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Jim Cosgrove
on Sep 9 2010 - 06:00 AM
Please turn off the "idiot box" and pass the syrup.
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Margo Posnanski
on Sep 7 2010 - 06:00 AM
We as Worry Warts or Why Willy Wonka Reminds Me of Drugs
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Tasha Fabela-Jonas
on Sep 3 2010 - 06:00 AM
Hey YOU, Sperm. And YOU, Madame Egg, hurry it up already!
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Deb Clem-Buckert
on Sep 1 2010 - 12:00 PM
Silly Bands, Purple Bracelets, Leukemia and Lots of Inspiration!
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Laura Bauer
on Aug 30 2010 - 06:00 AM
What do you mean you want to hang out with your family?
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Kady McMaster
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Never in a million years did I think I ever would write this imperative sentence: Bring back sentence diagramming.
Yes, I am an old fogey, apparently. And yes, I went to Catholic school, where the nuns and lay teachers drilled sentence diagramming into our heads so much that I dreamed about which lines adjectives belonged on and how to connect the compound-complex sentence with a coordinating conjunction.
And I hated every stinking moment of diagramming sentences with a passion I didn’t know I possessed.
Yet today, I know, once again, that my elders knew what they were doing when they forced us to spend hour after hour, year after year, drawing lines and taking apart sentences.
That lesson came home to me a few weeks back, when I was helping my eighth-grade son with his English homework (only it’s not called “English” anymore; it’s “communication arts.”)
He had to write a paragraph using colons and semi-colons incorrectly so that the next day his peers could correct the paragraph. I have to tell you, I was excited. Grammar is my thing. I still cling to my college textbook, Working with Words, and pull it out whenever I’ve got a question.
So I brought Working with Words to the kitchen table and asked Joe to tell me the difference between a colon and a semi-colon. He scratched his head. He wasn’t exactly sure.
I explained the difference. He might use a semi-colon, I said, to separate two independent clauses that were related in some way. I asked him if he knew what an independent clause was.
Not so much, he said.
And that’s when I just completely morphed into my father and started ranting and raving about how they don’t teach grammar nowadays, and spelling’s going by the wayside, too.
“Why, in my day…” I started, and I saw Joe’s eyes glaze over.
So I asked whether he knew how to diagram a sentence. Did he know a subject from a predicate? Did he know what infinitives are?
These concepts have been introduced to my young son, no doubt. But they didn’t stick. He clearly had not spent years struggling to diagram complex sentences. He looked at me like I was speaking Spanish, not English.
Later, I was griping about the dearth of sentence diagramming to my mom, a retired teacher. And she told me that in some teaching circles, the practice of teaching spelling has even fallen from favor. It’s assumed that students will type their work, and they can use a spellchecker, she said.
I gaped at her. Gaped, I tell you. What kind of crazy world is this when we don’t even teach our kids how to properly speak and write their own language? And how in the world will they successfully learn another if they can’t identify nouns and participles in their own?
Fast forward to Sunday. I was watching my daughter’s basketball game and sitting by her friend’s grandmother, a retired math teacher. I started in on my sentence-diagramming tirade, and she agreed.
And she told me that when she retired about a decade ago, she asked her colleagues who taught communications arts why they didn’t teach sentence diagramming anymore. They told her it wasn’t necessary because kids could learn good grammar from the novels they were reading in class.
She laughed. “Can you imagine,” she said, “learning grammar from A Catcher in the Rye? “
No. No, I really can’t.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Although I can't remember ever diagramming a sentence (no, really), and I can't identify all parts of speech, I still recognize poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation when I see them. Makes me CRAZY!!! And expecting students to depend on technology to get them through writing assignments is just plain lazy. Aside from that, the evil genie known as texting is not only never going back into the bottle, but it's casting evil spells on ALL forms of writing. So do we really believe spell check will help? I'm appalled.I've always believed you need a perfect understanding of the rules before you can start breaking them. I'm growing more & more concerned about my children's education. Great blog, Kate.OMGosh! I *loved* and *love* sentence diagramming. You have hit upon one of my great passions. It's like a puzzle, with words. My kids will learn it. I'm their teacher. ;-) Great post!I don't think that students need to be able to diagram sentences; there's actually composition research showing that it's not particularly useful. I'm horrified, however, that students aren't being taught to identify the parts of speech (sp), punctuation--or how to spell correctly. Grammar instruction is miserable, for both student and teacher (I've taught remedial (code name "developmental") English at a local community college many times, so know of what I speak), but it's essential to building good sentence structure and strong communicators. They need to stop being lazy and get back to all that rote teaching of grammar! (I haven't found a good way of teaching it that's not by rote--practice, practice, practice some more--although I'd love it if it were one.) As far as expecting the spelling chequer on one's pea sea to catch errors--that is too idiotic for words. Gah.Okay, I'll admit it: I love sentence diagramming. In fact, I wish I had one to diagram right now. Great blog, as usual, Kate!For all you grammar lovers, get thee a copy of Working with Words! Greatest grammar textbook ever and written by Missouri journalism profs. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Working-Words-Handbook-Writers-Editors/dp/031244267X"And she told me that when she retired about a decade ago, she asked her colleagues who taught communications arts whey (sic) they didn’t teach sentence diagramming anymore." How ironic. In a blog post ranting about how the basics aren't taught in school these days, the author relies on spell check and doesn't proofread her work. People in glass houses...I have to watch myself at work when I read emails because I just want to correct other people's grammar and spelling. It is hard!Ha ha ha -- yes, schmiegelshoot, ITA. One typo completely invalids her entire point. Oh, wait, no, actually, I don't agree with that at all. Sorry, still a great blog.Kate, I think there's a billion-dollar industry awaiting you if you start an online site where you edit research papers! I'm thinking of a name right now... "Editor in the Web?" EdWeb? I'm still working on the name....I'll check out Working with Words!. Have you guys seen Eats Shoots and Leaves? Love love love the snarkiness. (My first copy, wretchedly ruined in a flood, had stickers for grammar graffiti that said "The panda says NO!") They've even made children's books about grammar, punctuation, etc.Oh, wow, slcmschutte, thanks so much for pointing that out. However, I don't think a typo counts as a grammatical error. It's more of a spelling error, and I did use a spellchecker, so I guess that proves that they're not infallible. Also, is it really "ironic?" Is that an example of irony that I made a spelling mistake in my post? I don't really think it is.I'm one of those English/Communication Arts teachers. I can only vouch for my current district when I say that grammar is a part of the curriculum in all grades. Yet, I agree this instruction is ineffective. Typically, grammar is taught in isolation. For example, I'm currently teaching 9th grade CA (honors!!). Each Tuesday/Thursday the students copy a grammatically incorrect sentence into their notebooks and try to correct it. Then, we talk about it. SNOOZE. Yesterday's sentence had something to do with Mrs. McMillan's choice for PTA president. WTH? That topic isn't interesting to anybody! Several districts decided to go the "scripted" route for grammar instruction (spending beaucoup bucks), leaving teachers little flexibility. Ideally, grammar should be taught in context using student writing, or even some of those novels you mentioned. For example, a teacher could take a sample of Holden's writing and discuss the grammar with students. The discussion should also include why Salinger could get away with not following the rules and why the students cannot. Like ProxyMom said, you have to learn the rules before you can break them. Writing is no exception. Another issue is that most people believe CA teachers are the only ones responsible for reading and writing instruction. Yes, this instruction falls primarily in their realm of expertise. BUT for students to develop competency in these areas, the skills need to be supported in all content areas. If this were the case, people would see vast improvement in students' writing and reading comprehension skills. Lastly, I think learning reading/writing/spelling skills is similar to learning math skills. Some people are just going to struggle. I'm not a "math" person; some folks can't spell to save their lives. Does that make sense? BTW: If this post includes any typos or grammatical errors, please forgive them. I'm typing fast while I'm at work. I really should be preparing for the exciting PowerPoint presentation on NOUNS that the regular teacher left for me.Yes, an easily caught spelling error is ironic in a post ranting about how kids today don't learn the fundamentals of grammar and writing. One of the first things I was taught is to proofread my work. Had you done that, you would have caught the mistake. I just get tired of these kinds of posts. We complain about the schooling our children are receiving just as our parents complained about the schooling we received. And I'm sure my grandparents complained as well. It's is the nature of the beast but it is not terribly interesting.Great blog, Kate! I have many a memory of sentence diagrams and I was the English dork that liked them, too. I had no idea they didn't still do that in schools. And thanks for that textbook recommendation! I was just thinking the other day how little I remember of the actual rules of grammar and composition. Again, YES PEOPLE, I AM A HUGE DORK. But at least I don't have my panties in a wad like some other commentors I could mention...
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