Grammar For Children: Sentences

I learned my grammar rules the same way every other kid from my generation did--watching the Schoolhouse Rock shorts sandwiched in between the Saturday morning cartoon lineup. Now, almost 30 years later, I can still recite what a noun is, how a conjunction functions, and when and how to use adverbs and adjectives. Schoolhouse Rock made grammar fun--a quality often missing in language arts courses--and so does Grammar For Children, a five-volume series designed for kindergarten through fourth grade students that features a group of young editors who work for Wordswork, a magazine produced by and for kids. While there are no catchy songs, and the acting ability of these kids is about on par with the Barney regulars, the framing device remains interesting enough to hold the attention of the intended audience, while the colorful, graphics-laden content will help reinforce the rules. In the volume I watched, Sentences, the Wordswork team, with the aid of Mrs. Gramercy, help teach viewers about the four distinct types of sentences--statements, questions, commands and exclamations--providing several examples and a concluding word game to test children on their new knowledge. The other titles in the series are: Descriptive Words & Phrases, Nouns, Verbs and Punctuation. Definitely recommended. Aud: K, E, I, P. (J. Asala)