Do you find yourself wishing you could grasp more natural teaching moments with your child? Do you have a child who resists anything contrived or in workbook form? Do you love unit studies, but have a hard time working in the nitty gritty details of grammar? Are you a Charlotte Mason or Ruth Beechick family who wants to get more out of copywork? Are you an unschooling or eclectic-learning family that wants to introduce small snippets of grammar into normal life? We are two moms who created this website for our own use, but would love to share it with others who are in the same boat. Dig in, explore, and let us know what you think!

Start Here

If you found us from Math on the Level (MOTL), welcome!  MOTL was our first introduction to the idea of a Concept List.  We loved it so much we wanted the same thing for other subjects.  Our first Concept List is Grammar Concepts.

Which Grade Is This Program For?
All of them.  No, really!  The beauty, and freedom, of a concept list is that this is pretty much everything you need to know about grammar before you graduate from high school.  If you have a creative, right-brained six-year-old who wants to dress up like a warrior-pirate-fairy and build lego kingdoms for her plastic frogs, then you might want to start teaching these concepts in middle school; play a few games in the elementary years for a gentle intro.  If you have a five-year-old who is begging to start cursive and wants to do "real" math worksheets, then you can probably start this program in early elementary.  If you hit a lull, just pause for a while.  There are only about 150 concepts, plus some language skills.  This program is meant to be leisurely... even enjoyable!  Remember that the ideas in each lesson are possibilities, not a prison.  Choose the things that make sense for your family; leave the rest.


How To Use Grammar Concepts

Step 1: Educate Yourself
Before you start to teach your children grammar, give yourself a refresher course.  You may choose to only learn one lesson ahead, or to scan through an entire grammar course to have a big-picture view.
  • Daily Grammar (DG): We link to the relevant DG lesson on each of our lessons (look for the tiny print);  they do a great job of illustrating a concept with a few well-chosen examples.
  • Grammar Revolution: This website is especially useful for the more advanced concepts; it also has a good tutorial on diagramming if you wish to pursue that route.
  • "The Giggly Guide to Grammar": A light-hearted book that is a quick weekend read; I have also used it with an older child who wants to self-teach and move through concepts quickly.

 Step 2: Start Copywork (and Dictation)
Copywork is a gentle, enjoyable way to learn grammar.
You may already be doing copywork, but not sure how to use it to teach your child.  If not, start the habit of doing one copywork selection each week.  For an early elementary child a few words, or a short sentence, are sufficient.*  For an upper elementary child, you might want to follow the copywork with dictation.  For a middle school aged child, you may want to go a step further and encourage memorization of the passage.

Don't feel that you have to "teach" every copywork.  Some concepts a child will copy many times before it is ever officially taught to her.

You may choose to do copywork from a book you are already reading.  In elementary, I usually pull copywork from books we have ready many times.  In middle school we start to branch out.  I also allow my kids to choose their own copywork occasionally.
  • Here is a fun website to create simple copywork for very young children: Twisty Noodle
  • We use Handwriting Without Tears, so I make a lot of use of their free online worksheet creator:  A+ Worksheet Maker
  • Good copywork sources for elementary (I usually choose copywork a level down from the level my child is reading):
    • Primers
      • Elson Primer (free on Google Books)
      • Treadwell's Primer (free on Baldwin Project)
      • P. D. Eastman (Go Dog, Go and Are You My Mother?)
    • Sentence Readers
      • Work a Day Doings by Emma Serl (free on Google Books)
      • Work a Day Doings on the Farm (free on Google Books)
      • Treadwell's First Reader (free on Baldwin Project)
      • At The Open Door by Louise Robinson (free on Google Books)
      • Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad books, Mouse Soup, Mouse Tales)
      • Little Bear books
    • Paragraph Readers
      • In The Animal World by Emma Serl (free on Google Books)
  • For middle/high school level copywork, Bartleby has an exhaustive collection of quotations.
    • Forty Thousand Quotations.  This is my favorite collection.  It sorts quotes by category or author, and lists them by length (shortest to longest).
*Many children are resistant to writing in the elementary years, even up to adolescence.  They may have dysgraphia, or simply not be developmentally ready.  Don't force it; simply continue to teach through books and games.  I have one very creative child who still resists handwriting at the age of 12.  I ask her to copy very short sentences, but allow her to do the majority of her work on the computer.

 Step 3:  Dive In!  
Make your own sequence, or start with a spine like Grammar-Land by M. L. Nesbitt (also available for free on Google Books, Kindle, etc).
Don't go overboard and try to teach 4 at once!  One concept a week is about right for most children; sometimes they will be ready to learn more than 1 a week, sometimes you will have to tread water and just review what is already known.  But one concept a week is a good average.
  • (2) Teach the Concept through Games and/or Real Life Teaching Moments
Before you launch into "teaching mode," find a fun and/or natural way to learn the concept.  The Lessons on the main page give Teaching Ideas for this stage.  Depending on the age, personality, and learning style of your child,  this step might take one day, one week, or one month.  Play games, read books, point out the topic in real life.  DO NOT proceed to incorporating the concept in copywork until the child is ready.
  • (3) Choose Copywork that Illustrates the Concept 
This may be easy or difficult, depending on the concept.  We will be uploading copywork examples as we work through them in our own families.
  • (4) Move the Concept to Review
Once the child shows mastery of a concept, expect him to recognize it in future copywork.  You may choose to have an older child start sentence diagramming (see Grammar Revolution).  Or you may simply discuss the passage verbally each week.   There is a checklist on the Sequences page to help you track mastered concepts.
Sample Weekly Schedules:
these are just examples; tweak to the needs and style of your family!

Day 1 - read a book about the concept
Day 2 - play a game about the concept
(if your child is resistant to writing, don't force it; stay with verbal work until they are ready to move to the next phase)

Day 1 - play a game with the concept
Day 2 - play another game with the concept
Day 3 - do copywork and review the concept

Day 1 - read a book about the concept
Day 2 - do a worksheet or copywork using the concept
Day 3 - play a game or sing a song with the concept
Day 4 - practice writing integrating the concept

 Step 4: Be Attuned to the Unique Development of Your Child
Every child learns at a different pace.  Some children love to learn bit by bit, step by step.  Some children learn in giant spurts, followed by months of treading water.  If you ever meet tears, step back and evaluate.

Resistance as a Communication Tool
Collaborative Learning
Normal Development of Right Versus Left Brain
Tidal Homeschooling

You can start this Concept List at any point in your child's education.  However, the teaching sequence will look different if starting with young (lower elementary) or older (upper elem/middle school) student.


 Step 5: Spelling
Many children pick up correct spelling from nothing more than copywork and dictation.  However, if you think your child needs more focused work on spelling, here are a few resources.
Spell By Color


Other Resources to Check Out 
(we have not personally gone through these yet):

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