Manners Book!

We read this book today.   It is a re-print of an old book that mixes the idea of using good grammar with polite manners.  Very good!

Grammar Can be Fun!

Ideas for learning Grammar.

Grammar can be fun! And when one has little boys, it should be made as fun as possible. That is why we are in the process of reading GrammarLand.

GrammarLand is a living book. What is a living book you ask? Well,according to Charlotte Mason (my favorite homeschooling style):

"Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it’s easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject “come alive.” They can be contrasted to dry writing, like what is found in most encyclopedias or textbooks, which basically lists informational facts in summary form. You might be surprised to find that living books are available for most school subjects — even math, geography, and science"

Justin, especially begs me to read another chapter every day (did I mention we are talking about Grammar?!)

I also think little boys need fun.  Here are some great flashcards (you decide whether adjective, verb, adverb,etc)
http://www.kids-pages.com/flashcards7.htm

Here are some Mad Libs:
http://www.rinkworks.com/crazytales/

An online game:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/grammar1.htm#


More printables:
http://www.sparklebox2.co.uk/literacy/grammar/

The rich man, the poor man, and the thief

Language arts story by Justin


Once upon a time there was a rich man, a poor man, and a thief. The rich man had cider, the poor man had gruel, and the thief had gravy. Well one day the thief stole the cider, and the rich man blamed the poor man!
But after the poor man went to jail, the poor man escaped and lived happily ever after.

I read this out loud and then laughed. Justin was giggling and said, "Well you know he wouldn't want to steal the gruel!".
Definition of gruel: a thin porridge. (Justin dislikes oatmeal)

Dictation

Dictation is a great way to improve attentiveness, spelling, penmanship, and grammar. We are using Benjamin Franklin's quotes.

Today we used:

• "A penny saved is a penny earned."
• "A good conscience is a continual Christmas."