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Where Do I Start With Grammar?

Susan Wise Bauer
Susan Wise Bauer
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When beginning a homeschooling grammar program, you probably wonder what curriculum would be best for you. Let us help you figure out where to begin, if you’re using one of our great options: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind.

First Language Lessons is an easy-to-use four-year grammar curriculum for the early elementary years. With it, you can give your child a strong foundation in clear communication and skills necessary for good writing. Topics covered include: punctuation, parts of speech, capitalization, contractions, dictionary usage, letter-writing, and sentence diagramming.

Generally, first and second graders should begin with First Language Lessons Level One, because Level Two assumes knowledge from Level 1. Following Level Two, Level Three assumes the student has had no previous grammar instruction and thoroughly reviews everything found in levels One and Two (at a third grade pace) before introducing sentence diagramming. A fourth grader can begin with Level Four.

First Language Lessons provides students with the perfect introduction to language to begin Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind.

Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind takes middle-grade and older students (roughly 5th-12th grade, though some students start in 6th or 7th) from basic definitions through advanced sentence structure and analysis—all the grammar skills needed to write and speak with eloquence and confidence and be prepared for high school and college work. The curriculum is best suited for students who have a grasp of diagramming and a strong foundation in grammar and the English language. Because Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind is aimed towards older students, the curriculum moves faster and uses more complex sentences as examples. For a guide to make Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind work for your student, check out our Teaching Tips.

The primary difference between Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind and First Language Lessons, aside from their age level difference, is that First Language Lessons is sequential while Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind is cyclical. Remember that when using Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, there are no “years” or “levels” as such. Any “color” workbook/answer key set of Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind is a good place to start with any student 5th grade and up.

The most important rule when using either grammar curriculum is patience. The goal is proficiency, not a rapid progress through workbooks. Build your students’ understanding and mastery of grammar rules; a lifetime of clear communication awaits.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Wise Bauer

Susan Wise Bauer is an educator, writer, and historian. She is the co-author of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (now in its fourth edition), and the author of (among others) The Well- Educated Mind, The Story of Western Science, the Story of the World series, the History of the World series, the elementary series Writing With Ease, and the pre-rhetoric series Writing With Skill. Susan was home educated through high school and has taught all four of her children at home. She has a B.A. and M.A. in English language and literature, an M.Div., and a Ph.D. in the history of American religion from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she taught writing and literature for over fifteen years.
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Discussion

49 thoughts on “Where Do I Start With Grammar?”

  1. My children are currently in 4th and 6th grade. We have been using Abeka for this first Semester, 2020. We need to change Language Arts to a better understanding English. Abeka tends to be too intense for them. Also, My 6th grader started home-schooling this past March due to covid-19. He was in 5th grade public school this past year. He needs help in Grammar and I’m unsure on what level to start him? I would appreciate any help you could give me.

    Elizabeth in Georgia

    Reply
    • For a situation like this, we’d suggest starting with First Language Lessons level 3 or 4. Check out the samples on the product pages.

      Reply
  2. My children are in 4th and 6th grade. We began Homeschooling last year. Our children do not have a good foundation about Grammar and I’m wondering where to start? My concern is our 6th grader going through this program until 12th grade? Are there any placements test our children can take first? Also, could you please suggest a good “Copy Work” writing curriculum that has spelling and vocabulary. Thank you.

    Reply
    • If they do not have a strong foundation in grammar, I would strongly consider starting both of them in First Language Lessons Level 4. Click on the sample button at that link and you will see the topics covered; GftWTM assumes knowledge of these topics. Starting in 7th does not mean he will necessarily be going through the books all through high school (although I would expect him to probably need a year or two past middle school). The workbooks are not sequential, and the student works to mastery. Different Ways to Use GftWTM can show you what that might look like.

      We recommend different texts for each part of language arts, because most students are not going to be at the exact same level in grammar, writing, and spelling. Spelling Workout is a good choice for most typical students (we don’t sell this).

      For writing, your 6th-grader should be able to start with Writing with Skill, Level 1. For the 4th-grader, look at Writing with Ease, which does have evaluations to help with placement.

      Reply
  3. My almost 6 year old is halfway through kindergarten. We pulled him out of distant learning to homeschool him. He’s just learning to read and is practicing site words. Would now be an appropriate time to start him on First Language Lessons?

    Reply
    • We recommend starting First Language Lessons in first grade. The student should be an emerging reader who is able to sound out multi-syllable words, and should have practiced penmanship enough to be able to copy names, words, and short sentences. Starting in first grade gives you plenty of time to complete all levels of FLL in elementary and move on to Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind in the middle grades.

      Reply
  4. My daughter completed First Language Lessons Level 2 this year. She is in second grade. I see that Level 3 assumes no previous instruction. Does that mean I should skip to Level 4 after Level 2, or should I do Level 3 in third grade as a review of all she previously Learned? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Probably not, because Level 3 also introduces diagramming, starting in Lesson 11 and going throughout the book. By the end, students are diagramming sentences with compound subjects and verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, interjections – pretty complex stuff for third-graders!

      Level 4 does review the prior three levels, but at a pretty good fourth-grade pace, and the diagramming is a lot of information. I would go with Level 3, and then she’s nicely situated to begin middle school grammar in fifth grade (which is a tough go for most kids in fourth).

      Each level has extensive samples on the product page (sample button is under product illustration), so you can review that for more information as well.

      Reply
  5. My son is in fifth grade and we just finished First Language Lessons, Level Four. Which Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind workbook should we begin with? And just to clarify, will I need an instructor’s guide, workbook, as well as a workbook key?

    Reply
    • That’s correct: for GFTWTM, you need the Core instructor text, which you buy once…it is then used for all 4 years of the curriculum. And then for each year you need one Workbook and one Key. You can begin with any of them (Blue, red, or purple) since you’ll be doing all of them eventually. The order isn’t important. For a 5th grader, we often recommend going at a slower pace and only doing the first half of the book in one year, instead of going through an entire workbook in one year. Here’s a video about it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbbOQyxUUgs

      Reply

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