When should you start teaching grammar? How much grammar is enough or too much? What is the purpose of grammar?
When I started homeschooling, I had more questions about grammar than I got answers for when I was in school. And though I would not call myself a total grammarian, like Kelley, who feels like all writing is the beginning of a treasure hunt to unearth errors (oh the sheer delight), I do love me some grammar.
Look at these 10 tips when teaching grammar to your homeschooled child because I hope to lighten your load about the stress of teaching grammar and give you some helpful insight.
1. Grammar is not too late when you start later.
Although I started teaching grammar in third grade, quickly I learned that teaching grammar could have waited until fifth or sixth grade because it’s easier then to grasp complex issues of grammar rules.
It does not mean that the mechanics of writing like spelling and capitalization should not be immediately corrected. Modeling correct grammar is a good teacher.
2. Grammar is not really about improving ideas for writing.
Yes, I know this may sound far-fetched. You can, however, have a child that is an advanced writer but lags behind in grammar structure. A child or an adult may clearly communicate his thoughts but may not be aware of proper tenses.
Too, roles can be flipped. For example, I know people with a linguistic background who can make my writing shine in no time. Their eye to detail is unmatched and I love that about them.
However, they would also be the first one to admit that knowing technical details doesn’t always mean that you can write well or with confidence.
Creating worthy and valuable writing content is a learned skill.
I often wonder if people with a strong English background fear writing less or more than somebody that does not have a strong grammar background? It still intrigues me.
3. It is important to learn the vocabulary of grammar.
The vocabulary of grammar was something I did not learn in school. And like any language, English too has beginning vocabulary terms like is what a basic tense and advanced vocabulary terms like conditional tenses.
This brings me to my next point.
4. Advanced grammar helps with learning foreign languages.
When teaching Latin to my first son, I realized that if I had not used Memoria Press, which guided us with basic grammar tips and then connected basic information to advanced, I would have struggled notably with helping my son study a foreign language.
What I am saying is that it is hard to compare a foreign language with your native tongue if you don’t have a full scope of advanced English terms.
The beauty of learning grammar is clearly shown when you start teaching and learning a foreign language.
In helping my son study a foreign language, I learned more details about my native English language than I did in just studying it each year.
5. Writing classes can improve grammar.
Writing classes should focus primarily on content, creativity of ideas and clarity.
Applying grammar to troubled areas like their vs they’re and our vs are makes grammar a crucial part of writing. But this doesn’t mean that writing curriculum should stifle the creative writing process or overshadow it with many rules.
Is this why so many kids hate writing? Again, grammar should enhance writing and help a budding writer choose words more carefully.
6. A well-written grammar course can be completed by 10th grade or so.
Using Rod and Staff English in high school helped me to understand that studying grammar as a separate subject didn’t have to span all four years of high school.
Of course, stopping a formal study of grammar would depend on how much previous grammar instruction your child had in school.
Grammar is Alright (oh, oh, scratch that, I meant) All Right
Too, I learned that if I chose an advanced grammar course in the beginning high school years, then the next few years could be focused on helping my student find his writing voice while applying grammar as a priceless tool.
7. Attack grammar with the same powers of observations used in science.
I vividly remember a tip shared many years ago by an intuitive homeschool mom. She said studying grammar should be like a scientist examining something under a microscope.
By magnifying a feather, salt or sand, a scientist brings items up for a closer look. Zooming in on them gives them a different perspective and shows how the pieces fit the whole.
Attack the parts of grammar with the same enthusiasm that a scientist scrutinizes infinitesimal pieces under a high powered lens until you get comfortable teaching grammar.
8. Basic grammar is vital to an excellent education.
Don’t get caught up in all the hype of advanced grammar that you don’t teach your child the essentials of grammar.
Teaching concepts like the parts of speech and effective sentences and paragraphs are mainstays of grammar. From there, a child can build on it in later years.
Fearing that I would make a mistake in each sentence I wrote, I overly stressed about writing. That mindset trickled down to teaching grammar.
9. Don’t make grammar boring and blah.
When grammar is learned through games and with a group, it can be fun.
I did treasures hunts in my home for the parts of speech when the boys were little.
We still do mad libs when we have had enough of formal grammar and I buy copious amounts of grammar games at conventions when I can find them.
10. Practice good grammar every day.
Don’t let the fear of grammar hold you back from letting your writing ideas overflow or trickle. Practicing good grammar each day makes it easier to pen your thoughts to paper or to share what you know with others.
I still struggle with grammar but the basic human need to communicate is a powerful motivator to learning complex grammar concepts. Find the joy in teaching grammar because it should be exhilarating and not exhausting.
What has been your experience with teaching grammar?
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