Grammar and punctuation
Grammar and punctuation Ages 7- 11
Many workbooks/textbooks/courses aimed at teaching grammar etc. to ages 6+ require a considerable amount of writing on a daily basis. If you have a reluctant writer, this obviously causes problems. My own answer to this problem has been to use, at about age 7, a series of exercises aimed at teaching sentences, use of capitals, punctuation and so on via simple games which provide pre-made written cards. In this way, the child can focus on the grammar facts rather than have to spend his mental energy focusing on writing correctly (see the Composition page for more on this). You can find my own version of these on the main English schedule under 'English Grammar games'.
Once the basics have been covered with the games, you can consolidate the teaching with further exercises in each subject area. Again, I try to get the teaching across without a very heavy demand for writing, though obviously more here than at the basic level: There are exercises available on the main English page for the 8/9 age group which cover basic sentence construction and punctuation.
It's not until about age 9 or 10 that I 'officially' introduce more complex grammar, including naming parts of speech, subject and predicate and so on, though most of it will have been mentioned in earlier lessons. I know many courses (such as Jolly Grammar) do this much earlier, but I have found that, at least for children who 'get' writing later rather than earlier, it is much more helpful to have them focus on punctuation and spelling rather than naming parts of speech. Obviously, a child could identify nouns and verbs much earlier than this but I haven't noticed that it actually makes him write any better. On the other hand, explaining clearly what makes a sentence a sentence rather than just a phrase (and showing how to punctuate the sentence so that it can be clearly understood to the reader) is practically useful to him and he will (hopefully) use it to improve his writing. It's interesting that the well known educator Charlotte Mason did not teach formal grammar until her pupils reached the age of ten. I was a bit shocked when I first read that but I came to see that there is a lot of wisdom to it. If you think about it, for a child who is not yet writing by choice but only when lessons demand it, knowing the finer points of grammar such as names of parts of speech is a bit meaningless.
This site, English bananas, has plenty of free worksheets/ebooks which you can download for grammar practice.
Ages 10/11 - 13
From 10/11 -13 I use a standard grammar textbook from the 1950's called 'English Explained' (sadly this is out of print and difficult to source so I am presently looking for a readily-available substitute). One option is the O.U.P series aimed at ages 11-14: Grammar to 14 is sound enough if a little uninspiring - it offers a helpful run through all the punctuation, grammar and spelling you would expect a child to master by around age 14. There is no advantage in buying the newer version unless you want a better colour scheme and more snazzy pictures - the text is the same! (Interestingly, I'm writing this with my 12 year old daughter looking over my shoulder and we just compared old and new editions. 'I prefer the old one,' she says, 'It feels more grown up, like a proper book, without all those pictures'. Out of the mouths of babes!).
Age 13+
By the time your child has completed a grammar book to this level, such as Grammar to 14, there is unlikely to be any more need to teach grammar and punctuation as a separate subject. Only note and correct errors as and when they arise, revising points as and when needed.
If you want something to reinforce things more formally, this would be the have a look at the resource suggestions on the GCSE English page.
Grammar and punctuation Ages 7- 11
Many workbooks/textbooks/courses aimed at teaching grammar etc. to ages 6+ require a considerable amount of writing on a daily basis. If you have a reluctant writer, this obviously causes problems. My own answer to this problem has been to use, at about age 7, a series of exercises aimed at teaching sentences, use of capitals, punctuation and so on via simple games which provide pre-made written cards. In this way, the child can focus on the grammar facts rather than have to spend his mental energy focusing on writing correctly (see the Composition page for more on this). You can find my own version of these on the main English schedule under 'English Grammar games'.
Once the basics have been covered with the games, you can consolidate the teaching with further exercises in each subject area. Again, I try to get the teaching across without a very heavy demand for writing, though obviously more here than at the basic level: There are exercises available on the main English page for the 8/9 age group which cover basic sentence construction and punctuation.
It's not until about age 9 or 10 that I 'officially' introduce more complex grammar, including naming parts of speech, subject and predicate and so on, though most of it will have been mentioned in earlier lessons. I know many courses (such as Jolly Grammar) do this much earlier, but I have found that, at least for children who 'get' writing later rather than earlier, it is much more helpful to have them focus on punctuation and spelling rather than naming parts of speech. Obviously, a child could identify nouns and verbs much earlier than this but I haven't noticed that it actually makes him write any better. On the other hand, explaining clearly what makes a sentence a sentence rather than just a phrase (and showing how to punctuate the sentence so that it can be clearly understood to the reader) is practically useful to him and he will (hopefully) use it to improve his writing. It's interesting that the well known educator Charlotte Mason did not teach formal grammar until her pupils reached the age of ten. I was a bit shocked when I first read that but I came to see that there is a lot of wisdom to it. If you think about it, for a child who is not yet writing by choice but only when lessons demand it, knowing the finer points of grammar such as names of parts of speech is a bit meaningless.
This site, English bananas, has plenty of free worksheets/ebooks which you can download for grammar practice.
Ages 10/11 - 13
From 10/11 -13 I use a standard grammar textbook from the 1950's called 'English Explained' (sadly this is out of print and difficult to source so I am presently looking for a readily-available substitute). One option is the O.U.P series aimed at ages 11-14: Grammar to 14 is sound enough if a little uninspiring - it offers a helpful run through all the punctuation, grammar and spelling you would expect a child to master by around age 14. There is no advantage in buying the newer version unless you want a better colour scheme and more snazzy pictures - the text is the same! (Interestingly, I'm writing this with my 12 year old daughter looking over my shoulder and we just compared old and new editions. 'I prefer the old one,' she says, 'It feels more grown up, like a proper book, without all those pictures'. Out of the mouths of babes!).
Age 13+
By the time your child has completed a grammar book to this level, such as Grammar to 14, there is unlikely to be any more need to teach grammar and punctuation as a separate subject. Only note and correct errors as and when they arise, revising points as and when needed.
If you want something to reinforce things more formally, this would be the have a look at the resource suggestions on the GCSE English page.