What does the grammar stage look like at your house?

[phathui5]

My kids are going to be 8 and 5 this year (and 3 and 1). I'm re-reading The Well Trained Mind and wondering how this gets applied. What exactly does the grammar stage look like with other homeschoolers? How does it inform your approach to teaching?

[dangermom]

Wow, small question... :)

 

Actually I'm in the same boat as you this year, with an 8 and a 5. I'm looking forward to figuring out how to manage two educations (and to be honest, shaking in my boots about it).

 

The way I've done it so far is very much like WTM sets out, except that we've added Classical Writing every other week and we've been doing Latin. We want to try Greek this year too---we'll see how that goes. :001_unsure:

 

If you've got more specific questions I'll try to answer but I'm having a hard time thinking of a big, spready answer. Also I'm supposed to be studying my Latin about now...

[brehon]

My kids are almost exactly the same ages yours are. I'm not sure what your educational philosophy is; although, I assume you are planning on implementing at least some of WTM. We follow more of a traditional classical education (informed by LCC).

 

As far as the nuts and bolts, I found over the past several months that working with my 5 yo first on her lessons (math, reading/phonics, handwriting) and then working with my 6 (now 7) yo on his lessons (math, Latin, reading, handwriting). These are our core subjects. History and science are done when we can (both my dh and I work full time). We're using SOTW for history and science is interest-led (currently earthquakes and volcanoes -- good experiments for these!).

 

While I'm working with the 5 yo, 7 yo is practicing his TKD or running around outside. Same thing happens in reverse when 7 yo is schoolin'. :tongue_smilie: 5 yo's lessons take, oh, 45 minutes to complete. 7 yo's lessons take around 90 minutes to complete. This assumes good attitudes on everyone's parts (including the teacher). I keep the 3 yo happy by spending 15-30 minutes on her "math" (read: coloring book) before working with either of the older kids. I keep the 1 yo happy by letting him play with the math manipulatives (those, of course, he won't choke on;))and whatever else I can cobble together. Hopefully, this helped some. If not, just disregard and I'll not be offended.

[Cathy in IL]

Last year my dds were in K and 3rd grade. Some things I do to be prepared ahead of time and free up daily teaching time include memory and copywork notebooks and daily checklists for independent work. The memory notebooks include hymns, facts from science, history, and grammar, quotes, memory verses, and poetry. As I add something new for them to memorize, it goes in the notebook. Each morning we start with the notebooks and recite what is in them. If I have an especially busy day or more little ones than usual (I do emergency care for children.) the girls can recite them on tape or to each other. They also use them for copywork for 5-10 minutes a day.

 

Each child has a checklist of what they need to accomplish for the day. they have independent work that can be done with nearly no help from me. This includes reviewing spelling words, practicing math facts, silent reading, computer activities occasionally, listening to their French tapes, and reviewing roots and Latin vocabulary. They work on their independent work while I work with the other sibling on a subject that needs more instruction from me. Math, grammar, writing, spelling, and reading are the subjects I teach them independently.

 

We do as much together as possible. I adjust my expectations and the specifics of the activity to each child. On Mondays we do Barry Stebbing's I Can Do All Things art curriculum with the videos for instruction and study classical music history and composers. Tuesday, Wednesday, and some Fridays we do history using SOTW and AG. We use many of the recs in the AG for our literature. I read aloud to the girls while the little ones fall asleep for naptime. We use some of the literature to guide choices for handicrafts and cooking too - gardening when we read Secret garden, cooking and sewing with Little House on the Prairie, etc. We do science on Thursday and some Fridays. I include narration in science and/or history at least once a week. We often do a project or oral narration after I read them the lit selection for the day.

 

To make time for all these things to get done and not feel overwhelming or rushed, we follow a schedule for each day. I have each day's routing posted the night before with anything out of the ordinary printed in a different color. The children know what time to wake up, what chores to complete before breakfast, and when they are expected to begin school. They know if we stay on schedule that there is something fun on each days schedule - game time, outside play, the park, or watching television. A schedule for things besides school helps make the entire day flow for us.

 

HTH

[Colleen in NS]

My kids are going to be 8 and 5 this year (and 3 and 1). I'm re-reading The Well Trained Mind and wondering how this gets applied. What exactly does the grammar stage look like with other homeschoolers? How does it inform your approach to teaching?

 

We just finished grades 4 and 1 here at our house. For us, it's pretty much been what is laid out in WTM. Not perfectly, exactly, or every single detail, but I've tried hard to use the principles I learned in WTM. I've taught them to read, to spell, math facts, math problems (I used R&S math, though, instead of the WTM recs), we've studied history from ancient to modern, have gone through biology, earth/space, chemistry, physics, using all the WTM rec. books (fabulous, IMO!). We've listened to classical music, read about composers, looked at paintings and read about artists, I've taught the kids how to narrate, done copywork/dictation. Taught basic grammar with FLL and R&S. Had them memorize history lists and poems. Started Latin, which I never thought I could do. I love it all. It's daunting for me at times, but I love love love the WTM approach to education.

 

Practically speaking, I teach my kids separately for the skill work, and together for the content work (history, science, art, music). Although this coming year (moving into logic stage) more of the content will be separate, but still the same time periods, branch of science, etc.. Grammar stage was a blast. Anyway, I'd first have tutoring time with the oldest, tutoring him through his skill work, then send him off on his own to work out math problems or diagram sentences, or do Latin drills. While he worked alone, I'd tutor the younger one through her skills work. Then we'd all come together to read through the history or do the science experiment.

 

You might want to read SWBs old articles on homeschooling, there are some hilarious and VERY realistic descriptions of how she juggled her 4 kids when they were younger, and starting out grammar stage learning. She is SOOO down to earth. The part I liked best is when she dug into the chocolate chip bag after a frazzling morning, LOL!

 

If you have more questions, I'll be back next week to check the boards here. Hope you get lots more responses here.

[abreakfromlife]

I don't know exactly - this year was very hit and miss with all the little ones running around :) One thing that I've tried the last couple of weeks, that has worked very well, is the daily checklist for dd. I have in my head and in my schedule what I would like to do....we don't usually get to it all, but I know where I'm heading for the day. But it's pretty chaotic trying to do it with little ones running around. It just doesn't all get done during naptime, and I'm constantly having to stop and get something for the 2 yo or the 1 yo, make them be quiet, stop them from fighting, etc.......and so sometimes when I'm busy doing that, the older ones will go off and play for a few minutes. So they spend most of the day not knowing when they're actually done for the day, when I'm going to drop an assignment b/c of the distractions, etc.

 

So I tried the daily checklist for dd, and she loves it. She can see the subjects she needs to get done, so she knows that even if she is taking a 10 min break while I'm changing diapers, that she isn't done for the day. And if I drop a subject, I tell her and she crosses it off. She loves having the goal and being able to cross it off when it's done.

 

The other thing that I've really taken away from WTM is narration. It has been very helpful to develop their listening and paying attention skills, and it is finally helping them to remember things b/c they retell it to me. I haven't gotten good at writing them down or having them copy them, but next year I'm going to do that more.