Caught'ya!: Grammar with a Giggle

Name: Caught'ya!: Grammar with a Giggle
Brand: Capstone

by Capstone

ElaGrades 3–11

Caught'ya!: Grammar with a Giggle: Story-Based Grammar Method

Caught'ya!: Grammar with a Giggle is a story-based grammar curriculum where teachers write unpunctuated sentences on the board and students add proper capitalization and punctuation. The method uses engaging stories as vehicles for customizable grammar review across grades 3-11.

Best for

Homeschool families or teachers seeking a flexible, engaging grammar review method for mixed-age groups who want to customize instruction to specific student needs

Evaluation Criteria

1 strength · 3 concerns · 5 neutral

Text ComplexityStrength

Text complexity can be customized since teachers can adapt stories to student needs.

The curriculum allows teachers to use existing stories or create their own, and 'sentences can be adapted to review whatever grammatical skills students need'

Knowledge RichConcern

The curriculum does not systematically build domain knowledge across subjects.

The focus is on grammar skills using story content as a vehicle, with no mention of building knowledge across history, science, or the arts

Direct InstructionConcern

The method appears to use implicit learning rather than explicit grammar instruction.

Students learn grammar through daily practice of correcting sentences rather than through direct teaching of grammar rules and concepts

Writing InstructionConcern

The curriculum does not include structured writing instruction beyond grammar mechanics.

The method focuses solely on copying sentences and adding punctuation/capitalization with no mention of composition, planning, or writing process instruction

Teacher TrainingNeutral

The curriculum provides methodology and sample stories but limited teacher development materials.

The book 'outlines the methodology and includes three sample stories' with models for different grade levels, but no extensive professional development is mentioned

Retrieval PracticeNeutral

The daily sentence correction provides regular practice but lacks systematic review.

The method involves daily grammar practice through sentence correction, though no mention is made of spaced review or retrieval of previously learned concepts

Systematic PhonicsNeutral

No phonics instruction is included as this is a grammar-focused curriculum for grades 3-11.

The curriculum focuses on capitalization, punctuation, and grammar skills rather than foundational phonics

Vocabulary BuildingNeutral

Vocabulary instruction can be incorporated but is not a systematic component.

The review mentions that 'vocabulary words can be incorporated' into the daily sentences but provides no systematic vocabulary development framework

Whole Books Vs ExcerptsNeutral

The curriculum uses short story segments rather than whole books or excerpts from literature.

The method involves writing 'a few sentences' daily from stories, with three sample stories provided for different grade ranges

Sources: cathyduffyreviews.com