Name: Teach Them Diligently (Branson)
Start: 2025-05-15T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-17T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Branson, MO

This topic has 9 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 3 months ago by Jessica.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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November 10, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Thomara
Participant
I am slowly moving to SCM guidelines. The one issue I am having problems with is not starting grammar until age 10. I have looked at the World Book curriculum guide for 1st and 2nd grade and grammar is recommended in 1st and 2nd grades. I know I need to get out of the public school mindset, but it’s hard for me to decide what I should be teaching my son at this point. Age wise, he is a 2nd grader. I personally think that at 7 a child should know what nouns, verbs, adjectives and etc. are. Am I making too much of a big deal out of it? Any suggestions?
November 10, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Tristan
Participant
You have to do what works for you. With that, let me share what works for my family (9 kids, age 14 years to new).
I introduce those super basic ideas (noun, verb, adjective) ONLY through a picture book series (World of Language by Ruth Heller).
Then once they’re 10 or so we begin a slightly more formal ‘teaching’ of grammar.
Why do I introduce the basic concepts at all? Because my children DO take standardized tests as part of our state homeschool requirements (testing yearly) and the basic concepts are on there from about 1st or 2nd grade on.
Do I think it is pretty pointless? Yep. If you look at a formal grammar curriculum that begins in elementary and goes through high school you’ll find that every year there is a large amount of repetition (what is a noun? find the noun. what is a verb? find the verb. etc). Basically, the kids repeat it every single year until they are older (age 10 or later) and then more advanced grammar concepts begin to be covered. In other words, they spend 5+ years repeating basics that they could master in 2 weeks if you just waited until they were older to cover it.
However – that is my personal opinion only! Others may feel that grammar instruction beginning from 1st grade is very important. That’s okay for them! Embrace the freedom homeschooling offers to do what is important to YOU. Even if it doesn’t line up perfectly with someone else’s suggestions.
November 10, 2015 at 6:28 pm
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
I think Charlotte waited to introduce parts of speech for a couple of reasons.
First, grammar is an abstract concept. It’s not so much the study of words as the study of the order of words in a sentence and how groups of words or individual words relate to each other. Children can grasp it much more quickly and comprehensively when they are old enough to process more abstract concepts.
Second, Charlotte waited until the students were beginning to write their narrations around that same age. As students grapple with conveying their thoughts in writing, and trying to communicate those thoughts clearly and accurately, they will have a reason (and desire) to start analyzing how pieces of sentences relate to other pieces, in order to improve their own written narrations/compositions.
Much of the schooling that we are used to from our own childhood (and even much of what is being done today) jumps immediately into analyzing. Charlotte, instead, embraced the philosophy of giving children lots of time to see the big picture, to work with the large concepts and notice relations between them. She introduced picking things apart through analysis only after the children had been given years of opportunity to grow through synthesis.
November 10, 2015 at 8:12 pm
HollyS
Participant
I cover some basic grammar before age 10. We do a bit of punctuation and capitalization, which I think technically isn’t considered grammar, and isn’t as abstract a concept. I introduce parts of speech at age 8 or so. I don’t think it’s necessary, but I personally don’t think it hurts either. Ultimately it’s up to you to decide which CM methods to follow and which to change or adapt. I don’t think anyone here follows Charlotte’s methods 100%, and I think it’d be pretty hard to do!
The World Book scope and sequence is geared towards public schools who are concerned with “teaching the test”. That’s something to keep in mind when looking at it.
One thing I have learned is that CM methods take a bit of faith on your end before you see results. It’s so different from how children are taught in public school and it’s easy to worry, especially when you aren’t seeing quick results and the methods aren’t anything like how you were taught.
November 11, 2015 at 9:12 am
KeriJ
Participant
We handle it by gently introducing grammar earlier with short lessons. It hasn’t hurt my kids love of learning or confused them in any way. I understand that most of the drill and kill of formal grammar lessons is unnecessary, but I also find that my kids forget easily without enough repetition. So to me, balance is the key.
We start grammar conversationally with the Rod and Staff books doing the lessons orally in 2nd grade. It takes 5 minutes on the couch at the most, twice a week. We don’t finish the book by any means. In 3rd grade, we use the next R&S book and still keep the lessons mostly oral with just a few written sentences. Once again, it only takes a few minutes, about 3 times a week.
By 4th grade, they are around 10, and we cover it more thoroughly. By then, they are familiar with some of the basics since we have done it before.
Rod and Staff to me is very CM friendly in that the lessons are incremental and very conversational. Since I only assign a portion of each lesson as written work, it follows the short lesson format as well.
November 11, 2015 at 2:38 pm
Melanie32
Participant
I love Charlotte Mason’s teaching on grammar instruction. It just made sense to me the very first time I read it and I have put it into practice with both of my children.
That said, if having your child know simple grammar terms is important to you, then you should definitely teach them. If mom doesn’t have peace with her homeschool plans, the children won’t have peace either. Better to add in a little grammar instruction and be at peace about it, then to follow someone else’s advice and be anxious about it.
November 11, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Rachel White
Participant
I would definitely encourage you to use the World of Language series by Ruth Heller first (ages 6/7-8/9). Then I would recommend looking at Writing Tales no earlier than age 9.
http://www.olsenbooks.com/scope.html
Both of these gently introduce the subject matter so that it won’t be completely new to them when they are older, when it will really sink in. Then you have other things to choose from: Growing with Grammar, Analytical Grammar, Our Mother Tongue, R & S, etc
In their copywork you can point out which words are nouns, proper nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. With the Heller books, that will help familiarize them with the terminology and general concept without drilling to no avail.
November 11, 2015 at 9:19 pm
Thomara
Participant
Thank you everyone for your feedback. Your comments made me think of grammar in a different way. I think I will try the Ruth Heller Books and Writing Tales. I looked into both and I like them.
This is my second year homeschooling and I’m still getting in the groove. Sometimes I feel as if I don’t do enough. I really have to get out of the public school mindset and embrace the flexibility of homeschooling.
Thanks again everyone!
November 12, 2015 at 3:09 am
Wings2fly
Participant
We used Writing Tales at age 9/10 and loved it! We also used some Mad Libs which taught my 8 yo some basic grammar early, in a fun way and reinforced what my 10 yo was doing in Writing Tales. I am seeing the progress in CM methods for my son’s writing now, in grade 6. He always did copywork and oral narrations.
December 20, 2015 at 4:50 am
Jessica
Participant
My son, whom I’ll add has slight learning problems, wasn’t introduced to grammar until he was 13. He learned and understood it very quickly. It didn’t take years. It didn’t even take a year.