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Frequently Asked Questions

Our Courses

WHY DID MARIE CREATE THESE COURSES?
Read Marie’s answer in this excerpt from the Preface to the Basic Cozy Grammar Course.

You can also learn more in producer and director David Mielke’s Biography of Marie.

WHAT DO THE COURSES COVER?
We have complete descriptions of all of our courses on our Complete Curriculum page:

Our Complete Curriculum

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE COURSES?
You’ll find complete details on our Complete Curriculum page:

Our Complete Curriculum

DO YOU HAVE INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVEL GRAMMAR COURSES?
Yes! We have the Intermediate Cozy Grammar Level One and Intermediate Cozy Grammar Level Two courses currently being prepared for streaming online in 2021.

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WHEN WILL YOUR COZY SPELLING COURSES BE AVAILABLE?
The Free Cozy Spelling Course is available now! It is geared to a 7th grade level.

Eventually there will be a total of seven Cozy Spelling courses available: Grade Two, Grade Three, Grade Four, Grade Five, Grade Six, Grade Seven, and Grade Eight. They will each be broken down into 36 weekly units, with Monday to Friday lesson plans, exercises, and tests, covering approximately 600 words per grade level.

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Our Students

ARE YOUR COURSES HOMESCHOOL FRIENDLY?
Yes! The format of our courses address audio, visual, and tactile learning styles and can be used at home with everyone no matter their particular ways of learning. The courses are designed precisely to take grammar out of the standard classroom. All of our streaming videos were filmed in home and natural settings.

Our courses provide an online instructor who invites students in and around her cozy cottage on the beach via streaming videos, as well as online study notes, exercises, tests, and answer keys. This saves you the time of having to prepare lessons and look for materials.

Click here to find out what other homeschool parents say about our courses.

Click here to read reviews from respected homeschool curriculum reviewers and other national and international publications.

I AM AN ADULT WHO JUST NEEDS A REFRESHER COURSE IN THESE SUBJECTS. WOULD THESE COURSES WORK FOR ME?
Our courses are an ideal review for anyone who just needs to “brush up” on their basic skills. With “time management” being a key issue in the lives of most adults, utilizing our streaming videos with online study notes, exercises, tests, and answer keys by far outweighs how long it would take to slog through hundreds of pages in a dry textbook.

One of our customers had this to say:

“I am very satisfied with The Basic Cozy Grammar Course. The reason I purchased this course is that this fall, I have decided to go back to college after 20 years. This course is a perfect stepping stone to build my confidence in writing properly. I am only half way through the lessons, but I just had to commend you on the excellent course.” Sharon L.

Click here to read testimonials from adults who’ve used Cozy Grammar.

Click here to read professional reviews from national and international education publications.

HOW CAN THE COURSES BE APPROPRIATE FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS?
The best answer comes from one of our homeschooling testimonials:

“The lessons are not too simplistic, but take a basic path, which makes them suitable for youth or adult. There is none of the flash that most recent kid-oriented stuff is so prone to.” Sarah A. McCumber-House, Homeschool Help at Sassafrass Grove.

The courses are appropriate for anyone learning English grammar and punctuation for the first time and/or for someone who just needs a refresher.

Click here to read testimonials from adults who’ve used Cozy Grammar.

Click here to read professional reviews from national and international education publications.

WOULD YOUR COURSES BE APPROPRIATE FOR ESL/ELL STUDENTS?
Here is a letter of recommendation by Rebecca Azoulay, President of Diplomatic Educational Services:

Cozy Grammar as an ESL Resource

As an ESL consultant and developer of specialized ESL and TESL programs, I would like to commend Ms. Rackham on the creation of The Basic Cozy Grammar Course. I have been so pleased with the uniqueness of this program that I have recommended it to various international language schools and ESL students. In fact, the viewing of these videotapes is a recommended activity in the Grammar Module of the International TESOL Certificate Program created by our company. I believe that all ESL teachers could benefit from viewing Ms Rackham’s relaxed, systematic and clear approach to presenting grammar topics. Similarly, ESL students – young and old – who are confused or frightened by English grammar have all responded positively to The Basic Cozy Grammar Course. The study notes, grammar exercises, tests, and answer keys included with tutorials further support the effective learning of grammatical concepts. I look forward to the development of a similar grammar program at an advanced level. Congratulations to Ms Rackham and the whole Splashes From the River team on a unique and valuable contribution to the field of English language learning.

English as a Second Language In The Spotlight review by ESL Guide Kenneth Beare for About.com:

A fine product for ESL learners who plan to follow university courses in an English speaking country as the course focuses principally on structural understanding to improve a deeper understanding of the workings of English. An entertaining and thorough teacher in a background of spectacular scenery helps students acquire an excellent understanding of English grammar structure. The course provides an online workbook containing study notes, exercises, tests and answer keys with which to practice the grammar concepts discussed. The course employs ample listening and visual clues to help students master the ideas presented. The Basic Cozy Grammar Course is designed for native speakers who want to acquire a solid understanding of English grammar. The course is also well suited to ESL students who need a thorough knowledge of grammar terminology in order to study in a higher education setting. The course takes for granted basic fluency and uses a wide range of vocabulary. This makes the course more suitable to ESL students who already have strong vocabulary skills. The spectacular scenery of Vancouver island provides many entertaining learning situations expertly taken advantage of by Marie Rackham, the author and teacher of the course. Visual and listening cues, as well as repeated key concepts on screen employ a multiple intelligences approach to learning.

Click here to read more testimonials from ESL/ELL teachers and students.

Click here to read professional reviews from national and international education publications.

Course Delivery

CAN I DO THESE COURSES ON A TABLET OR SMART PHONE?
Yes! Our streaming videos and online workbooks have been formatted to look good on everything from desktop computers and laptops to tablets, phablets, and smart phones.
WILL I BE ABLE TO TRACK MY PROGRESS THROUGH THE COURSES?
Yes! It is now possible to track your progress through each course and begin exactly where you left off.
WILL I BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT COURSE PROGRESS?
Yes! It is now possible to access and print a complete record of exercise results for documentation of learning.
HOW DO THE INTERACTIVE EXERCISES WORK?
Each time a student completes a set of exercises, the answers are scored automatically and the student receives additional helpful tips, specially tailored to their answers. Students are able to take the exercises as many times as they wish.
DO YOU OFFER COMPLETION CERTIFICATES?
Yes! By marking each section complete as you go and by doing all the exercises successfully, you will be able to print an official course completion certificate at the end of each course.
CAN MY CHILDREN HAVE THEIR OWN ACCOUNTS FOR EXERCISES AND CERTIFICATES?
Yes! Each individual or family subscription includes up to 4 additional family sub-accounts, so everyone can track their progress individually.
CAN I STILL PURCHASE YOUR COURSES ON DVD?
Just as the English language is constantly evolving—to quote Marie from Lesson 14 of the Basic Cozy Punctuation Course—so too does the way we access her courses.

In order to keep prices as low as possible, with no unnecessary packaging, shipping, and handling costs, all of our curriculum is now available as streaming online courses with printable PDF workbooks through Cozy Grammar. This also guarantees the highest picture and sound quality possible.

We no longer distribute our courses on DVD.

Cozy Grammar

WHY IS IT CALLED COZY GRAMMAR?
Marie and the production team wanted to get out of the classroom—to present grammar in an everyday setting. They believed the coziness of a home, the familiarity of a garden, the fascination of a beach, and the ever-changing moods of the Pacific Coast weather would combine to make a stimulating, but non-threatening, setting for teaching a potentially dry and boring subject.

We’ve received many letters since we first released these courses about how much people have enjoyed the coziness of Cozy Grammar. One mother told us that her son, eleven years old, actually looked forward to his daily grammar lessons. “In fact,” she wrote, “as we would sit on the couch with our cup of tea, it felt more like we were visiting with an old friend in her beautiful home on the beach, than learning grammar. But learn we did, in a seemingly effortless way.” Home-based Learning Family in Maple Ridge, British Columbia

Marie always felt that students learn best when they feel relaxed and at peace in a warm, cozy, loving environment.

Click here to read more letters and customer testimonials.

Click here to read professional reviews from national and international education publications.

Click here to see the awards that Cozy Grammar has won for its unique combination of coziness, educational quality, and professional production values.

WHERE WAS THE COZY GRAMMAR SERIES FILMED?
The Cozy Grammar and Punctuation Courses were digitally filmed in and around the town of Campbell River, on the Discovery Passage side of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada.

The Basic Cozy Essay Course was digitally filmed in and around the town of Campbell River, on the Discovery Passage side of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada; on location in London, England; and on location in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

WHAT WILL I RECEIVE IN THE FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER?
Our monthly newsletter contains free excerpts from Marie’s courses, answers to frequently asked questions about grammar and punctuation, periodic special discounts for our subscribers, and other surprises!

Learn more and sign up on the Newsletter page.