SAINT JOSEPH COLLEGE

SOFTWARE REVIEW

SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK: GRAMMAR ROCK

Publisher: Creative Wonders

Reviewer’s name: Jennifer Giacalone (Fourth Grade Teacher, Middletown, CT)

Target Population: Grades 2 – 4

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Grammar Rock! is a language arts program designed to educate children about the various parts or speech and their functions. Topics such as nouns, verbs, and adverbs are clearly explained in a way that is entertaining to students. The program is presented as a town. The program begins in the diner, where the user is introduced to Schoolhouse Rocky, the host of the program, who resembles Superman. After a brief introduction, the student is asked to meet Rocky on Hudson Street, where many choices are available. The lessons are shown as storefronts that resemble parts of speech. "Pronoun Pets," "Conjunction Junction," and "Interjection TV" are all self-explanatory stores and have catchy songs, skits, and characters to reinforce practically any English lesson. "Lolly’s Inc." is an adverbs store. An entertaining and educational game can be played using the knowledge gained from each lesson. Also, along Hudson Street are surprise animations that are unrelated to the educational aspect of the program but are amusing nonetheless. After lessons are successfully completed, a coin is earned for the student to use later at the arcade. Games in the arcade are easy at first but get more difficult as the user plays.

One interesting aspect of the program lies in the diner. As in a real life diner, this diner houses a jukebox. This jukebox plays music and videos, reinforcing the content of the program. Sample titles are "Unpack Your Adjectives" and "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here." These videos have songs and story lines that are very informative and easy to sing along with. However, one video is particularly is disturbing; the story about interjections called "The Tale of Mr. Morton" shows negative stereotyping. A bald, overweight man is shown pursuing a slim, busty young woman. Initially, she refuses his advances and finally tells him that she is "insulted," among other things. Soon after, the woman changes her mind and asks Mr. Morton on a date. Later, she proposes marriage.

CONTENT CLARITY:

Grammar Rock! offers appropriate grammar terms for its target population. For example, it is suitable for first-graders, in terms of sight word recognition, and accommodates fourth-graders who are learning parts of speech in context. The program is easy to use for the intended age range, including those who are not computer whizzes.

As previously mentioned, some bias and stereotyping were found. Along with the gender stereotyping in "The Tale of Mr. Morton," many of the characters in the program are white males. The few female or other minority characters that were included play minor roles.

TECHNICAL QUALITY:

The program is easy to use. The user may move about freely using the icons and a "point and click" technique. There are some flaws in the sound versus animation aspect. Visually, the videos in the jukebox are blurred and have a shaded effect to them, almost as if they were from the 1970’s. Some of the audio does not coincide with the animation, either. This is especially true when Schoolhouse Rocky speaks. His voice is heard for a moment when his mouth is not moving and his voice stops before his mouth does. The audio and visual aspects of this program were disappointing.

USE OF THE TECHNOLOGY:

Technology is used wisely in Grammar Rock! The navigational system is easy to use; even the "Help" button explains many aspects clearly and concisely. The program keeps track of users and accumulates their game scores and progress even after interrupted usage. This is done by simply typing a name on the diner’s chalkboard. An attractive feature for teachers is that they can enter the "vault" where they can set the controls for the difficulty level, timer, and volume. Because of this, six-year-old students will avoid the frustrating situation of playing a game that is too difficult or too fast.

ROLE OF THE STUDENTS:

Students are able to use this program easily and independently. They can concentrate on learning while having fun at the same time. Although the students have chances to construct poems, stories and blue prints, these cannot be printed. What may be printed is primarily for the teacher’s use. A Progress Report, formulated for each student, may be brought up and printed for the teacher and student to review together as an assessment.

ROLE OF THE TEACHER:

The software includes some very attractive teacher-control features. First, the teacher may customize the time and difficulty levels to best suit her or his class. This is done through the "Vault," which also houses information about each child’s progress and the level of difficulty at which the game was performed. At a quick glance, the teacher may see how many games were played by a particular student, the percentage of games played successfully, percentage of correct answers given and more. This is an excellent way of tracking success and encourages teacher-to-student interaction.

CLASSROOM USAGE:

Grammar Rock! would be useful in any first to fourth grade classroom. The importance of correct usage of the English language begins during this period, and the program reinforces this fact. It is hard to foresee use of this program by large or small groups; it is primarily designed for a single user.

CRITICAL SUMMARY:

Grammar Rock! is an entertaining software program highlighting the various parts of speech. The student is informed and entertained through funny stories, catchy tunes, games, and videos. It is kid-friendly and accommodating to teachers. The program encourages student participation and a sense of learning through positive feedback. It would be beneficial to any primary or upper-elementary classroom.

OVERALL RATING: 9 out of 10

EXPLANATION OF RATING:

Overall, this is an excellent program and can be very useful in the classroom. It lost a point when the stereotyping and audio/visual quality aspects were factored in. With an updated version of the software eliminating these two factors, Grammar Rock! is sure to be a perfect 10.

Last revised: January 15, 2003