The Five Core Habits of Grammar are practices of the classical model of education, like the Five Common Topics of Dialectic and the Five Canons of Rhetoric, that can be applied to all areas of learning. With our Classical Conversations curriculum, we introduce these habits to students in our elementary and middle school programs, Foundations and Essentials. Even so, they can be used by anyone of any age to better discuss and understand a subject.
NAMES
Lucky for us, the Five Core Habits of Grammar conveniently spell out the acronym NAMES. In this order, they are naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling. Using the Five Core Habits, we can more easily approach learning any new subject and foster a natural curiosity in our children.
Naming
The first core habit of Naming means developing vocabulary through interactions. Before we can understand a subject or idea, we must first be able to know the basic vocabulary related to that subject.
For example, when teaching your child astronomy, it’s important that he or she be able to name key terms such as planet, star, orbit, solar system, galaxy, and constellation. After all, how can they later understand the complexities of the universe without first understanding this foundational knowledge (what classical educators call the grammar of a subject)?
If you’re struggling to teach a new subject to your child, simply begin with naming. Start asking your child to give general definitions first, then get more specific (ex. define planet first, then Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus, and so on.) By laying this foundation, both you and your student will be able to progress onto more detailed conversations about your topic.
Attending
Attending means differentiating details through sensory focus. It’s a simple compare-and-contrast exercise that enables your student to see what something is and what it’s not.
Let’s apply this habit to learning about trees. After naming certain terms like plant, tree, trunk, leaf, bark, pine, maple, and oak, we can then practice the core habit of attending.
Encourage your student to see how terms are organized from general to specific. For instance, what’s the difference between a plant and a tree? Well, a tree is a plant. Are all plants trees? No, of course not. Also, encourage your student to see similarities and differences in the terms they defined in naming. How are pines, maples, and oaks similar? How are they different?
Through this simple exercise of attending, your child will hone observation skills essential for studying all subjects.
Read: “The Joy of the Foundations Program”
Memorizing
The third core habit, Memorizing, is simply retaining knowledge through repetition from vocabulary gained in Naming.
Wondering how to teach a foreign language to your student effectively? Simply practice memorizing the basic vocabulary and endings of a language on a regular basis (we believe Latin is the best one to start with). Over time, your student will have a foundation to build upon as they go on to study, say, more complex Latin or a different (yet related) language like Spanish or French.
There are many ways to help our students commit terms to memory, from songs to chants to mnemonics. If your child is in our Foundations program, use the memorization resources in your curriculum or on CC Connected to help your student master basic vocabulary, events, locations, and ideas.
Expressing
For parents who are more inclined toward the humanities, you will love practicing the next two of the Five Core Habits of Grammar with your child, beginning with Expressing. Expressing means demonstrating ideas through activity.
For example, returning to our example of studying astronomy, your student might build a model of the solar system using painted foam balls as planets. Or, when studying geography, you could encourage your child to try drawing a map of the world from memory.
Expressing through models is one of the best ways to learn about something because we are required to carefully observe a subject first to then create a representation of it. After your child creates a model, start a conversation about it. Why did they choose to express their subject that way? How could they have done it differently? What is accurate in their model and what is not?
Storytelling
Finally, the last of the Five Core Habits of Grammar is Storytelling. If you’re practicing with a young student, you’ll find this habit to be not only helpful in better understanding a subject, but also a whole lot of fun.
Storytelling is recounting events through narration. When studying astronomy, perhaps have your student write a short science fiction story about the different planets they defined in naming. Or, when studying a historical event, you and your child could retell the story, narrating the order of events to one another.
We often learn best from stories. Like with expressing, storytelling helps students reinforce the foundational knowledge learned earlier in a memorable and fun way.
Read: “Introducing Scribblers at Home: Recipes from Lifelong Learners!”
Frequently Asked Questions About the Five Core Habits of Grammar
What are the Five Core Habits of Grammar?
The Five Core Habits of Grammar are naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling, which together spell the acronym NAMES. Classical educators use these habits to learn the foundational words, facts, and ideas of any subject, from astronomy to history to Latin, so students can study each subject more deeply over time.
What is the art of grammar in classical education?
Grammar is the first of the three arts of the classical Trivium, followed by Dialectic and Rhetoric. The art of Grammar focuses on gathering the foundational knowledge of a subject: its vocabulary, facts, and patterns. Young children practice it through memory work, songs, and stories, building a rich storehouse of knowledge that supports analysis and persuasive expression in the years ahead.
Why does classical education emphasize memory work in the early years?
Young children delight in songs, chants, and repetition, and memory work honors that natural gift. As students memorize facts about history, science, math, and Scripture, they come to know and name the order God built into His creation. That storehouse of knowledge, or memoria, becomes a lasting treasure that students carry with them and draw from throughout their lives.
Why does Classical Conversations emphasize the core habits in the early years?
Strong habits of attention, memory, and orderliness make every subject easier to learn. The Five Core Habits work across all subjects and all three arts of the Trivium, so a child who learns to name, attend, memorize, express, and tell stories can approach any new topic with confidence. These habits form the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
How does Classical Conversations introduce the Five Core Habits of Grammar?
Classical Conversations introduces the Five Core Habits in its Foundations and Essentials programs. On community day, Tutors model the habits through memory work, presentations, and hands-on activities, and parents continue practicing them at home throughout the week. Families can find additional memory work resources on CC Connected.
Can parents and older students use the Five Core Habits?
Yes. The Five Core Habits of Grammar help learners of any age approach an unfamiliar subject. Parents often find that practicing naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling alongside their children gives them confidence to teach subjects they never studied themselves, and to keep learning with joy.
Understanding the Five Core Habits of Grammar
Hopefully, you can see how the Five Core Habits of Grammar can be used to have conversations about any new subject, from science to Latin to history. If you’re interested in reading more in-depth about the Five Core Habits of Grammar, don’t miss Leigh Bortins’ book The Habits of a Classical Education: Practicing the Art of Grammar.
