SueS Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 WTM says it is very important to diagram sentences. TOG recommends Easy Grammar which doesn't teach diagramming. My oldest 2 (14 and 12 yo) did a year of R &S and my 10 yo did FLL so they learned to diagram (at least they learned some). I was going to switch to Easy Grammar because it's easy to implement, but I am hesistant now because it doesn't teach diagramming. Please give me your input. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I think learning to diagram is important. SWB does an excellent job of explaining why in one of her lectures. If you know how a sentence works, then you know when and why one has gone wrong. That said, you could just supplement diagramming with another resource such as Mary Daly's diagramming book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Very. Do a search, there have been many threads about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 They call it Easy Grammar for a reason. :lol: We actually love Easy Grammar, but always diagram also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 We didn't get around to introducing sentence diagrahming until this past year when my daughter was a freshman. It made sense and she didn't have any problem picking it up. She said she liked how it helped understand all of the pieces and parts and how they actually worked together. She will work on it some more this next year. I am sure the sentences will be more complex. All is not lost. It is something you could definately pick up when you feel it is time. I'm sure that doesn't jive with the wtm way but that's how it played out here. Best of luck. Ruby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 WTM says it is very important to diagram sentences. TOG recommends Easy Grammar which doesn't teach diagramming. My oldest 2 (14 and 12 yo) did a year of R &S and my 10 yo did FLL so they learned to diagram (at least they learned some). I was going to switch to Easy Grammar because it's easy to implement, but I am hesistant now because it doesn't teach diagramming. Please give me your input. Sue My name is Laurie4b and I no longer do diagramming. I know; it's heretical on these boards, but here I stand. :) We diagrammed for years; I have to admit that I don't think the kids got anything out of it. Maybe I wasn't able to make it meaningful for my kids because my brain doesn't get anything from it, either. I think that you can learn to write well-crafted sentences without diagramming and I think that is the ultimate point of any grammar instruction. DS #1 and #2 both got lots of diagramming through years of Rod and Staff. Ds #1 and ds#4 are both outstanding writers. Ds #2 (engineer type who has dyslexia) is a bit clunky . Ds #3 has dysgraphia, so I can't really use him for comparison. At this point, we're still using Rod and Staff for my younger two kids, but I don't have them do any diagramming past the basic sentence skeleton. I may switch to Easy Grammar next year for a break. It was hard for me to give up the diagramming because of the strong recommendation of SWB and people on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 They call it Easy Grammar for a reason. I've thought the same thing for years. :D (EG is one of my "tips": if someone says they use it, I know I probably won't take their recommendations on homeschool materials. It really depends on your goals. Total grammar mastery is not everyone's goal. If it is, diagramming is a great tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 We dabbled in diagramming sentences. Despite not continuing to the bitter end, I ended up with a Grammar Nazi son and three kids to argue with him about the finer points of grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 My name is Laurie4b and I no longer do diagramming. I know; it's heretical on these boards, but here I stand. :) Standing with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 the child scored a 30 on the english/grammar portion of her ACT. She WAS an avid reader, but I don't necessarily think that EG teaches nothing. I have another friend with 12 children and they do R&S up to a point then EG Plus for middle school and repeat in HS. Her girls aren't going to college, but her sons that have taken the ACT have scored 28 and up, and received full scholarships to LSU. We've done R&S and some other grammar materials, but I am considering the new EG Ultimate for a HS review... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 LIFE OR DEATH!!!:scared: Sorry, I couldn't resist. I think it's very important, and I think it can be fun. Like a puzzle. If you find it a chore, look into getting different colored pencils, or markers, to diagram. Or, cut out words, write a sentence and have your kids diagram that way. MCT and other curriculum diagram differently than Rod and Staff or TWTM. Look at the two ways and see what you think would work best for your kids. What they're learning by diagramming is that every word has a purpose and a place. It makes them better writers and speakers. It also helps them when they start learning foreign languages. For example, if they know the purpose and place of the verb, "to be," in their own language, they'll learn it in a foreign language much easier. Especially when they're learning to conjugate. Blessings! Dorinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 For us, diagramming is very important. It helps tie it all together and it is fun! The girls make a game of it to see who gets the sentence diagrammed most correctly. I think it is fun too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Diagramming teaches the mind to think, to see how all the pieces fit together correctly. Diagramming can be difficult, resulting in a dislike for it. I frequently have to tell my students that the reason we don't like things like diagramming is because we either don't understand it or we don't do it well. Once understood, it is a breeze. One thing I learned this past year is that many of the harder-to-understand grammatical concepts would be easier to understand if I taught the diagram first. We use R&S in my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes, and certain sentence components later in the 7th and 8th grade books are difficult to understand. So one day, on a whim, I taught the diagram first and then built the lesson off of it. Perfect! The students got it and said how they appreciated me teaching it that way, that it did make a difference. Now, to be sure, I could bet my last dollar that (most) students will never diagram a sentence after they leave high school. But all of them will have to read some things that will be difficult to understand because of the syntax and structure. If they have been steeped in sentence diagramming, they will be able to take the sentence apart and figure out exactly what it is saying. I am firmly convinced that sentence diagramming teaches students to think. And if I want my students to be able to get anything from me, I want to give them the tools to think. Gracious knows we need some accurate thinkers in our day. [And for what it's worth, I use Easy Grammar for quick reviews and remediation. I like what one poster said, "They call it Easy Grammar for a reason." :) EG is much more suited for grades 3-5.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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