What is the ideal age/grade to begin grammar?

[diaperjoys]

Would ya'll mind sharing your views? I'm curious to know when you prefer to begin, and if you don't mind, I'd love to know some of the reasons behind the choice. We're needing to make "the grammar decision" at our house, and we'd like some input.

 

Thanks!

[siloam]

I said 2nd grade, though I am fine with older too. I really don't see the need to start younger. The younger ages I focus on math and reading, and lots of play time. Let me qualify that with the fact that I do dictation starting K or 1st (depending on the child's readiness), so they get plenty of expose to good sentence structure.

 

For 2nd and 3rd I do FLL. I find it is a little too scripted for me so I focus on the big idea listed at the beginning of the lesson, just so my kids have an idea of what a noun is, and the difference between a common and a proper noun, for example. I am not looking for mastery of any type, I just don't want them to be both learning the terms and how to apply them at the same time when I start JAG in 4th grade. They already know the terms, and have to just learn to apply them now. Cuts down on confusion.

 

Heather

 

p.s. With my oldest I did wait till 4th grade, and while she did do fine, it was at times bumpy. With my 2nd dd, I followed the above schedule, and her transition into JAG was smooth. No need to back up, camp out that I needed to do at times with my oldest (though now my oldest has grammar down).

[Crimson Wife]

When the child is reading fluently. That was kindergarten for my oldest, but my 2nd is more of a math kid so I'm guessing he'll be 1st or maybe 2nd.

[Chris in VA]

We did a few weeks of FLL in first grade, but ditched it. Then we did Rod and Staff for a while in second grade, but I always tried to do too much. They didn't do grammar in dd's 3rd grade in ps. Fourth grade rolled around this year, and I'm using Rod and Staff 3. Dd doesn't really like it, but it's short and sweet, and she's getting a lot out of it. We could easily have waited until now. I do think it's fine to start earlier, but I wouldn't wait much more because it's hard to understand the reasons behind punctuation usage and other grammar ideas in writing unless you understand clauses and such.

[JudoMom]

I voted for 3rd & 4th grades. I really don't think it's necessary any younger. We have to start testing in 3rd grade, and grammar is on the ITBS so I start in 3rd now. My oldest didn't really start until 4th, though. He did do a lot of FLL 1/2 in K-1, but nothing really stuck with him. We started Rod & Staff 3 when he was in 4th (and ds9 was in 3rd) and it's been a breeze for him.

[The Governess]

When the child is reading fluently.

 

:iagree:

[FO4UR]

I voted 1st grade...but then my oldest is only first grade so...

 

We use FLL. ds6 is not reading "fluently" by my definition yet, but he picks up the FLL lessons quickly. My dd4 can tell you the definition of a noun and recites the poems with such pride.:lol:

 

I guess I vote for *gentle* grammar in the younger years.

[MyLittleWonders]

I voted 1st grade...but then my oldest is only first grade so...

 

We use FLL. ds6 is not reading "fluently" by my definition yet, but he picks up the FLL lessons quickly. My dd4 can tell you the definition of a noun and recites the poems with such pride.:lol:

 

I guess I vote for *gentle* grammar in the younger years.

:iagree:We started ds#1 in first grade, then gave it up for a year, and picked it back up at the end of 2nd. Ds#2 started technically as a K'er, but we year-round, so it was the transition between K and 1st. Ds#3 listens in to everything we do and can also tell you the definition of a noun and recite the poems, quite proudly. :tongue_smilie:

 

At first grade, the grammar was/is almost all oral. They (my boys) do well with the memorization (I do tend to agree with WTM in this respect - they can pick up and memorize so much so easily that I have no problem having them memorize grammar definitions too). Ds#2 (6) and I will come up with simple sentences (The dog ran. Sam jumped.) and together identify nouns, pronouns, and action verbs (that's what we've learned thus far with FLL 1). Ds#3 will start FLL 1 when he is in 1st grade too, though I have a feeling it'll be a lot of review for him. ;)

[EKS]

I put other because I think it is after the child is reading well, whatever age that might be.

[SonshineLearner]

I said 2nd... My first grader is just memorizing a few of the Shurley Jingles... and doing a bit of a Shurley Jingles class:-) Just enough till we start Latin in 3rd.. or perhaps 4th.

Carrie:-)

[Harriet Vane]

I like to focus in K, 1st, and 2nd grade on reading and phonics. This gives a familiarity and comfort with the printed word that is essential, IMHO. Once the process of reading is internalized well, then the grammar is more easily understood.

[MomsintheGarden]

I've used FLL successfully with four children so far. We switch to R&S for 3rd-10th grades, and that's been great, too.

 

I am so thankful to be getting the grammar I was never taught in school. Oh, and the children are learning, too!:)

 

GardenMom

[Laura Corin]

It depends what you mean by formal grammar. My boys started to learn the names of parts of speech when they were about seven. They have had very gentle grammar instruction since then. I'm considering giving Calvin a challenge with a more formal grammar programme next year, when he'll be thirteen.

 

Laura

[Haiku]

I voted second grade, which is when I started my daughter and plan to start my son. I think that when kids start learning how to write (not physically, but actually creating written pieces), that's the time. I think that studying grammar and learning to write naturally go together.

 

Tara

[Liza Q]

When the child is reading fluently.

 

:iagree: In my home that has been anywhere from 1st to 4th grade, so it is hard to vote! Then again, I did introduce my late reader to the parts of speech (using a simple book orally) so that she would catch up quickly when she was ready. She is doing GWG 6 this year without a problem, so it seems to have worked!

[Quiver0f10]

I put other. For me it depends on when the child is reading fluently. Once they are readng we begin grammar.

[Susie in CA]

I said 'other.' My 4th grader loves grammar. He is working through FLL 4 this year. It all makes sense to him. He loves doing diagrams. He is ready to work on terminology like predicate nominative. My 5th grader on the other hand always hated this sort of thing. He never had trouble with sentence structure but struggled reading. He is just now coming around to working on grammar more seriously. He needs it covered with a purpose, by that I mean with writing.

I found that both my dss are very different learners and as with everything else it depends on the child. That's the beauty of homeschooling. We can do it when it makes sense.

 

Susie

[tdeveson]

I said third grade because that's when I start talking about nouns, verbs, etc., but not in a formal sense. We just looked for them in other stuff we're doing. We started formal grammar (JAG) in fifth grade this year. We're almost done -- one more week to go.

 

The thing with grammar is that 1) there's just not that much to know, and 2) what there is to know can be very complex. Mastery of grammar requires a degree of logic that is simply not there in young children. Because we began in fifth grade, ds was able to grasp every concept the first time -- he was ready. And we're not a day behind because of having started in fifth grade. Ds has the same mastery of grammar now as any fifth or sixth grader. We didn't lose any time by having started in August instead of five years ago.

 

Whatever you decide to do, remember to have fun. :D