L (my husband) is a big fan of grammar. He's good at it and actually enjoys it. Now that I'm actively teaching J, I've discovered HOW it can be enjoyable. Who knew?
We started the year with a book called Simply Grammar. It's beautifully laid out and J is enjoying it. It's more of an introduction, so I felt I needed to supplement.
I considered finding a specific grammar curriculum. I may still do that. For now I have found an author whose books introduce the parts of speech in a VERY colorful way. This SERIES is written by Ruth Heller.
My first step is to sit together and read through the book. Everything is written in rhyme and the pictures are bright and cheerful. Then I focus on a few pages that introduce an aspect of the particular part of speech. This week we're doing adjectives from the book called Many Luscious Lollipops. Here's a picture of the cover:
Next I go to several free grammar worksheet sites (see list below) and print out worksheets to go with the topic we're covering. Sometimes I have J answer the worksheet by writing the answers; sometimes I read them to him and have him answer verbally. My ultimate goal is to work up to sentence diagramming.
I hear you groaning. Stop that.
For those who remember learning diagramming and hating it, perhaps reading about our journey will change your attitude. Or, you'll just be glad you don't have to do it anymore!
Some of us never learned to diagram a sentence. The public school I attended felt it was unnecessary. When I went to college I took a course in Greek. Guess what the professor wanted us to do? In a foreign language, no less. As I struggled to learn this new concept, I realized that diagramming is actually a useful tool that makes grammar more comprehensible. I'm all for that. Now, many (many) years later, I am in a position to ensure that J is not missing this vital language arts ingredient.
As promised, here is the list of free worksheet websites I frequent:
You, too, could learn to love grammar. It's all in the attitude. Pretty pictures help, too.
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