Grammar Galaxy Nebula Mission Manual Vol. 1

Grammar Galaxy is a unique and engaging language arts program for students in elementary, middle school, and even high school! Former clinical psychologist Dr. Melanie Wilson cleverly disguises this language arts program to recruit your students to save the Grammar Galaxy from the evil Gremlin. The Gremlin is wreaking havoc around the galaxy. Helping verbs no longer help! Idioms have become literal! Suffixes drop! The royal family needs your help! If it sounds unconventional, then you have it right. This is not your typical grammar course!

Each level has two components:

• The Text is for the parent/teacher and includes the stories.
• The Mission Manual is a consumable workbook for the student.

Students can start with Nebula and progress through the series or enter at the appropriate grade levels. These grade suggestions are general guidelines. Here is a link to the placement quiz from the publisher’s website. You may also find the program’s Scope and Sequence helpful when determining the correct entry level for your student.

• Nebula for beginning communicators (2^nd, possibly 1st) 
• Protostar (3^rd, possibly 2nd)
• Yellow Star (4th) 
• Red Star (5th) 
• Blue Star (6th) 
• Nova (7th)
• Supernova (8th)

The lessons (excuse me, missions) in this curriculum start by reading aloud the Text’s approximately 10-minute chapter mysteries (older grade-level readers can do so independently, but with some parental assistance). Next, the student completes short missions by writing or dictating (for younger students) using the required Mission Manual (consumable student worktext). Missions are grouped by topic, allowing a mastery-based approach to English. Each mission follows a three-step process to complete throughout the week or in a long class period. Vocabulary words are taken from the story.

Step by step, students will read the chapter mission and then solve missions using the Manual. As students complete tasks in this imaginary galaxy, they will learn the nuts and bolts of language arts: literature, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, composition, and speaking (no phonics or handwriting instruction). While each of these topics is covered yearly, subskills are taught with a mastery intent and will vary and build upon previous years.

For example, the following topics are presented in these levels:

• Story elements are introduced in Nebula (2^nd)
• Pronouns are introduced in Protostar (3^rd)
• Pronoun-antecedents are introduced in Yellow Star (4^th)
• Foreshadowing introduced in Red Star (5^th)
• Diagramming is introduced in Blue Star (6^th)

Based on your student and your language arts goals, you may want to annually add concept review and additional literature reading to strengthen skills.

The Nova (7^th) and Supernova (8^th) levels are designed as a grammar overview of all the previous volumes. Older students without previous Grammar Galaxy experience may start with the Nova level. Find extra course resources at www.FunToLearnBooks.com, like the author’s blog and podcast.

For older students or those needing a harder challenge, look for the Advanced Guardian assignments. After each unit, including several missions each, students complete 10-question Challenge tests. Once these are passed, students can move on to the next unit.

High school students needing a tidy grammar course with the fun flair of Grammar Galaxy can look into Fast Grammar: High School Training Levels 1 and 2. The premise is that autocorrect is broken. It’s fast, fictional, and fun!

~ Ruth/Sara