Episode 50: Writing: Grammar and Composition
A Delectable Education Charlotte Mason Podcast
Nicole Williams
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 19 October 2016
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What are Charlotte Mason's thoughts on grammar and composition? Listen to this podcast to hear some of her rationale for these subjects, to dispel myths about the Charlotte Mason method and the subject of writing, as well as these moms' experience with teaching these technical and creative written skills.
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"[G]rammar, being a study of words and not things, is by no means attractive to the child, nor should he be hurried into it." (Vol. 1, p. 295)
"Children will probably be slow to receive this first lesson in abstract knowledge, and we must remember that knowledge in this sort is difficult and uncongenial. Their minds deal with the concrete and they have the singular faculty of being able to make concrete images out of the merest gossamer of a fairy tale." (Vol. 6, p. 210)
"But a child cannot dream parts of speech, and any grown-up twaddle attempting to personify such abstractions offends a small person who with all his love of play and nonsense has a serious mind." (Vol. 6, p. 210)
"Our business is to provide children with material in thier lessons, and leave the handling of such material to themselves...They should narrate in the first place, and they will compose, later, readily enough; but they should not be taught 'composition.'" (Vol. 1, p. 247)
"It is not enough that a child should learn how to write, he must know what to write." (Vol. 6, p. 234)
"In fact, lessons on 'composition' should follow the model of that famous essay on "Snakes in Ireland"––"There are none."" (Vol. 1, p. 247)
"If we would believe it, composition is as natural as jumping and running to children who have been allowed due use of books." (Vol. 1, p. 247)
If you would like to study along with us, here are some passages from The Home Education Series and other Parent's Review articles that would be helpful for this episode's topic. You may also read the series online here, or get the free Kindle version from Fisher Academy.
Home Education (Volume 1), Part V, XIII
An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education (Volume 6), Book I, Chapter 10, Section II: Knowledge of Man: Composition & Knowledge of Man: Grammar
The Bedford Handbook
The Elements of Style
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This Podcast is brought to you by the 2016 Peoria Charlotte Mason Gathering. |
| 0:06.0 | The Continuing Conversations Study Group invites you to join them in Peoria, Illinois, November 10th through 12th, for a regional conference which will explore |
| 0:15.1 | what Mason calls the field before us. |
| 0:18.8 | As we grow in our understanding of relational education with Fullness and Joy. |
| 0:22.8 | Our own Nicole Williams will be speaking, along with Dr. Carol Smith, Director of the |
| 0:26.8 | Charlotte Mason Institute, and Kelly Krisenberry, CMI Speaker and Mentor. |
| 0:31.8 | Nancy Kelly's Community Group will also be offering a pre-conference co-op immersion training. |
| 0:37.0 | To find more information or to register, visit |
| 0:40.0 | CMPoria.com, that's C M P E O R I A dot com, or find us on Facebook at the field before us. the Welcome to a delectable education, the podcast that spreads the feast of the |
| 1:25.8 | Stromet Mason method. This is episode 50 which I feel like is a milestone |
| 1:30.7 | don't you guys? I'm Emily Kaiser and I'm here with Nicole Williams and Liz |
| 1:35.2 | Catrill. Continuing on our series of language arts topics, today we are tackling grammar and |
| 1:42.2 | composition. |
| 1:44.0 | Charlotte Mason said, |
| 1:46.0 | writing, of course, comes of reading, |
| 1:49.0 | and nobody can write well who does not read much. |
| 1:52.0 | Boy, isn't not read much? |
| 1:53.2 | Boy, isn't that the truth? |
| 1:55.1 | Well, first, as within any subject when we begin, |
| 1:59.0 | we always like to talk about the why. |
| 2:01.1 | And we have talked about the very pragmatic reason why we write is to communicate. But I do find that many |
| 2:10.8 | mothers, if not most mothers, are very anxious and worried about this whole subject of writing, |
... |
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