GrammarAndMore offers a variety of resources to help you enjoy English and use it effectively.

Portico Books, our sponsor, offers products that take the mystery out of grammar by using icons to represent parts of speech. For example, a cube represents a noun, and a spring represents an action verb. A paintbrush depicts an adjective because it can change the appearance of a cube the way an adjective modifies a noun. Icons can be combined to show the components of different kinds of sentences.

The icons are an integral part of all of Portico Books' products -- from Hands-On English, a concise handbook, to Hands-On Sentences, a card game that helps develop familiarity with parts of speech and skill in sentence construction.

In addition to grammar, the Hands-On products and other resources on our GrammarAndMore site will help you develop skill in usage, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, vocabulary, reading, and writing. These skills will help you communicate more effectively.

Our products, Hands-On English, The Activity Book, Hands-On Sentences, and Hands-On Icons were developed by Fran Hamilton, using her years of "hands-on" classroom experience teaching students about grammar and the effective use of language.

Upcoming Exhibits

Greater St. Louis Area Home Educators Expo, April 10-12, 2008, at First Evangelical Free Church, 1375 Carman Road, 63021. Fran will present workshops about Hands-On English at 4:00 Friday and at 10:00 Saturday.

Also see Hands-On English in the Combined Book Exhibit booth at the following shows:
National Education Association Convention, July 1-3, 2008, at the Washington (DC) Convention Center
Beijing International Book Fair, September 3-8, 2008

If you will be attending any of these events -- or know someone who will be -- please bring Hands-On English to the attention of people looking for English language educational materials.

Annual Family Story Contest for Kids

Now in its third year, The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration invites students in U.S. grades 4-8 and homeschool and international students aged 9-14 to interview their family storykeepers and write a 275- to 500-word story about something they learn from their family history. The Grannie Annie encourages students to share their stories with their families and their communities -- and to submit the stories for possible publication in the annual anthology. At least ten stories in each of two age categories are published each year.

You'll find all of the details about The Grannie Annie -- including guidelines and the required entry form -- at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org. The website also includes tips to help students with their interview, with their first draft, and with revision. In addition, a month-by-month calendar will keep people on track to meet the February 14 submission deadline. You'll want to be sure to read the stories published in the first two volumes of Grannie Annie! Not only do the stories bring history to life, they also inspire more stories and provide excellent models for future submissions.

The Grannie Annie anthologies make wonderful gifts for relatives, students, teachers, librarians -- almost anyone on your gift list!