Grammar is not my strong suit, and you know what – that’s okay. If that’s your circumstance as well, no problem, mama.
Rather than trying to bluff your way through teaching grammar lessons that you’re barely a step ahead in, get off your high-horse and instead sit next to your child.
Do it together.
You might be more effective than a teacher who already knows the subject.
This is the third blog post in the series How To Teach Your Child To Write. Read the first post about teaching writing here. Read the second post about our favorite writing curriculum here.
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Watch the YouTube video about The Well Ordered Language | Homeschool Grammar Curriculum Review
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What is grammar?
Grammar is –
the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology and semantics.
Oxford
In other words, grammar is the study of language and how it works. Every language has parts of speech (nouns, verbs, prepositions, etc.) and parts of a sentence (subject, predicate, direct objects, etc.).
How do we put words together to communicate meaning? That’s the study of grammar.
I believe it should be studied separately from writing.
Punctuation, usage, and mechanics fit better alongside writing instruction or can be done through copy work. They are really part of composition rather than the study of how language works.
What is the Well-Ordered Language: The Curious Child’s Guide to Grammar?
Well-Ordered Language (WOL), is a grammar series from Classical Academic Press. It was created by the same company of our favorite writing curriculum, Writing & Rhetoric.
Well-Ordered Language is a very interactive curriculum that involves reading, writing, speaking, and listening along with choral recitation and some hands-on activities and games. While parts of the lessons are tightly structured, many lesson activities allow for discussion or open-ended responses.
WOL concentrates heavily upon grammar. It uses a very systematic, sequential approach for teaching grammar. Your child will learn to analyze sentences using a unique system for identifying and marking up parts of speech and their functions within each sentence.
WOL was written to support a classical approach to education, and this is evidenced by the logical, analytical approach to learning grammar as well as by the repetition and memorization.
What does the Well-Ordered Language consist of?
Four Levels
Well-Ordered Language (WOL) consists of four levels with two books—A and B—for each level. Level 1 is appropriate for third and fourth graders. Level 2 targets grades four and five. Levels 3 and 4 can be used for grades five through eight.
You can complete both books A and B in one year and just move on to the next level as soon as you’re ready. No need to wait till the following year.
8 Chapters
Every book has about eight chapters and each chapter has 3 parts/lessons.
Teacher’s Edition & Student Workbook
There are both a teacher’s edition and a student workbook for parts A and B of each level.
Teacher’s Edition
Teacher’s editions have student pages with overprinted answers and instructional notes printed in boxes. There are additional teaching pages for oral exercises, games, and sentence analyses, plus pages with optional activities to be completed based upon fables, tales, and/or poems.
Songs & Chants
There is an the MP3 file with the songs and chants for each level—one set of MP3 files covers both books A and B. To learn how to analyze sentences, your child will memorize definitions of essential elements such as the eight parts of speech and the four classes of verbs through choral recitation.
I did not feel the need to purchase the MP3 file. It is easy for my children to learn a simple statement without making it more complicated by adding the song/chant to memorize.
Schedules
Three potential schedules in the teacher’s editions allow flexibility in scheduling. One option is a fast-paced, five-days-per-week option for covering both books in within a few months.
The two other schedules set you up to complete A and B in about 6 months, working either three or four days per week.
Extra Practice and Assessments
If you’re interested, you can purchase additional practice and/or quizzes. We did not find a need for this.
Let’s open the Well-Ordered Language (WOL) Level 3A and flip through it together!
Let’s do a lesson together in the Well-Ordered Language Level 3A !
Level 3 continues reviewing through all previously covered grammatical concepts while adding topics such as verbals, implied subjects, rhetorical questions, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and more complex punctuation and usage.
Watch the YouTube video starting at 09:01 to see a glimpse of our lesson plus bonus real-life footage at 09:11 😜
Your child can do this part independently and you can have them make corrections when they’re done.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Explicit instructions, including complete scripting of the sentence analyses, makes it easy even if you are weak in grammar.
- The material in WOL is interesting – the books include delightful artwork, a story thread about a family, and excerpts from poetry and literature.
- Frequent illustrations, plenty of white space, and easy-to-read fonts make them child-friendly in comparison to some rather dry grammar workbooks.
- Although WOL was written for classroom use and includes many group activities, the Teacher’s editions include “Fewer Than Five”, which are adaptations for activities that tell parents how to adapt the activities for fewer than five children.
Cons
- Printed in black and white
- My kids tend to get bored with the amount of repetition, however you can offset this by projecting energy and enthusiasm through the sentence analyses
- Chants are perhaps unnecessary when children can memorize the work without chanting
Why WOL works for us
WOL is fully scripted and fully scripted means easy. And you know what that means! – I’m actually going to use it. 🙂
Pricing
When comparison prices appear, please keep in mind that they are subject to change. Click on links where available to verify price accuracy.
Well-Ordered Language Level 1A Revised Student Edition (NEW) – $21.95
Well-Ordered Language Level 1A Revised Teacher’s Edition (NEW) – $24.95
Well-Ordered Language Level 1A Extra Practice & Assessments (NEW Revised Edition) – $7.95 (optional)
Well-Ordered Language Level 1A & 1B Songs & Chants – $13.95 (optional)
Check out WOL on Amazon as well.
FAQs about Well-Ordered Language (WOL)
When should I teach grammar?
Because grammar and diagramming is the logical analysis of language, I believe it is best studied in the middle school years.
Which book should I start with?
The publisher recommends starting WOL from the beginning. If your child is very comfortable with the eight parts of speech and their functions, you should be able to move directly into Level 2A. As always, review the table of contents and have your child work through some of the exercises provided in the free online sample.
What other grammar curriculum do you recommend?
The curriculum that you’ll use! That is my answer to every curriculum question.
Cottage Press offers an all-in-one language arts, grammar, and composition option.
What other grammar resources do you recommend?
- Grammar Girl book
- The Dangerous Book For Boys (note: there is a chapter about ‘girls’ in this book that I recommend tearing out.) It’s not a grammar book but it contains a section on grammar that your son will think is ‘cool’.
Helpful Links
This is the third blog post in the series How To Teach Your Child To Write. Read the first post about teaching writing here. Read the second post about our favorite writing curriculum here.
New to homeschooling? Read the Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling for Muslim Families and watch my Muslim Homeschooling Videos!