Sunday, March 11, 2012
Blog Entry #2 : Writing instruction reflection
Thinking back on my early writing experiences, I can't help but recall my eighth grade English class. The teacher had us diagram sentences. I was not a big fan of doing this because it seemed too restrictive. In my young mind, I already knew how to talk and put sentences together; why was I being asked to do something I already understood? Now after reading about Chomsky's theory of surface and deep structure sentences, I can see how being able to break down a sentence and put it into order is important. I ponder whether students still diagram sentences in classrooms of today.
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It has been a huge debate to diagram or not to diagram. Many educators think that diagraming is a lost art. I was one of those that "had" to diagram everything. I think it has helped me immensely now! Greene the author of the intervention "Language!" says we must get back to that skill. I think there is a lot to be said for that......Time becomes the issue for teachers with all of the other district directives.
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