Language Arts: Grades 4 - 9
Hands-On English
Author: Fran Santoro Hamilton
Publisher: Portico Books
For more information or to order: www.GrammarAndMore.com

Written in an easy-to-read, conversational style, the Hands-On English handbook introduces students to the way our language works and teaches them to communicate more effectively.  The program itself includes Hands-On English and an accompanying Activity Book that correlates to the material covered in the handbook.  You can also purchase a fun game, Hands-On Sentences, to reinforce concepts.  Having spent over thirty years as an editor, teacher, and writer, author Fran Hamilton shares her expert understanding of the English language in a way that children (and parents) can easily understand and apply to their daily lives.  In fact, although this is a student handbook, I find myself referring to it on a regular basis for my own daily writing!

The Hands-On English student handbook has so much information packed into its150 pages!  Much more than just a grammar and punctuation book, Hands On English explains the concepts behind many of the rules of our language.  Topics covered include Parts of Speech, Sentences, Sentence patterns, Usage of various parts of speech, the Mechanics of writing (capitalization, punctuation and spelling), and Communicating Ideas (vocabulary, reading and writing).  Although the handbook stands on its own as an extremely useful tool, adding the Activity Book provides a complete program that you are free to progress through at your own pace.  The course may be covered in one school year or spread out over several years depending on the age and ability of your student(s).  The author is able to cover so much material because she doesn't spend a lot of time on review.  New concepts are introduced in each lesson, so care must be taken to ensure that the student has enough time to assimilate the material. 

The most unique feature of Hands-On English is the use of icons to illustrate the various parts of speech and types of sentences.  Concepts that can be hard to grasp become more concrete through the use of these visual aids.  For example, a paintbrush is used to help the student visualize and remember adjectives because they "change the picture" created by a noun.  The use of clever tools like the icons does not in any way imply that Hands-On English is without depth!  On the contrary, this book provides the clearest, most concise explanations and thorough coverage of elementary English concepts that I have seen in any one volume.  A student who has successfully completed the Activity Book will be well prepared to move on to high school level English texts.

As I mentioned before, Hands-On English covers more than just grammar.  Vocabulary is built and reinforced through the introduction of nearly 200 word parts with their meanings and examples. The section on spelling rules includes words that are easily confused because they have similar spellings AND tips to help the student to remember the appropriate setting for using those words.  In the reading section, Ms. Hamilton arms students with tools to help them read and comprehend a variety of genres of literature more efficiently.  In the writing section, students walk through the entire writing process from pre-writing activities through editing, polishing and creating a bibliography. 

The Activity Book really ties everything together, giving students practice as they encounter new concepts and providing helpful teaching tips for moms.  The author provides a FAQ paper to help moms get acquainted with the material and includes advice on how to use Hands-On English.  The course can be utilized as a tool to practice concepts as the student encounters the need for them, as in writing, or as a complete course covering the material in a more sequential, purposed format.  Through the use of periodic tests provided in the Activity Book, moms can easily evaluate whether or not their children have grasped the concepts and then use the handbook to review where needed.  As they progress through the course, students have many opportunities to exercise their new knowledge with a variety of reading and writing assignments, including how to plan and write a business and/or friendly letter, previewing a textbook, paraphrasing, responding to poetry, responding to books and more.  Of course, as they apply what they've learned through their everyday writing in other subject areas, you will be able to pinpoint the areas where more review is needed.  Even after they've completed the Activity Book, the handbook will be a tool they will refer to again and again throughout their school careers.

I can't think of a better, more fun way of reinforcing grammar concepts than through playing a game.  Hands-On Sentences is a card game that utilizes the icons presented in Hands-On English.  With rules for several different ways to play, Hands-On Sentences promotes understanding of parts of speech and sentence structure.  It also helps players compose complete, accurate sentences of increasing complexity.  The icons used in Hands-On English already appeal to the visual learner; now kinesthetic and auditory learners benefit from playing games that involve creating and discussing sentences. 

Hands-On English was not written specifically for homeschoolers, but rather for all students who "grapple with the English language."  As a "grappler" myself (I just had to use the handbook to figure out where to put the period in the last sentence - inside or outside the quotation marks!), I'm grateful that Fran Hamilton has shared her knowledge of the English language with the rest of us. 

Making the grade: A+
Cost: Hands-On English - $9.95, The Activity Book: Home School Edition - $14.95 (not reproducible), Hands-On Sentences - $9.95
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10
Review provided by Cindy Prechtel, Editor