Caught'ya!: Grammar With a Giggle

I cannot wait to use this approach with my third graders this fall. What a fun way to teach what could be the boring basics of Grammar!

I’ve been using this with my with graders and it is generating conversation about grammar and conventions. They have been using the academic terms to explain the grammar and conventions they use. I recommend it for any teachers looking for a way to do a quick grammar/convention lesson daily.

As homeschoolers, we love this grammar program. It's simple, quick and very effective. We started seeing a difference in our children's' writing after only a few days. Our kids are 8 and 10, and they really enjoy doing grammar now, I think in large part because of how quick it is and the fact that it doesn't involve a huge amount of writing. They have, on occasion, begged to do grammar because they can't wait to find out what happens next in the ongoing story. Once you get the idea of how this program works, it would be fairly easy to write your own stories (if you're so inclined).The only drawback is that the book is written for school teachers, so there's a lot about how to manage it with 30 students. Much of that is irrelevant to homeschoolers; however, the directions and stories are very helpful. Also, the tips on how to write your own stories are excellent, which help ensure you're covering everything your kids need to master, and that you're not working too far in advance (and thus risking working for nothing if you have to change course).Overall, a great grammar program, highly recommended.

I am an English teacher with the same frustration that the author had. I have students who can diagram anything I give them, and make straight A's on tests but do not seem to put anything they know into practice when writing. I am also frustrated by how boring the typical English class is. Grammar with a Giggle was just what I was looking for. It takes only a few minutes and all my students LOVE them. They love hearing about what is coming next in the story, and they think it is fun to try to find all the errors. Unfortunately, I cannot cut out the boring stuff I have to do as I am expected to finish the textbook given by my school district. Gratefully, these exercises bridge the gap for my students between learning the grammar rules and actually applying them. I do not use the book exactly as the author does. I do not say "caught ya", but I do float around the room letting the kids know if they found them all or not. The only drawback is that there is not more stories from which to choose from in the book, and I do not have the time to write my own. I will probably by more in the series when I am done with these.

I have been a 4th grade teacher for 5 years. I have found that the hardest part about teaching grammar is the students transfering what they learn about punctuation to their everyday writing. They would put their comma's correctly on the worksheet but then would forget all about them in their stories. When I used this book the transfer between grammar and story was much better. It also was wonderful for teaching the placement of quotation marks, a new skill in 4th grade. The book allows for a progression of skills and lots of repetition. The funny story makes it so that students don't become bored. Every year I try new things in all of my subject areas. This book is the only thing that I have never changed. It's that helpful.Update: In the past 5 years, I have now also taught first, second, and third grade. I bought the Grammar with a Giggle book for those grades and have been just as happy with the results. The stories for all of those grade levels are age appropriate and entertaining with wonderful results on their grammar and conventions. The lower grades even include a spelling component.

My 9th grade daughter knew grammar rules individually, but needed help putting a variety of rules into practice. Although these were written for junior high, I used them to introduce Caught Ya's to my daughter. She just did 5 per day instead of one. Then we moved on to the high school Shakespeare book.

My students love this teaching tool. I use it as way to have them practice how they need to write their sentences and it so great that all the pieces come together. I love that it has a vocabulary word a day which helps my students practice their dictionary skills for the week.

I really believe this has made a great difference in the learning of language in my classroom. The children look forward each day to see what is happening in the story, and I love it. I am expecting much improved scores on the Mechanics section of our writing assessment this year. It's been one of my best purchases to add fun to the teaching of English concepts. We received the Writing Assessment results in October. My students, who had never had more than 3-4 percent in level four in any of the three sections, had over 20 percent scoring in level four. The only thing I added to the way I usually teach English was the Grammar With A Giggle daily sentence. I love it, because it works.

Absolutely brilliant idea! My 9 year old Homeschooled daughter (who has dysgraphia, dyslexia, and ADHD) enthusiastically claims that grammar/Language Arts is the best part of her day.

My students love this style of editing!

Great resource for my grade six class.