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Grammar or no grammar for ds8, after coming from public school
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My ds8 is in 3rd grade this year. He did ps for K and 1st grades, hs in 2nd. So he’s been exposed to grammar already, although last year we did LLATL Red, which only gently dealt with grammar.
This year I had intended to use Easy Grammar 3 with him, to catch my ds back up to “grade level”. As I looked through the book yesterday, I realized how intense it is for grammar. Now that I’ve learned a little more about CM’s view of grammar, I’m guestioning myself.
Should I go ahead with EG3 or just skip that book this year altogether. And plan on bringing grammar back in a year or two from now? Maybe 5th grade? I know CM said hold off until 5th or 6th, but ps brought it in for us, so my ds already knows some, though he doesn’t know it well. I don’t see grammar as being too “hard” for him, but it hadn’t been sticking, which is why I chose EG.
Do I move forward with grammar or drop it for now?
Thanks, Melissa
I say drop it for now. If he likes colorful books still, you could use the Ruth Heller World of Language series as a side read, but I would just let it lie other than that (or the Brian Cleary books, but I found those to be twaddle and sometimes he uses crude humor).
At that age, my children were using Primary Language Lessons, so the grammar was very gently introduced. You could do something like that so that he’s still getting LA instruction.; or you could just stick with copywork till next year. CM recommended grammar to begin at 4th or 5th, not 5th or 6th.
Rachel
I would also drop it for now. If you really want to do something for Grammar – we are going to do “Grammarland” this year. It is available free, and there is also a blog with free worksheets (just pages to do the assignments that are in Grammarland.)
It is a cute little book that has each part of speech personified in a trial defending their list of words. I’m not sure that CM would have liked it (I think I read somewhere that she figured that type of thing was twaddle) – but I think it sounds interesting and I know many other CM’rs use it…..
Please wait. I had almost the same situation as you. DS was in PS for K and 1st. I didn’t do any formal grammar in 2nd, our 1st year homeschooling. So last year I tried Easy Grammar 3 with him. At first, it was fine. But, oh my, after a bit, he didn’t like it and I didn’t either!
This year we have gone back to Intermediate Language Lessons and mostly do it orally. Things are going so well and it is light, which is what I love about it. Just enough.
I will have him creatively writing sooh, but we are getting a light start until September.
Since you asked, this is my advice based on a bad experience for us with Easy Grammar 3. Not saying it doesn’t work for some, but it didn’t work for DS or me.
Thanks for the question. I’ve been wondering the same thing for my DS, who is going to be HS for the first time this year. He would be in 4th grade and will be 10 at the end of the year.
jawgee, my son whom I was speaking of above just turned 9 and is in 4th grade this year. We are using Int. Language Lessons. I also second Grammarland and the Ruth Heller books, which are some of my little kids favorites too! Can’t hurt to introduce grammar early when it is presented in such a beautiful and creative way!
I just found a Grammarland book on Google books for free. Don’t know if it’s the same one. It’s by M.L. Nesbitt, “Grammar-land; or, Grammar in fun for the children of Schoolroom-shire”
Is this it?
Here are the free worksheets…
Here’s PDF version worksheets for GL:
http://www.hslaunch.com/mypage/profile/525
Some more grammar stuff (poetry, games):http://www.squidoo.com/grammar-for-homeschool
Rachel
Back to my grammar question, LOL!….
In talking with my sis-in-law, who is a 3rd grade teacher at our local Christian school, said I should at least work with my ds8 on nouns, verbs & prepositions (& prepo phrases). She said that if you can get those phrases down, can identify them and remove them from a sentence, then it is easy for a child to identify the main subject of a sentence.
If I went as far as that in grammar studies this year, that shouldn’t do too much harm to my son’s psyche should it? =)
Just an FYI on more info I discovered. For what it’s worth…
Thanks for all the input!
I would add in knowing adjectives and adverbs, too. If you use Grammarland with (or without) the worksheets, that will be covered in fun way.
Rachel
My oldest son went to PS through 4th grade and couldn’t tell any part of speech.
I stand by my advice to wait on anything formal. There is a great DK game called “Very Silly Sentences” that will help you teach in an informal and fun way the basic parts of speech. You can even do different options of how many or few.
Mad Libs are fun too. Personally I think trying to get grammar into a head before it’s at least 10 is like pouring water down a drain. It just doesn’t make sense to a lot of kids. I start it when I start Latin. A few kids might “get it” sooner but there are a lot that won’t. You can either teach grammar starting at age 6 and do it every single year until the kid is about junior high, and THEN he’ll know grammar. OR you can wait until he’s junior high and teach it ONCE and he’ll still know grammar. Second way is easier. I pick easier.
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