Ronald, I apologize for responding so belatedly.  I've just now gotten access
to an editor for what I'm writing--my poor typing requires one.
 
I believe that my text The Hunter Writing System: Sentence Sense is a text that
might be just what you want, though it uses a system of marking of sentences
whereby words are left in their place and markings are placed under and over
words and groups of words.
 
Diagraming is the frit of understanding.  My text teaches this understanding by
having studens use manipulative and chunking strategies based on their spoken
familiarity with English.  Its goal is to make students owners of the system of
the strucutre of the sentence.  The exercises are sequential and cumulative and
are considered fun by students.  One teacher has found that it not only
improves spontaneity but also confidence and the ability to revise and edit
(some of this by way of research she did with it for her M.A. degree at Rowan
College of New Jersey); she said that she would never return to the old way of
teaching.  (The text also includes appealing paragraph and essay instruction
and practice.)
 
Call me at my 800 number if you would like me to explain more fully what the
text is like.  I do send examination/desk copies to prospective teachers of the
text if you would like to go that route.
 
Would any of you who might be looking for a text like this have
the capacity at your schools to give students interaticve practice on CD-ROM
(IBM-compatible)?  I am considering developing this capability in the very near
future at least for the practice material of the text, but I want to be sure
that there would be a market for it.
 
Tony Hunter