that if your student is struggling with a concept they will receive more practice problems to work through before taking the unit test. Best of all- GrammarPlanet is free as long as you don’t mind a few ads!
How did we use GrammarPlanet?
My 8th grader, Julia, used this program for 15 minutes 3-5 times a week depending on our schedule. Each lesson begins with a 5-10 minute instructional video that has quizzes built right into it. Before watching the video students need to click the orange note button on the bottom left corner of the screen, and print the notes for the unit. To save on printing costs I had Julia simply download the notes. Since my computer screen is rather large she is able to have the notes and GrammarPlanet open at the same time. 
After the student watches the instructional video and completes the quizzes, they will then move on to the practice problems. As I mentioned before GrammarPlanet is a mastery based program, so the number of practice questions will vary depending on how your child is performing. Julia was a little cranky about the number of questions to complete. I had to remind her a few times that she does not need to complete all the questions in one day. This program is meant to be used in only 15 minute sessions.
If the student answers too many questions incorrectly the unit will be locked, and an email is sent to the instructor. I found this incredibly helpful because Julia completes the lessons on her own while I am working with her younger brother. I usually receive the email and unlock the unit from my phone before Julia is able to make her way to the school room to tell me about it.
After successfully completing all the levels in a unit the student moves on to the unit test. Just like the lessons the unit tests are graded immediately. The student is able to see their results before moving on to the next unit.
Homework and Horseplay’s final thoughts…
I have to admit that I mixed feelings when it comes to GrammarPlanet. The concept of having a completely online curriculum that is self-grading is wonderful, but Julia has been struggling through this program quite a bit. I am not sure if she was just rushing through the lessons or if she wasn’t completely understanding the questions. I had to unlock units multiple times because she had so many incorrect answers. Julia is my sensitive child and a perfectionist, so this was hard for her to handle . However, with that said I think it is good to take our children out of their comfort zone and push them a little harder. I plan to have Julia continue completing GrammarPlanet lessons a few times a week.
I really do enjoy the layout of this program, and Erin (the video instructor) has a wonderful speaking voice. GrammarPlanet is definitely one of the most difficult grammar programs we have ever used, but we have learned so many new things. For example, do you know what a gerund is? If you don’t you’re not alone. I have never heard of this concept before. After researching why one of Julia’s practice questions was marked wrong we discovered a whole new realm of grammar.
The teacher dashboard is also a wonderful resource. After clicking on the students name you can easily see how they answered practice and test questions. Additionally, you can download unit reports.
This simple layout makes it very easy for the teacher to navigate the program, and find the problem areas for their student. Although it was hard to watch my daughter struggle so much in the beginning, I am really thankful that the Review Crew introduced us to GrammarPlanet. With the new school year about to begin I am considering adding both of my boys as students. I think their grammar skills could use a little practice too.
Thank you for checking out my GrammarPlanet Review…
Do you want to read more from other members of the Review Crew?
The post GrammarPlanet Review appeared first on Homework and Horseplay.
No comments:
Post a Comment