Grammar for the Real World

There has been a need for programs covering grammar skills. Thankfully, there is a new program called Grammar for the Real World, which has joined the ranks of the other "Real World" programs. This program is geared toward kids ten and older who need to

brush up on basic grammar skills. Several skill levels increase as your child progresses through the game, making this appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students. The appeal of these programs lies in the upbeat, teen-oriented, real life situations rather than dry textbook formatting.

In Grammar for the Real World, you find yourself an intern who is a wanna-be movie star. In order to become a star, you must work you way up the ranks, doing odd jobs around the studio. Your agent keeps in touch with you from time to time, giving you 'schmoozing' jobs for the upper management folks. You can also watch your "schmooze-o-meter" increase as you progress from activity to activity.

On the job board, you will find several odd jobs which must be done. If you complete each of these jobs, you will have the chance to 'show your stuff' in a game show called Grammar Rama. If you win this game show, you can then create your own television

show using the editing tools in the studio.

The activities each consist of editing and proofreading type jobs for stars who have a difficult time putting a complete sentence together.

Commercial Writer: Here you must create three commercials for various audiences selling the same product. For example, the first commercial is for a brand of gum. You must create a commercial for dentists, one for dieticians, and one for environmentalists. The sentences you need are in a rolodex, but are completely out of order. Sentences must be placed so that there is a topic sentence, two supporting sentences, and a summary sentence for the right audience.

Proofreader: The PR department needs your help. Several stars have answered fan letters, and they are full of errors. Your job is to correct punctuation errors. In a later proofreading activity, you will correct grammar errors dealing with tense agreement.

Technical Director: The newsroom has a bumbling reporter who got the job based on his good looks and NOT his grammatical skills! You must listen to each sentence, and stop the tape if you hear errors. You then must select the correct sentence from a list and uplink the right sentence to the satellite.

News Assistant: This activity can get a bit stressful for a child who gets his or her feelings hurt easily. I am rather sensitive to people yelling at me, and this one made me sweat a bit. The news director asks you to find certain parts of speech on the screen. You must highlight all of the correct words and submit them for his approval. He is nice enough if you are right, but each incorrect answer raises his temper level to the boiling point. Thankfully, you can only answer wrong twice before he gives you the right answer.

You can access a help screen at any time which explains the grammar skill being taught. Kids who are in middle school may find the first level too easy. You can not adjust the skill level from within the game, but must continue through the adventure level by level.

The game show mentioned finds you answering grammar questions dealing with plurals, apostrophes and more. There is also an arcade game that your agent allows you to play from time to time as a change of pace. This is much like Frogger in that you must cross the street to bring donuts to the directors without getting splattered on the cement! This game was a lot of fun.

Grammar for the Real World is a great way to practice grammar skills, which (based on watching my son plod through his correspondence course this month) can be extremely dry and dull. This spices up the topic a bit and answers that "Why do I have to learn this?" question.

Grading for Grammar for the Real World

Educational Value: 4 1/2

Entertainment Value: 4

Replay Value: 3 1/2

Ages: 10+

Buy Grammar for the Real World at Amazon!