Holly, you are not missing anything. 
My 2 cents…the acedemic world rushes children into learning things that are more easily learned at later ages.
For a better grasp on CM Language Arts, I highly recommend the SCM handbook (link below). On page 15 (see the sample) there is a chart that lays out LA for you. Grammer doesn’t start until 4th grade. The reason for that is because Charlotte wanted children to hear years of good literature before they started dissecting sentences. Grammer comes more easily to older children and I feel it is just plain unnecessary in first grade. I think you may be thinking of the Classical approach to homeschool. If you love all of the things that you have heard so far about CM, I would like to gently encourage you to trust her on this one, too. 
http://simplycharlottemason.com/store/hearing-and-reading-telling-and-writing-a-charlotte-mason-language-arts-handbook/
My daughter is in first grade. This is our language arts line up:
1. Delightful Handwriting (copywork)
2. Delightful Reading lessons
3. Learning narration using Aesop’s Fables which will morph into narration of other subjects like bible, history, etc.
4. Family read alouds of rich literature without requiring narration
5. Recitation practice twice a week. (We are learning The Apostle’s Creed first.)
6. Poetry read aloud each week. (our favorite)
I hope this makes you feel better. 🙂 The only way to understand CM methods is to read her words themselves. Try using the Learning Library here on this website to gain an understanding. Sonya has done the most incredible job of making CM simple for anyone to learn and implement.
Read this article:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/teaching-grammar-subject-by-subject-part-13/