Grammar is one of the subjects that can cause people to burn out. What to do? By its nature it excludes itself from well-meaning attempts to soften it - since it is in fact the study of rules and structure! Ms. Mason’s prescription was to value it as we find it and to keep it within proper parameters.
Language is for the purpose of communicating ideas, this comes first and needs space to develop before we begin dissecting it. Grammar is the study of language structure, the abstract parts of our communication. As part of this study, we temporarily strip ideas down to words and look at them as the vehicles they are. Different vehicles do different jobs for the idea being communicated. What are those jobs? How do they connect and interact with each other? Which vehicles may be used where and why? Grammar is a logical study that asks us to detach, stand back, and look. This type of study requires the brain to have reached a certain level of development for understanding. This is something Ms. Mason understood.
We may coach a young child into memorizing the rules and forms of Grammar– but understanding will be tied to brain maturity. And lest we forget, relationship is tied to understanding. The dullness of memorizing bits of information apart from understanding will create a lack of vitality in the child and, in the exercise of mindless rote, many wonderful aspects of life will be nosed out.
The proper thing in its proper place.
Contrary to what some may have experienced – the study of Grammar is satisfying and enjoyable. It will require effort, but if saved for the right time, the effort will be bracing. Ms. Mason’s approach to this subject is to encourage us to save the formal study of Grammar until at least the 4th grade, then to move slowly and systematically, always seeking to impart understanding first.
Charlotte Mason wrote her own Grammar book and in it, we don’t find cutesy stories, or jingles or clue-pictures, but rather a systematic and logical conversation about structure and use – mind to mind.
With this example, there are many resources that we can put to use today. I have found the plainer – the better, and that using the Charlotte Mason Lesson Arc is the key to helping it all click.
On the schedule, we see Grammar taking short amounts of time and only a couple of sessions per week. This protective corralling of analytical thinking (narrow, focused, and thus more fatiguing) is possible due to Ms. Mason’s genius for unraveling the “knot of Language Arts” (See D – Is for Dictation for context). Each piece in its place. Each piece with its focus. Each piece is within its allotment of time.
Once introduced, even when done properly, there is still the threat of burnout. Keep in mind that Grammar is a set body of knowledge. It is not being added to like some of the others. A Preposition is a Preposition in 5th grade just like it is in High School! Sometimes in zeal for thoroughness, we dull the mind with repetition. Grammar is a tool, not a goal, and it might not need to be hammered every year. Don’t forget to allow space for use and need.
Sara Timothy 2023
Author's Note: With these things in mind, my personal approach has been to introduce Grammar in Form 2, focusing mainly on Nouns/ Pronouns/ Adjectives & Verbs/ Adverbs via parsing and conversations; giving a thorough teaching in 7th & 8th grade; then taking a year off in 9th while monitoring use in writings and parsing sentences; hitting it hard in 10th with a “big kid” look at all of the things; Saving 11th for use and parsing; then an ACT or SAT prep reminder in 12th
For Further Reading in the Volumes:
Topical CM Series (amblesideonline.org)
For Further Learning:
Charlotte Mason Writing & Grammar - Junior High (stimothyonline.com)
Junior High Grammar & Writing Craft - Year 2 | S. Timothy (stimothyonline.com)
31 Days of Charlotte Mason: On Grammar - Afterthoughts (afterthoughtsblog.net)
High School English Year 2 | S. Timothy (stimothyonline.com)
High School English Yr. 3 | S. Timothy (stimothyonline.com)
Resources:
Emma Serl's Intermediate Language Lessons
First Grammar Lessons (charlottemasonpoetry.org)
Grammar Lessons: Form 2 | A Delectable Education Podcast
Simply Grammar: An Illustrated Primer
Editor’s Corner Picks (These are extra items we use in our own homes):
Rules of the Game: Grammar Through Discovery