📒 Grammar & Vocabulary
One of the best things that Mason offered to the study of Language Arts in the context of a living education is the organic and natural progression of language acquisition.
One of the most significant areas of deficit to her approach is the neglect of the Linguistic Imagination (I have an entire workshop about that if you want to learn more).
Combining what I know and value from Mason’s approach with what I know and am in pursuit of regarding the linguistic imagination, here is how I approach Grammar.
1️⃣ Communally
Language is best learned communally… because, language IS communal. Outside of the context of community, language has no meaning or purpose.
I recommend including Grammar in Group Lessons, starting around Grade 3.
This is primarily oral instruction, with brief and simple written exercises included sparingly.
2️⃣ Contextually
Grammar isn’t permitted to dominate our exploration of language (and neither is spelling).
Children who can diagram a sentence and spell well but who have underdeveloped linguistic imaginations will be technically abled but contextually disabled communicators.
Conversely, children with well developed linguistic imaginations who struggle in spelling or don’t have perfect grammar can utilize any number of readily available tools to refine their technical ability while they communicate their ideas well.
Grammar is kept in its proper place… in the context of a wide feast of language arts exploration.
(I do this by looping through many LA subjects as a group- library skills, literary criticism, composition, literary history, vocabulary, literature, etc)
3️⃣ Varied
I intentionally use a wide variety of resources (I have a workshop on the educational philosophy of Variety) and layer understanding year after year by revisiting concepts in a variety of contexts and approaches.
4️⃣ Scaffolded
We continue Grammar as a group all the way through high school, and each boy also has Grammar looped into their individual lessons.
💡 I approach Vocabulary in the same way.
💡 📷 = some of this year’s resources-see stories for others we’ve loved.
One of the best things that Mason offered to the study of Language Arts in the context of a living education is the organic and natural progression of language acquisition.
One of the most significant areas of deficit to her approach is the neglect of the Linguistic Imagination (I have an entire workshop about that if you want to learn more).
Combining what I know and value from Mason’s approach with what I know and am in pursuit of regarding the linguistic imagination, here is how I approach Grammar.
1️⃣ Communally
Language is best learned communally… because, language IS communal. Outside of the context of community, language has no meaning or purpose.
I recommend including Grammar in Group Lessons, starting around Grade 3.
This is primarily oral instruction, with brief and simple written exercises included sparingly.
2️⃣ Contextually
Grammar isn’t permitted to dominate our exploration of language (and neither is spelling).
Children who can diagram a sentence and spell well but who have underdeveloped linguistic imaginations will be technically abled but contextually disabled communicators.
Conversely, children with well developed linguistic imaginations who struggle in spelling or don’t have perfect grammar can utilize any number of readily available tools to refine their technical ability while they communicate their ideas well.
Grammar is kept in its proper place… in the context of a wide feast of language arts exploration.
(I do this by looping through many LA subjects as a group- library skills, literary criticism, composition, literary history, vocabulary, literature, etc)
3️⃣ Varied
I intentionally use a wide variety of resources (I have a workshop on the educational philosophy of Variety) and layer understanding year after year by revisiting concepts in a variety of contexts and approaches.
4️⃣ Scaffolded
We continue Grammar as a group all the way through high school, and each boy also has Grammar looped into their individual lessons.
💡 I approach Vocabulary in the same way.
💡 📷 = some of this year’s resources-see stories for others we’ve loved.
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