There’s nothing easy about learning the basics of English — proper nouns, for example — but if your student is between the ages of 9 and 14, English Made Easy, a set of three CDs for Windows and Macintosh computers, is a good way to remove the barriers.
The first CD, Grammar Made Easy, features a charming Scot named Mike who first tests students’ knowledge of the parts of speech, then focuses on weak areas. Mike explains parts of speech (proper nouns and the like), offers exercises and quizzes, and lets teachers and parents track progress.
I pretended to do poorly on the different kinds of nouns, and Mike — a cartoonish character — set me right. Same with verbs, pronouns and more. Mike is a charmer, and he knows who to teach.
After learning grammar, it was on to the second CD, Spelling Made Easy. Same drill here. First you figure out weak areas and concentrate on them (there’s nothing stopping you from referring to strong areas, either).
The third CD is a good-to-middling tool for students who are not proficient in either English or Spanish. I think ESL students would benefit more from the first two discs, which are excellent tools for learning English in themselves.
English Made Easy will run on Windows 7, Vista and XP and Macintosh OSX. To order, send $20, plus $6 for shipping, to WashingtonCD, P.O. Box 351531, Los Angeles, CA 90035, or online at www.washingtoncd.net.
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