Kissy Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I don't remember doing this in school. Is it essential? My son hates to do it and I don't see why it is done, but I want to be sure I am not missing a major milestone by not covering it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 We're big believers in it here. It's kind of like why you study Latin -- it's great for learning to think logically and precisely. My husband had a 5th grade teacher who was obsessed with sentence programming, and he credits all his success in life to that experience. (My husband runs a THINK tank, so he must be good at thinking! LOL!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Diagramming is a very important element in all of our grammar studies, Latin and English. I want my boys to be able to create a sentence, deconstruct it and put it back together. Fortunately, they love it. Early on my oldest son said, "It's like making art out of a sentence." There must be something you can do to help your son enjoy the process a little more. What if you did the diagrams together on a white board? Or, you draw the lines and ask him to fill in the blanks. Make a game of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kissy Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 We use a chalk board and I let him write on it which he enjoys but he can label the sentence but doesn't like to take the time to diagram. He went to ps and they didn't do it there so I think they may be some of it. I like the statement that it is art with sentences. Maybe we will try it again. Do all homeschool language arts have it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Have you looked at Winston Grammar cards? They use cards to dissect a sentence. You lay a card down for each word indicating what part of speech it is. We love it! We also diagram, but it is a great visual tool and can ease into traditional diagramming. We also label the words (sometimes) rather than draw out the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlotteb Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 We use Abeka Language and it includes diagramming starting in 4th grade. While my son doesn't really enjoy it, I can see its many benefits. It causes you to slow down, pay attention, apply logic, etc. And those are things that don't come naturally to alot of kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 We use Hake and it has diagramming. I looked for a curriculum that specifically had it because I find that it provides a logical look at how the sentence is constructed rather than just memorizing definitions and vague placement. We use a whiteboard and turn it into a game. I am teaching my two girls diagramming now so we have our Hake sentences and they do their own diagram and we compare and correct if needed. They enjoy it this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 We use diagramming in Latin but not English. Michael Clay Thompson uses a different approach in the grammar component of his language arts program. It's a four level analysis of each sentence using parts of speech, parts of the sentence, phrases, and clauses. The sentence remains intact. I have an aversion to heavy emphasis of diagramming because diagramming rips apart the language into functional bits and takes away from the inherent beauty of a well constructed sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 If you really want to learn a 2nd language you'll need to understand sentence structure. My oldest dd spent 7 mths in a foreign country. Since she plans to return there she has been studying the languages on her own. Part of her study has been to learn sentence diagramming - she couldn't understand the more complex sentences without translating the sentence structue and functions of the parts of speech first- kwim? It increases your ability to write well. Couple grammar with a program like IEW and you will have an awesome writer! We've been using Our Mother Tongue. It is a very straight forward and accessible. When you are done with that book, if you want more advanced diagramming there is a spiral bound book by Mary Daly that SWB suggests that is excellent and will take the student as far as they want to go. Diagramming is now an essential part of our school curriculum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Do all homeschool language arts have it? Shurley Grammar does not use diagramming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyJo Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 We use a chalk board and I let him write on it which he enjoys but he can label the sentence but doesn't like to take the time to diagram. He went to ps and they didn't do it there so I think they may be some of it. I like the statement that it is art with sentences. Maybe we will try it again. I have four sons, and they are all bloodthirsty, demented little barbarians. (Sweet kids, don't get me wrong, but still...) Anyway, if your son is also bloodthirsty and demented, use that against him and give him perfectly awful sentences that will make him laugh to diagram. Example: The severed head flew through the air and landed in the king's lap. Or, diagram sentences about a topic he enjoys. It would be hard to keep this up as the grammar gets more complicated, but it could be a way to help him lose his aversion to diagramming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlotteb Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 LOL KathyJo! My son would probably like that approach too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I don't remember doing this in school. Is it essential? My son hates to do it and I don't see why it is done, but I want to be sure I am not missing a major milestone by not covering it. We find that diagramming helps us to understand why a sentence is, or is not, good. I can have my son diagram his own sentences, and he will then immediately realize where he has a run-on sentence, or a fragment, or an awkward construction. It helps me in teaching him to write. Often I know that a sentence does not sound right, but can't necessarily tell why. Once we diagram it together, the why usually becomes obvious. There have been times where I've come across difficult passages in books. Sometimes quickly diagramming (or attempting to diagram) a convoluted sentence is as good as outlining a convoluted passage to aid my understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 We use Rod&Staff, and they use diagramming. My kids enjoy it, and have a WAY better understanding of English now! We mostly do the diagramming on the whiteboard, except for on tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in WA Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Shurley Grammar does not use diagramming. Winston Grammar doesn't use diagramming either. My kids used Abeka for a couple of years and hated the diagramming. This is one reason we switched to Winston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I don't remember doing this in school. Is it essential? My son hates to do it and I don't see why it is done, but I want to be sure I am not missing a major milestone by not covering it. Well, speaking for myself only, I never really "got" grammar until I learned to diagram. Because I'm very visual-spatial in learning & thinking, a diagram is just the thing to help me understand anything. So for me, it is essential. For someone who's more auditory/kinesthetic, not so much. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I NEVER liked diagramming sentences--I just do not 'see' things that way--it made the whole sentence too 'cluttered' for me visually. I 'did' it in high school--but I NEVER have had to use it and it did not help me analyze sentence structure--I could do that before hand. I will introduce it to my dd's but I will not force it on them. Diagramming is just ONE method of viewing sentence construction--it is a tool. You can be very successful in life--and speak many languages without having to diagram a single sentence. My DH (engineer) LOVED to diagram sentences... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I LOVED diagramming sentences when I was younger too, so did my dh, so do our kids! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kissy Posted June 16, 2008 Author Share Posted June 16, 2008 Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I think I will be looking at these options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCA Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I didn't teach diagramming with any of my girls until the youngest and WTM came along. I have seen a huge difference in her thinking and grammar skills. For example she received a new DS game this weekend for her birthday and as she was reading through the instruction booklet she was correcting the grammar. (what a nerd huh?) So even though she fusses when having to "do" school, it seems to sink in and she uses the skills she learns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanne44 Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Someone mentioned that diagramming helps students understand other languages better. It also helps with Bible study, if you are interested in that. Rod and Staff offers good sentence diagramming early in their curriculum (and is just a good, all-around grammar curriculum). They start basic and review lots to help the student grasp the concepts well. We've used it up through 3-4th grade, then migrate to Analytical Grammar Jr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I teach it - for lots of the reasons stated here. It's worked out REALLY well here. It's one of the things that I would definitely put in my do-over bag if I had a chance to go back and homeschool from the start again. I think of diagramming as mental rail-road tracks; they take us LOTS of cool places - places that we just can't go as quickly or as easily via another mode of transportation. :001_smile: ...sometimes it IS hard to get the freight train moving though!!! :glare: I suspect that getting started is probably the hardest part. Once we were underway, it got easier. Like I said - we use diagramming to understand sentences and ideas - what they are saying and HOW they are saying it. Have fun choosing! Homeschooling is such a wonderful way to enjoy life's many, many great paths! Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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