The Basic Cozy Grammar Course

Reviewed in the June 2002 Issue

Gr 4-7 — These 27 basic grammar lessons are designed to supplement classroom instruction. Each 2-17 minute lesson builds on the previous one. At the end of each lesson, Marie Rackham, the hostess, refers to the workbook. Each workbook lesson provides one page of review and one page of exercises. Rather than filming in a studio or classroom setting, the producers chose to film at a “cozy” cottage on the Campbell River in Canada—Rackham’s home. The lessons become a part of her daily routine. For example, viewers learn about pronouns when Marie has several friends over for dinner and she offers red or white wine. She uses their preferences to introduce pronouns. These videos will appeal to different learning styles. Visual learners can follow along on screen; auditory learners can listen to Marie; and kinesthetic learners have the reinforcement of workbook exercises. School libraries will benefit from these videos, and public libraries should consider purchasing them if they have large home-schooling or ESL populations. One caveat for American libraries: there are some Canadian pronunciations, which are more likely to cause giggles than confusion.